ABOUT AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY

Vision

"College for the rest of us" is more than a marketing campaign at American International. It is what drives us to be the best online university we can be. "College for the rest of us" means that a college education is available for hard working adults who can't give up their jobs to get a college degree. It means we give you credit for what you have already accomplished. It means we will customize a program that fits your prior education and experience... so you can get ahead in the workplace.

American International University Inc. is a Mississippi corporation. It is a privately held corporation organized under the laws of the state of Mississippi for the purpose of offering higher education to working people throughout the United States via the Internet. American International University is unashamedly and unapologetically a Christian institution. The university does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, or status as a veteran.

History

American International was started in 1997 in the Kansas City metropolitan area. It was originally known as American International Bible College and Seminary. This institution was started by a group of Baptist pastors. Their goal was to train laymen for the work of the ministry.

After Hurricane Katrina (August 28, 2005) we were all moved by the devastation of the Gulf Coast area. Alumni, staff and faculty gave to the rebuilding and recovery efforts of this hard hit region. Many people went to the hardest hit areas to help with the rebuilding. Some of the people displaced by the most destructive hurricane to hit the United States were relocated to the Kansas City area. The decision was made to move American International to one of the gulf states, either Louisiana or Mississippi.

After 10 years of operation, and after much prayer and planning, American International Bible College and Seminary became American International University. It was also decided to leverage the power of the Internet and transition from a church based, traditional training format to a state of the art online institution.

Mission

American International University is a private independent Christian institution of higher learning that offers adult degree programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels through sound updated curricula and innovative methods of instruction. Our commitment is to fulfill the needs of the adult professional student. AIU offers distance learning degree programs and an alternative to adults from all countries and cultures who choose not to attend a traditional on-campus university.

Accreditation

In nearly every country, higher education is controlled and monitored by the national government, which promulgates higher education policy. As free markets, open frontiers and individualism spread around the world, many nations are adapting their higher education systems to be more liberal, competitive and diverse. Accreditation is one of the major factors behind this global trend. Accreditation reflects the comparative advantages of numerous and diverse institutions and methods of education and respects its core values of autonomy, self-governance, scholarship and the assurance of academic quality through peer review. Accreditation is an institutional procedure that universities seek to complete in order to bring their academic programs up to quality standards. The process of accreditation is non-governmental and voluntary; that is, universities appear before a private, regional or professional association (the one to which they wish to belong) and submit an application. The accrediting institution then carries out an overall assessment of the university, and if the results are satisfactory, the school is accredited. It is important to point out that each accrediting organization holds its own accrediting criteria. The Strategic Planning Steering Committee of American International University have determined accreditation is one of the institution's highest priority.

American International University is currently not accredited by one of the seven official regional accrediting bodies recognized by CHEA. As a result, AIU is not eligible to participate in the Federal Student Aid Program or approved to accept tuition payments from the GI Bill. American International University cannot guarantee that its degrees will be accepted by all post-secondary institutions. In addition, certain employers, including, but without limitation, state government and other publicly-funded organizations in states such as Florida, Illinois, Oregon, New Jersey, North Dakota, Texas, Washington and Idaho, may not recognize or accept an American International University degree. If an applicant is unsure whether certain post-secondary institutions or employers will accept an AIU degree, the applicant should first consult with those institutions or employers to determine their policies regarding the acceptance of degrees from private, post-secondary institutions without regional accreditation.

Transfer of Credit

A student of American International University wishing to continue a program at another university should verify first that the credits obtained at AIU may be transferable to that university. There are institutions reluctant to accept credits obtained through distance learning adult degree programs, from non-formal education or from non-CHEA accredited institutions. In some cases, partial credit transfer may be accepted. Accreditation (including CHEA) does not provide automatic acceptance and validation of the credits earned at other institutions, nor does it guarantee the acceptance of graduates by employers. Acceptance of students or graduates is always the prerogative of the receiving institution or employer. For these reasons, students should take additional measures to determine, prior to enrollment, whether or not their educational goals will be met through studying at a particular institution.