Atlantic International University
 | |
| Type | Unaccredited private for-profit distance learning university |
|---|---|
| Established | 1998 |
| Accreditation | (None, widely considered a degree mill) |
| President | Jose M. Atri[1] |
| Location | , , United States 21°18′33″N 157°51′46″W / 21.3091601°N 157.8627071°W |
| Website | www |
Atlantic International University, Inc. (AIU) is an unaccredited private for-profit distance learning university based in Honolulu, Hawaii. It offers undergraduate and graduate degrees including doctorates.[2][3][4][5] It is widely described as a degree mill.[6][7][4][8][9][10][11] AIU degrees are unrecognized in Oregon, illegal to use in Texas, and unsatisfactory for fufilling civil service requirements in Michigan as they are considered substandard or fraudulent.[12][13][14]
Accreditation
Although it is based in the United States, AIU is not accredited by any recognized United States accreditation agency.[15] It is accredited by the U.K. Accreditation Service for International Schools, Colleges and Universities (ASIC),[16] but this is solely and exclusively for visa purposes. Not a single degree offered by Atlantic International University is officially recognized in the U.K.[17]
Atlantic International University was formerly accredited by Accrediting Commission International.[2] Accrediting Commission International is an accredidation mill and was established after the International Accrediting Commission, another accredidation mill, was shut down by the State of Missouri for fraud.[18][19]
It’s credentials have also been listed as substandard in other countries (outside the U.S.) including Ghana,[6] Nigeria (in relation to a branch in Okija),[7] and Oman.[20] It has been characterized as a degree mill,[21][10] and its degrees have been widely dismissed as "fake."[4][8][9]
It has been prosecuted by the Office of Consumer Protection of the State of Hawaii for fraudulently claiming to be an accredited institution. In a 2002 case, the state alleged the following:[11]
“AIU is not now and never has been accredited by a recognized accrediting agency or association recognized by the United States Secretary of Education...AIU has failed to properly and adequately disclose in its promotional materials, specifically its agents' advertising, the fact that it is not fully accredited by any nationally recognized accrediting agency or association listed by the United States Secretary of Education in violation of Hawaii Rev. Stat. § 446E-2(a).”
Notable alumni
- Hassan Ayariga[4]
- Joyce Banda[22]
- William Bazeyo[23]
- Gideon Gono[24]
- David Karpeles, founder of the Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum[25]
- Michael Sata[26]
- Queenstar Pokuah Sawyerr[27]
References
- ^ "Atlantic International University, Inc. | Better Business Bureau® Profile".
- ^ a b Laura Patricia Cruz Ruiz, Internationalization in Mexican Higher Education: With Special Emphasis on German-Mexican Cooperation, Historisch-vergleichende Sozialisations- und Bildungsforschung 16, Münster: Waxmann, 2016, ISBN 9783830933489, pp. 117–18.
- ^ Mike LaBella, "Blind war veteran earns doctoral degree", The Eagle-Tribune (North Andover, Massachusetts), October 16, 2017.
- ^ a b c d "Probe IGP's ‘Fake’ doctorate degree - Academics", Daily Guide Africa, via Ghana Web, October 28, 2016.
- ^ "Ministry of Education Congratulates CFBC lecturer on launch of textbook and successful defense of doctoral dissertation", SKNVibes, St. Kitts and Nevis Information Service, May 8, 2016 (press release).
- ^ a b "Stay clear of 51 unaccredited institutions - NAB warns public". Ghana Web. July 10, 2015. Archived from the original on July 12, 2015.
- ^ a b Amina Mohammed, "NUC releases list of illegal tertiary institutions (See full list)", Premium Times, August 27, 2015.
- ^ a b "Gifty Anti, IGP, Hassan Ayariga and others indicted in fake doctorate degree scandal", Pulse TV, August 3, 2016.
- ^ a b Adriaan Alsema, "Duque replaces director of National Center for Historical Memory with radical pundit: reports", Colombia Reports, October 14, 2018.
- ^ a b Alexandra Zykunov, "Dr. Dödel", Der Spiegel, February 7, 2015 (in German).
- ^ a b "Court filing against Atlantic International University by the State of Hawaii" (PDF). July 19, 2002. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
- ^ Institutions Whose Degrees are Illegal to Use in Texas
- ^ Oregon Office of Degree Authorization
- ^ Unaccredited Schools Not Fufilling Civil Service Requirements in Michigan
- ^ "Is AIU accredited?", FAQ, Atlantic International University.
- ^ Atlantic international University[permanent dead link], ASIC
- ^ "Check if your university or college can award a degree". GOV.UK. Retrieved 2024-02-19.
- ^ Ezell, Allen. "Recent developments with degree mills" (PDF). American Association of Collegiate Registrars.
- ^ kreidler, Marc (2004-11-13). "Great Moments in Accreditation: The Case of IAC, ACI, and The Three Stooges | Quackwatch". Retrieved 2024-02-19.
- ^ "Oman education: 15 UK universities on government approved list". Times of Oman. July 9, 2017. Archived from the original on May 25, 2019.
- ^ Anika Gumbs-Sandiford, "Commissioner into 1990 coup attempt accused of having Doctorate from degree mill", Trinidad & Tobago Guardian, January 26, 2013.
- ^ "KSU’s Landon Lecture Series to feature former president of Malawi" Archived 2019-05-25 at the Wayback Machine, Hays Post, January 1, 2018.
- ^ "Biography of Professor William Bazeyo", Makerere University, archived at the Wayback Machine on January 12, 2019.
- ^ Marc Abrahams, "Improbable research: the hundred trillion dollar book", The Guardian, October 12, 2009.
- ^ "Commencement Profile: David Karpeles", SUNY Buffalo State, May 7, 2012.
- ^ Stephen Chan, "Michael Sata obituary: Forceful and ruthless president of Zambia nicknamed King Cobra", The Guardian, October 29, 2014.
- ^ "Hon. Queenstar Pokuah Sawyerr" Archived 2019-04-27 at the Wayback Machine, UK–Ghana Chamber of Commerce, retrieved May 25, 2019.
