THECB - Consumer Protection

Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board

Consumer Protection

As part of the Coordinating Board's mission, the agency protects the public from entities offering fraudulent or substandard degrees. It is the Coordinating Board's goal to protect students who may be misled into receiving fraudulent or substandard degrees; the general public, including employers, who depend on degrees to assure that individuals have specific skills and knowledge; and legitimate colleges and universities, and their graduates, whose degrees would be devalued by the use of fraudulent or substandard degrees.

Texas law requires colleges and universities operating in Texas to be approved by the Coordinating Board or accredited by an accrediting association recognized by the Board. Links to the relevant laws and rules are listed at the bottom of the page. Click here to find the colleges and universities headquartered in Texas, or with a Texas presence, whose degrees are legal to use in Texas.

Consumer alerts! Find specific information about higher education frauds and scams.

Frequently Asked Questions about fraudulent or substandard degrees, accreditation, and state oversight of private colleges and universities.

Institutions Whose Degrees are Illegal to Use in Texas

Additional consumer protection information about colleges and universities.

CHEA Council on Higher Education Accreditation. Extensive information about accreditation, degree mills, and accreditation mills.
CHEA Directories List of accreditors recognized by CHEA.
U.S. Department of Education Accreditation page.
Oregon Department of Degree Authorization Has a similar law to Texas and has done extensive work on consumer protection.
Michigan Department of Civil Service Lists institutions whose degrees may not be used for state employment in Michigan.
Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs Lists actions against fraudulent or substandard institutions that operated in Hawaii.
U.S. Senate Hearings: Day 1, Day 2 Minutes of the Senate Committee on Government Affairs hearings in 2004 on the use of fraudulent degrees by government employees.