The Graduation Mill: When Completion Rates Trump Learning

The 100% Graduation Guarantee

When a Sydney student enrolled in his CPP41419 course at a prominent Sydney RTO, the admissions counselor made a bold promise: "We have a 97% graduation rate. Everyone who enrolls with us gets their certificate."

During his first week, the student discovered why that guarantee was possible. After submitting a poorly written assessment filled with basic errors, he received a "Competent" grade with generic feedback: "Well done, your understanding is evident."

When he questioned his trainer about the low quality of his work, he was told: "Don't worry about perfection. The goal is completion, not excellence. We'll help you get through the course."

The student had entered a graduation mill—an education system where completion rates matter more than learning outcomes, and where certificates are guaranteed regardless of actual competency development.

The Completion Rate Obsession

Internal RTO documents reveal how completion rates have become the primary success metric, driving systematic changes that prioritize graduation over education quality.

The Business Model Reality

High completion rates are essential for RTO marketing and financial sustainability:

The Standards Degradation Process

To achieve target completion rates, RTOs systematically lower educational standards:

"Management was clear: our completion rate had to stay above 90%. When it dropped to 87%, we got a directive to 'adjust our assessment approach.' Translation: make it impossible for students to fail. Quality became secondary to graduation statistics."

The Graduation Mill Operating System

Phase 1: The No-Fail Assessment Design

Graduation mills create assessment systems designed for universal passing:

Phase 2: The Grade Inflation System

Internal grading policies prioritize completion over competency:

"We had unofficial grading guidelines: anything above 'completely blank' should get a pass with support. I was told to find any possible reason to mark work as competent. The emphasis was on student success, not educational standards."

Phase 3: The Intervention Prevention Protocol

Systems are designed to prevent genuine competency issues from causing non-completion:

• Early identification of struggling students for "intensive support"
• One-on-one "coaching" sessions to ensure assessment completion
• Alternative assessment methods when standards can't be met
• Credit transfer for "prior learning" to bypass difficult units
• Medical or personal circumstances accommodations for unlimited extensions
• Pathway programs that lower entry requirements retroactively

Case Study: The 99% Success Factory

Case Study: High Completion Rate Analysis

The Tribune investigated how one major Melbourne RTO achieved a 99.2% completion rate:

The Standards Sacrifice

Achieving 99% completion required abandoning educational rigor:

"To maintain our completion rate, we had to essentially guarantee graduation at enrollment. This meant assessments became participation exercises rather than competency tests. Students knew they couldn't fail, so many didn't even try to learn. They just went through the motions to get their certificate."

The Learning Casualties

Student Competency Reality Check

Post-graduation testing reveals the cost of prioritizing completion over competency:

The Confidence Deception

Students from graduation mills often lack awareness of their incompetence:

"The scariest thing about graduation mill students isn't that they don't know things—it's that they think they do. They've been told they're competent for months, received constant positive feedback, and graduated with high grades. They have no idea how unprepared they are for actual work."

Industry Impact: The Competency Crisis

Employer Frustration with Graduation Mill Products

Real estate employers report increasing problems with high-completion-rate RTO graduates:

"We've learned to avoid RTOs with completion rates above 95%. They're usually graduation mills. Their students come in confident but clueless. We now use completion rate as a negative indicator—too high suggests the standards are too low."

The Industry Adaptation Response

Smart employers have developed graduation mill detection systems:

• Competency testing regardless of certificate possession
• Extended probation periods for new graduates
• In-house training programs to address knowledge gaps
• RTO reputation databases tracking graduate quality
• Direct partnerships with quality-focused training providers
• Preference for RTOs with realistic completion rates (70-85%)

The Regulatory Response: Metrics vs Reality

ASQA's Completion Rate Paradox

Current regulatory frameworks inadvertently encourage graduation mills:

The Standards Enforcement Gap

ASQA struggles to distinguish between genuine success and manipulated completion rates:

"ASQA audits our processes but doesn't test graduate competency. We can have a 98% completion rate with completely incompetent graduates and still receive positive regulatory feedback. The system measures inputs and processes, not learning outcomes."

Student Warning Signs: Identifying Graduation Mills

Pre-Enrollment Red Flags

Protect yourself by identifying graduation mill characteristics before enrolling:

During-Course Warning Signs

Recognize graduation mill practices while enrolled:

• Assessments marked competent despite obvious errors
• Generic feedback unrelated to actual work quality
• Unlimited resubmissions with minimal guidance
• Pressure to complete rather than improve work
• No examples of failed assessments or non-completion
• Trainers focused on completion rather than competency
• Assessment answers readily available from course materials

Demanding Real Standards

Insist on genuine competency-based assessment:

• Request examples of failed assessments and reasons
• Ask about typical completion rates and what affects them
• Demand competency standards documentation
• Inquire about reassessment limits and failure procedures
• Request employer feedback on graduate competency
• Ask for industry benchmarking of graduate skills
• Insist on meaningful feedback tied to learning outcomes

The Solution: Outcome-Based Quality Measurement

Post-Graduation Competency Verification

Real quality measurement requires assessing graduate outcomes:

• Independent competency testing 6 months post-graduation
• Employer satisfaction surveys on graduate job-readiness
• Industry skills assessment by professional bodies
• Graduate employment outcome tracking
• Career progression monitoring for training effectiveness
• Skills gap identification through workplace performance

Balanced Success Metrics

Effective quality measurement balances completion with competency:

Choose RTOs That Prioritize Learning Over Graduation

The graduation mill investigation reveals why completion rate obsession undermines genuine education. Students deserve training providers that prioritize competency development over certificate production.