According to the most recent report of Accredibase, the UK-based background screening company Verifile Limited, there was a staggering 48% increase in the number of known degree or diploma mills operating worldwide last year. It identified more than 2,500 bogus institutions across all regions, but primarily in North America and Europe.

The U.S. Department of Justice may be breathing new life into a whistle-blower lawsuit that seeks to collect about $1billion from the University of Phoenix, the nation's largest private institution of higher education. The suit was dismissed in May by a federal district-court judge in California on technical grounds but the parties appealed.