# Ep140 - Diploma for Sale: Diploma Mills in Higher Education in the Philippines

An episode of [Behind The Science Podcast](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1753464681), 10 Sep 2026, 55 min.

Audio: https://anchor.fm/s/ee2ce360/podcast/play/124892873/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-7-29%2F430760788-44100-2-5e9b795b5cc9f.mp3

In this episode, we talk with Dr. Karol Mark Yee, Executive Director of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2), about the growing problem of diploma mills in Philippine higher education — schools that hand out real-looking diplomas without delivering real education. Dr. Yee explains that the Philippines is especially exposed because it has one of the largest higher education systems in the world. It has 2,400 colleges and universities, which is about half the size of the entire US system. Many of these schools survive on tiny enrollments (30% have fewer than 500 students) and simply can't afford the qualified faculty, laboratories, or journal access that a real degree requires. These diploma mills are a direct risk to students and a betrayal of the families paying for their education. ⌛Chapters 02:22 Intro and welcome 06:24 Dr. Yee's journey from Broadcast Communication to education policy 21:28 What is a diploma mill, and how easy is it to start one? 31:53 Graduate school diploma mills: who gets victimized and why 35:33 The promotion loophole, fake theses, and predatory journals 48:06 EDCOM 2's plan to crack down on diploma mills 53:05 Advice for choosing a legitimate school 55:26 Closing and where to follow EDCOM 2

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