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.