My freind has enrolled with the AIU through their local affiliate in Malaysia. When enrolled, he was told that AIU is approved/accredited by Hawaii. Based on the information provided by participants of your forum, AIU is not accredited. Therefore, AIU should not refer to itself as an approved school. Can I please receive answer to the following questions: 1. If AIU is not accredited, why are they claiming an approved/accredited standing in Malaysia? 2. If AIU is not approved/accredited, then what is the acdemic value of their MBA degree? Thank you Moheb
Well There is a difference between being allowed to operate legally and being accredited. A school can exist and operate without accreditation though in my experience degrees from such schools are not nearly as recognized, accepted and respected as accredited degrees. AIU states on their website "ATLANTIC INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY IS NOT ACCREDITED BY AN ACCREDITING AGENCY RECOGNIZED BY THE UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF EDUCATION." They claim the following private accreditation: "AIU is accredited by the ACI, Accrediting Commission International, a private accrediting agency" If this is the same accrediting agency as "The Accrediting Commission International for Schools, Colleges and Theological Seminaries" Your friend may be in some hot water. Go to: http://www.degree.net/guides/non-gaap_listings.html and look ACI up. Essentially this is an unaccredited school and your friend may have a lot of trouble having his MBA recognized by employers. I would suggest to him to avoid such schools.
I'd rather have an unaccredited school that simply said that they were not accredited (or simply said nothing) to a school that claims accredidation by a useless body.
Hawaii law prohibits an unaccredited degree granting institution from claiming or suggesting that it is approved, licensed or regulated by the state. Hawaii Rev. Stat. section 446E-5(a). Jeffrey E. Brunton Staff Attorney Office of Consumer Protection State of Hawaii
