Atlantic International University

True, No accrediting agency has the power to grant degrees. Accreditation is It is a voluntary process based on the principle of academic self-governance. Schools, postsecondary institutions and programs (faculties) within institutions participate in accreditation. The entities which conduct accreditation are associations comprised of institutions and academic specialists in specific subjects, who establish and enforce standards of membership and procedures for conducting the accreditation process, investigate the Universities, Facilities, Curriculum, Safety and other rigorous requirements

Both the federal and state governments recognize accreditation as the mechanism by which institutional and programmatic legitimacy are ensured. In international terms, accreditation by a recognized accrediting authority is accepted as the U.S. equivalent of other countries' ministerial recognition of institutions belonging to national education systems. From my research,
ASIC is approved by the Non-ministerial government department(Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills) and The UK's Governments Home Office-->https://www.gov.uk/government/world-location-news/university-accreditation-in-thailand

Although, the accrediting body is from the UK, Schools who are accredited by them will most likely be accepted Nationally. The are International Entity for The Council for Higher Education's--->http://www.cheainternational.org/pdf/CIQG%20Members.pdf

The reason this statement is made neither confers nor validates degree-awarding powers - "Applicants wishing to study at any institution, including those offering distance education programs, should always satisfy themselves that the level of recognition of a relevant award is sufficient to meet their needs"- , 2 ASIC doesn't accredit courses - "ASIC accreditation covers an institution not a specific course. You will need to contact your chosen institution to confirm whether or not a course is accredited/validated"? Quotes from ASIC's FAQ.)

NO Accrediting agency is authorized to grant Degrees or Validate for Legal reasons. There Job is not to confer, validate or grant degrees but to investigate the Institution to make sure they meet the quality standards. In this particular matter, AIU has stepped their game up and went through the process. We all have a personal opinions but the fact remains that they are now accredited and no one can deny that. It's verifiable and sourced information.

I hope this helps all.

 

No problem

 

ASIC accreditation does not confer--in anyone's knowledgeable eye--status as a degree-granting institution. It does not bring a college or university into any country's pantheon of higher education.

But some schools like to pretend it does to their gullible applicants.

 

A university may be ASIC accredited but that doesn’t mean it’s part of the higher education system of the UK. Try searching for ASIC accredited foreign universities here https://demo.hedd.prospects.ac.uk/search_university_or_college.htm

Where and why? Read the disclaimers from ASIC’s FAQ again, please

”Applicants wishing to study at any institution, including those offering distance education programs, should always satisfy themselves that the level of recognition of a relevant award is sufficient to meet their needs"

A university may be ASIC accredited but recognition of awards is not covered.

”ASIC accreditation covers an institution not a specific course. You will need to contact your chosen institution to confirm whether or not a course is accredited/validated.”

Institutional accreditation of some sort, but not course (or program) accreditation.

So, in what way does ASIC accreditation make a university based in the US have the US equivalent of other countries recognition of institutions belonging to national education systems? Atlantic International University is not a UK institution as far as I know.

 

This link is Voluntary. An Institution does not have to sign up to list their students degrees/transcripts here. This site is for Degree Checking, meaning that the institution would have to pay a monthly fee and upload their entire database of student transcripts. It's the UK Version of Student Clearing House ---> DegreeVerify | National Student Clearinghouse in which all schools are not listed here as well. Furthermore, based on research 60 percent of AIU's students are from or lived in the UK as well as other countries. This could be the reason for international accreditation. I think you are misinterpreting the meaning of accreditation vs. accreditation awarding degrees. Read very carefully is say (ANY INSTITUTION) Again, accreditation is just a stamp of approval saying that the institution is Legit and have completed a rigorous process. An Accreditation Agency does not give advise as to what institution is best for the student, hence the statement you mentioned above. It's up to the student to do their own research to see what courses are best for them and if the courses meet the standards and what they want to achieve. Accrediting Agencies jobs are to investigate the curriculum among other things.

I hope this helps.

 

Here's some more information: Higher education accreditation is a type of quality assurance process under which services and operations of post-secondary educational institutions or programs are evaluated by an external body to determine if applicable standards are met. If standards are met, accredited status is granted by the agency. In most countries around the world, the function of educational accreditation for higher education is conducted by a government organization, such as a ministry of education. In the United States, however, the quality assurance process is independent of government and performed by private membership associations. The United States-based Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), a non-governmental organization, maintains an International Directory which "contains contact information of about 467 quality assurance bodies, accreditation bodies and Ministries of Education in 175 countries. The quality assurance and accreditation bodies have been authorized to operate by their respective governments either as agencies of the government or as private (non-governmental) organizations.

 

I like the part where LegalEagle states something that we all know as if we didn't already know it. Thanks for all the enlightenment Mr. Eagle.:newbie:

 

No problem Kizmet

 

I think that a definitive listing of what's included in the UK's higher education system can be found here.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/recognised-uk-degrees

Down in the 'FAQ' section this page states that all institutions awarding UK degrees, in other words all members of the UK higher education system, fall under the academic quality assurance oversight (what Americans understand by the word 'accreditation') of the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (the QAA).

 

@Heirophant, good information which leads back to this---> https://www.gov.uk/government/world-location-news/university-accreditation-in-thailand

 

ASIC accreditation does not make a school a UK university. It does not confer status as a university--or any degree-granting institution, for that matter--to any organization it accredits.

The term 'accreditation' has many other uses that awarding recognized degree-granting status. This is one of those cases.

 

You’re right heirophant, thank you very much. My bad, I should have referred to that listing instead. I try again then: Leagle Eagle, try searching for Atlantic International University here https://www.gov.uk/check-a-university-is-officially-recognised/recognised-bodies

So, it would seem that AIU is not part of the UK higher education system as it doesn’t fall under the academic quality assurance oversight of the QAA. In what way then does ASIC accreditation make a US university that is neither regionally nor nationally accredited - and not part of the UK higher education system - have something comparable to US regional or national accreditation?

I don’t doubt that but I’d like to see a reference, thank you.

If a potential student asks Atlantic International University about the level of recognition o fits awards, what would the answer be?

If a potential student asks Atlantic International University whether a specific course is accredited/validated or not, what would the answer be?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Higher_education_accreditation

A Wikipedia entry with multiple issues: ”may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia’s quality standards”; ”needs additional citations for verification.”

 

The page that I linked to in my earlier post says this (highlighting by me):

"Foreign universities may offer degrees in the UK provided they make it clear that they are not UK degrees. The UK authorities cannot advise on the quality of these courses. It is up to you to check what recognition arrangements exist in the country of origin for any degree course you undertake in the UK."

And further down the same page (highlighting again by me):

"It is not an offense for overseas organizations to offer their own awards in the UK, as long as they make it clear that they are not qualifications from a UK institution and that accreditation is from overseas. However, the UK authorities are unable to vouch for the quality of these qualifications, many of which involve no formal study."

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/recognised-uk-degrees

So my concern is that if the UK authorities are unable to vouch for or advise on the quality of programs offered by foreign universities inside the UK, what reason is there to think that the UK authorities are implicitly vouching for and endorsing the quality of programs that foreign universities offer outside Britain?

 

These are institutions based in the UK on this list. From what I saw, AIU is a US university and ASIC is a national accreditation body. If you really want to get answers you should contact ASIC directly. Also, you should contact AIU as well. This will clear up any questions or concerns as it seems you will not be satisfied until you get the answers you need. This thread is for opinions from all people. The only way to get the answers you are looking for is to go to the source. Once you get those answers from the source, then post their response here on the thread. Most of the people on this thread are posting their opinions. We have no authority or right to be a spokesperson for the institutions mentioned. Some have provided sourced/references as to ASIC and AIU, but you still have more questions. Please go to the source, otherwise we are spinning our wheels here. I do have a question for you? Why are interested in getting information as to ASIC and AIU? Do you plan on enrolling or this is general curiosity? Just wondering.

Take care.

 

These are institutions based in the UK on this list. From what I saw, AIU is a US university and ASIC is a national accreditation body. If you really want to get answers you should contact ASIC directly. Also, you should contact AIU as well. This will clear up any questions or concerns as it seems you will not be satisfied until you get the answers you need. This thread is for opinions from all people. The only way to get the answers you are looking for is to go to the source. Once you get those answers from the source, then post their response here on the thread. Most of the people on this thread are posting their opinions. We have no authority or right to be a spokesperson for the institutions mentioned. Some have provided sourced/references as to ASIC and AIU, but you still have more questions. Please go to the source, otherwise we are spinning our wheels here. I do have a question for you? Why are you so interested in getting information as to ASIC and AIU? Do you plan on enrolling or this is general curiosity? Just wondering.

 

I know, interesting, in’it?

I started the thread and can’t remember saying I didn’t want opinions.

I appreciate that you consider sourced and referenced material important. So, here goes:

Source, please.

Source, please. I’ve already identified it, but it would be nice to have it from you.

Source, please, I’m interested in checking the validity of that statement. Again, I don’t doubt that it’s true, but you’re explicitely talking about research here. If it’s your own research, fine, then just say so.

Yes, it’s a bit old-school perhaps, but expressing opinions first and then asking questions isn’t really my style.

Fair enough, I guess, I like answering questions just as much as I like to ask them: I’m not interested in AIU in particular, I’m interested in why so many (most of them neither regionally nor nationally accredited) US universities seek accreditation from ASIC. There surely must be some perceived benefits. And why are you interested in this and other threads about AIU, if I may ask?

 

Now that is a very good question. I have the same concern.

 

Keep in mind, that US accreditation is VERY expensive and the institution would have to be pulling in Millions annually to be able to afford to keep the accreditation. Most institutions stay afloat by Student Debt/Financial aid and loans, hence the reason they can afford the US Regional/National Accreditations, whereas other countries are much less. I would say it's cheaper and less pressure. Think about it, if accreditation cost 20k a month, the institution will be on the hook for the 20k monthly. Universities like Univ of Phoenix and others can afford that because most of their students receive loans, GI Loans, Financial Aid etc.. from the government to pay the tuition to these type of institutions.

Furthermore, I'm interested because I was working on a case awhile back whereas the State of Oregon was stating false accusations about an online university that was unaccredited. They were stating that it was a "Diploma Mill" as well as violating the law and KWU graduates' constitutional rights by unreasonably restricting their ability to use a lawfully obtained academic credential because of the unaccredited status. The institution was state approved. Although they were unaccredited, student rights were violated, so the state settled out of court. A lot of people really do not understand the Law so they state false accusations when an institution is unaccredited. They automatically say an institution is a "Diploma Mill" when it's unaccredited. Again, accreditation is a Voluntary (Diploma Mills and Accreditation - Accreditation) (Diploma Mills and Accreditation - Accreditation) See the article regarding Law Suit Here here-->Oregon settles with unaccredited university - Portland Business Journal

This is why I'm interested in threads like these to see what the thoughts are from people all over the world.

The fact of the matter is that if you have US accreditation, you may qualify for Financial Aid, Loans etc.. vs. Non-Accredited and you will have to pay out of your own pocket, hence the reason the tuitions are much less than a US Accredited institute. They don't have a lot of overhead. My guess would be it's all about the money and business. Atlantic International University doesn't appear to have 10's of thousands of students like others, hence the reason for being accredited by Accreditation Service For International Colleges-->http://www.asicuk.com/international-directory/ in which it's much cheaper than US accreditation. At least Atlantic International University were smart enough to be accredited by an Agency that seem to be notable enough to make it to the Council for Higher Education Accreditation International website-->CHEA International Directory

On another note, Please don't take anything personal or think that I am attacking you. I was just wondering. All is good and if you don't ask questions, you wont get answers. This is a good thread to get views. I apologize if you took my post as an attack. That was not my intention. I promise.

Keep being inquisitive sir!

 

Yes, accreditation is expensive. So is running a legitimate university. Hiding a lack of accreditation behind the cost burden is the domain of unwonderful operations pretending to be universities. Not in this case, right?

 

I'm not a representative of AIU so I wouldn't know.