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] It has been widely described as a degree mill.[4][5][6] Atlantic International University degrees are unrecognized in Oregon, illegal to use in Texas, and unsatisfactory for fulfilling civil service requirements in Michigan as such are considered substandard or fraudulent.[7][8][9]
Accreditation
Although it is based in the United States, Atlantic International University is not accredited by any recognized United States accreditation agency. It is accredited by the Accreditation Service for International Schools, Colleges and Universities, but this is only for visa purposes; degrees offered by Atlantic International University are not officially recognized in the United Kingdom.[10][11]
Atlantic International University was formerly accredited by Accrediting Commission International.[12] Accrediting Commission International is an accreditation mill and was established after the International Accrediting Commission, another accreditation mill, was shut down by the State of Missouri for fraud.[13][14]
Atlantic International University degrees have also been listed as substandard or fraudulent in countries outside the United States, including Ghana,[15] Nigeria (in relation to a branch in Okija),[16] and Oman.[17] It has been characterized as a degree mill,[18] and its degrees have been widely dismissed as "fake."[5]
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:[19]
“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[20]
- Joyce Banda[21]
- William Bazeyo[22]
- Gideon Gono[23]
- David Karpeles, founder of the Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum[24]
- Michael Sata[25]
- Queenstar Pokuah Sawyerr[26]
References
- ^ "Atlantic International University, Inc. | Better Business Bureau® Profile".
- ^ LaBella, Mike (October 16, 2017). "Blind war veteran earns doctoral degree". The Eagle Tribune. Archived from the original on July 16, 2025.
- ^ "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. Archived from the original on July 16, 2025.
- ^ Zykunov, Alexandra (May 4, 2015). "Fake-Unis: Millionengeschäft mit Uni-Abschlüssen". Der Spiegel (in German). Archived from the original on July 12, 2023.
- ^ a b "Gifty Anti, IGP, Hassan Ayariga and others indicted in fake doctorate degree scandal". Pulse (Ghana). August 3, 2016. Archived from the original on July 16, 2025.
- ^ Alsema, Adriaan (October 14, 2018). "Duque replaces director of National Center for Historical Memory with radical pundit: reports". Colombia Reports. Archived from the original on July 16, 2025.
- ^ Oregon Office of Degree Authorization
- ^ "Institutions Whose Degrees are Illegal to Use in Texas". Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Archived from the original on June 26, 2025.
- ^ Unaccredited Schools Not Fulfilling Civil Service Requirements in Michigan
- ^ "Atlantic International University - Profile". Accreditation Service for International Colleges. July 16, 2025. Archived from the original on July 16, 2025. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
- ^ "Check if your university or college can award a degree". GOV.UK. Archived from the original on July 16, 2025. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Ezell, Allen. "Recent developments with degree mills" (PDF). American Association of Collegiate Registrars. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 31, 2023.
- ^ Bear, John (November 13, 2004). "Great Moments in Accreditation: The Case of IAC, ACI, and The Three Stooges". Quackwatch. Archived from the original on July 16, 2025.
- ^ "Stay clear of 51 unaccredited institutions - NAB warns public". Ghana Web. July 10, 2015. Archived from the original on July 12, 2015.
- ^ Mohammed, Amina (August 27, 2015). "NUC releases list of illegal tertiary institutions". Premium Times. Archived from the original on July 16, 2025.
- ^ "Oman education: 15 UK universities on government approved list". Times of Oman. July 9, 2017. Archived from the original on May 25, 2019.
- ^ Gumbs-Sandiford, Anika (January 26, 2013). "Commissioner into 1990 coup attempt accused of having Doctorate from degree mill". Trinidad & Tobago Guardian. Archived from the original on July 16, 2025.
- ^ "Court filing against Atlantic International University by the State of Hawaii" (PDF). July 19, 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 19, 2024. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
- ^ Kudalor, John (October 28, 2016). "Probe IGP's 'Fake' doctorate degree - Academics". GhanaWeb. Archived from the original on July 16, 2025.
- ^ "KSU’s Landon Lecture Series to feature former president of Malawi" Archived May 25, 2019, 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.
- ^ Abrahams, Marc (October 12, 2009). "Improbable research: the hundred trillion dollar book". The Guardian. Archived from the original on July 16, 2025.
- ^ "Commencement Profile: David Karpeles". Buffalo State University. May 7, 2012. Archived from the original on July 16, 2025.
- ^ Chan, Stephen (October 29, 2014). "Michael Sata obituary". The Guardian. Archived from the original on July 16, 2025.
- ^ "Hon. Queenstar Pokuah Sawyerr" Archived April 27, 2019, at the Wayback Machine, UK–Ghana Chamber of Commerce, retrieved May 25, 2019.
