Is International University Panama accredited as legitimate and acceptable ?

Can anyone tell me whether International University in Panama is legit? I am considering acquiring a doctorate from this university ( International University in Panama) and cannot ascertain whether in fact they are a legitimate bona fide university authorized to issue qualifications accepted by the US Department of Education for instance or other accepted educational authorities in which university credits can be transferred to other accredited universities and colleges. Is this a real accredited school?

 

Do you have a link??

 

http://www.internationaluniversity.edu/

International University

 

The OP probably means this school.

The phone number listed for International University on its website has a 507 area code. This is the area code for southern Minnesota, which seems like a unusual place to put the main phone for a Panamanian university.

It's also interesting to note that International University has the exact same address and phone number as West Coast University. In fact, the WCU web page says that the two schools form a "consortium". WCU degrees have been classified as unacceptable by authorities in some states, including Oregon, Maine, and Texas.

These states also list "International University" degrees as unacceptable, but this appears to refer to a school in Missouri rather than in Panama. The "International University" in Missouri may or may not be linked to the one in Panama.

 

507 is also the country code for Panama--my father lives there.

 

I believe you're right. OK, never mind about the area code.

 

Another clarification: the "West Coast University" in Panama is not to be confused with the "West Coast University" in southern California.

The California WCU is nationally accredited (by ACICS) and has no apparent connection to the Panama WCU.

 

Google search found it linked to a number of entities I was not familiar with, and have many concerns about, including
California University FCE (Credential Evaluation & Research |CAUNIVERSITY.EDU.CUFCE.ORG | CREDENTIAL-EVALUATION.ORG)
Victorville International University, which has a few names very well known to me (not in a positive way) on the board, Victorville International University
Alpha University (Daphne, Alabama), which I find on Google Maps, but can't find awebsite
American Centered University, etc. etc.
(Victorville and American Centered, apparently the same organization, were discussed briefly here in June 2009, when a poster answered a job ad on Craigslist to teach there and was "hired" instantly.)

This suggests that one of the other thousand-plus schools with part time, distance, and/or online doctorates might be looked at.

 

This school has a license to operate - nothing more. It is not accredited. Panama's accreditation procedure (which this school has not followed) is explained here - it's by Gus Sainz, head honcho of DegreeDiscussion, July 11, 2010:

"Ever since 1994 when the legislature passed “State Decree Law 112-Year 1994” dozens of private “universities” have been set up in Panama. In fact, the current situation in Panama is very similar to that of California.

Contrary to what some degree mill operators would have you believe, a legitimate Panamanian school is not simply a matter of incorporating with the name “university” and procuring a business license. Moreover (and this is the what causes many to be misled), in Panama, unlike many other countries, approval of the Ministry of Education is not akin to accreditation; it is simply approval to operate a private “school.”

In Panama, in order to have what we (and the Panamanian’s themselves) would consider institutional "accreditation" (instead of just a license to operate), the school would have to subject itself to the supervision of the University of Panama over the courses and degrees it offers. I see no evidence that International University has subjected itself to such supervision.

Gus Sainz
Administrator
DegreeDiscussion.com"

Looks like the school has a legal permit to grant you a degree-looking paper. This paper does not have to carry any weight in the (academic or employment) marketplace. Save your money for a degree that will work for you.

Johann

 

Hi

This particular school (International U. Panama) has been cussed, discussed, extolled, vilified and occasionally sat-upon for a couple of years now in several higher-ed fora. A while back, a fellow named Dr. Robert Ray Hill, posting as TruePatriot at the time, told readers how he "stumbled upon" this school (his exact words) and how it was such an incredible bargain...Bachelor's starting at $7,500 etc.

I'm sure most of our regulars have read something or other, at some point from Dr. Hill. Think WIDU...

Johann

 

Johann, John, CallDog, Thank You for this info: Since I posted the original question I found the said uni ( International University in Panama) to be associated with a defunct school in missouri, usa; and costa rica,which got much flak from many; an ongoing history with legal status ability for issuance of degrees however not being monitored by or authorized to issue accredited degree qualifications by legit accreditation authorities. the uni having its degrees not acceptable by authorities in oregon,texas. I notice that schools like these and their websites seem to run you in circles when trying to get answers as to their status as accredited entities allowed to issue accredited degrees. Thank you again you saved me heaps of agro : )

 

Dear Gentleman,

Yes they are MOE recognized. And yes I am a graduate and also have a NACES evaluation, but I am sure, you would not want me to post it here.

http://www.meduca.gob.pa/files/diredocentes/listadoUreconocidas.pdf Listed as the Universidad Internacional, Number 21

Directorio de Particulares Number 11

 

I posted a three page document pertaining to their international recognitions, Ministry of Education listings, as well as the accreditation. Just like with Degree Discussion, they do not want people to have the correct story.

 

The first few post do not show up for new members right away. But they, (evil mods) might just be trying to crush a DL school in Panama ...:saevilw:bwahhhhahhahah:saevilw:

 

The International University Panama is approved for VA, GI Bill Assistance and VA Chapter 31, Vocational Rehabilitation benefits as well. I would not have been able to afford going if it had not been for the Veterans Administration. They paid for me to attend there. And I was surprised my tuition was much cheaper than if I would have attended a university in the United States. The also have an online curriculum in English.

 

Yes sir however, are your credits transferable to the University of Texas for instance in Austin? Have you tried to transfer to a new university that is accredited in the USA by the US department of education with the credits you earned at IU in Panama?

 

International University Panama is, in fact, approved for the GI Bill (as are 12 other schools in Panama). It is not very difficult to get such approval, if the school can show legal authorization to operate in its home country.

However, this only means that US veterans who enroll at the school can get financial assistance. It doesn't mean that degrees or credits from such foreign schools will be recognized or accepted by US institutions.

Furthermore, there is another important limitation that needs to be pointed out. As stated clearly by the VA:

Since International University Panama apparently has no US-recognized accreditation, DL study at this school is not approved by the VA. This school would be acceptable, under GI Bill standards, for a US veteran who was a conventional B&M student in Panama -- but not a veteran studying by DL from the US.

 

when your mother is operated on by an unqualified doctor and dies this is not a case of discrimination is it.That doctor has to be properly qualified and certified by standards that make that doctor competent to operate as a surgeon on your mother. There is no argument pertaining to discrimination. Would you want a doctor to operate on you who was not carefully qualified by competent persons?
The usa department of education has made it impossible for common average people to become anything because no one can afford costs of education at accredited schools accepted by them.That is another issue.Affordable education available to everyone is the issue. However units of credit accepted across the board by all countries is a must to protect the public from unqualified doctors for instance,or engineers who build faulty bridges. Selfish business men who know education is lucrative and set up institutions to pocket the money and give nothing in return to students accept worthless qualifications not redeemable anywhere else,this is the problem.Poor students because of their color or country cannot get out of their poverty.But for a businessman to prey on the poor and destitute is criminal. A private accrediting agency is almost worthless in the public sector when it comes to recognition of university credits. Transparent clarity needs to be given to those students who try to use their credits earned at IU for instance to get into a state university in usa or the EU for instance. Will these poor destitute students get in?Tell me that. This is not about the business men making money off the students its about the students isnt it. Are they qualified to be doctors,lawyers,educators,politicians? Again, would you want your mother to be operated on by a doctor who got his qualifications from the back of a matchbox? I still see nothing that you have listed as websites to prove to me that a person who is qualified as a degree bearer at your school can transfer their credit say to the University of Southern California. I think unfortunately you are going to have to provide something more solid then what you have.All I see is a school who is accepted to do business in panama and an accrediting agency in panama to evaluate but not evaluation at a distance by a non-private evaluation evaluation service at a state university in the usa or the eu. Have i gotten through to you yet?

 

I have been accepted into two regionally accredited universities and two DETC accredited universities. Most universities require a NACES NACES® - The Standard of Excellence for Credential Evaluation Services evaluation in order to transfer the credit. I understand that evaluations from Worldwide Education Consultant Services, Inc. (WECS) Welcome Worldwide Education Consultant Services, Inc., located in Brownsville, Texas has been accepted for admission into a majority of the universities in Texas. WECS is also a member of AACRAO AACRAO - American Association of Collegiate Registrars & Admissions Officers. AACRAO is accepted in many cases in lieu of a NACES evaluation. I hope that answers your questions.

 

Caldog,

You are right, the International University Panama is not accredited in the United States. But US accreditation is not required either. The exception to this is that the university has been approved for distance learning under Chapter 31, Vocational Rehabilitation. This opens prospective disabled clients of the Veterans Administration who have have a disability greater than twenty percent to enroll in distance learning with the International University, Panama. I am in fact a 30 percent disabled veteran, eligible for Chapter 31 benefits.