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.

In 2007, 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. In 2010 American International University, Inc. opened American International Graduate School and began a strategic partnership with Baptist University of America in Oxford, Mississippi.