The American University of London (AUOL) is an online

diploma mill A diploma mill (also known as a degree mill) is a company or organization that claims to be a higher education institution but provides illegitimate academic degrees and diplomas for a fee. The degrees can be fabricated (made-up), falsified (fake ...

. The company disputes the label and instead describes itself as a for-profit

unaccredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

educational institution offering undergraduate and graduate degrees solely by

distance learning Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at a school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance. Traditionally, this usually in ...

. It is a different organization than the

American University in London The American University in London (AUL) was an accredited university in the United Kingdom before being suspended in April 2007. It was located in Seven Sisters Road in London.Bear, Mariah P. and John Bear. Bears' Guide to Earning Degrees by Di ...

. The institution has no campus. Its website says it was established in 1984 as the American College of Science & Technology and was incorporated as an independent distance learning institution in 1999 in

St. Kitts and Nevis Saint Kitts and Nevis (), officially the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis, is an island country and microstate consisting of the two islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis, both located in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands chain of ...

. The website lists mailing addresses in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and

Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. ...

.Official website
(Accessed 6 Feb 2013) ''Bears' Guide'' and several

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

education agencies indicate that the institution is associated with the Anacrusis Institute, an unaccredited institution based in

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wi ...

and the United Kingdom.Bear, Mariah P. and John Bear.
Bears' Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning
'. Ten Speed Press, 2003.Institutions Whose Degrees are Illegal to Use in Texas
, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, accessed March 20, 2013

Accreditation status

The university's website and associated prospectus states that it is accredited in the United States by agencies specializing primarily in distance learning. The

Oregon Office of Degree Authorization The Oregon Office of Degree Authorization (ODA) is a unit of the Office of Student Access and Completion, with responsibilities related to maintaining high standards in private higher education institutions in Oregon. ODA administers laws and prov ...

(ODA) identifies two possibly unrelated entities operating under the name "American University of London", one in St. Kitts and Nevis, the United Kingdom and

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

, and the other in

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the Ara ...

. According to ODA, the Saudi Arabian institution does not have degree-granting authority in Saudi Arabia and neither institution has legal authority to enroll Oregon students and their credentials may not be used in the state. American University of London also appears on lists of unaccredited colleges and universities maintained by the

s of

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and nor ...

and

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

. According to the AUOL prospectus, the university has "not applied for accreditation with any American nor British official accreditor". The same prospectus adds that its degrees are validated due to their "agreement with a renowned USA agency" who are able to issue Equivalency Certificates to AUOL graduates. This agency is not named. AUOL is also a member of the American Association for Higher Education and Accreditation, which is not a recognized accreditor.Thomas Bartlett,
"Inquiry Into Higher-Education Group Reveals Odd Connections
" ''

Chronicle of Higher Education ''The Chronicle of Higher Education'' is a newspaper and website that presents news, information, and jobs for college and university faculty and student affairs professionals (staff members and administrators). A subscription is required to r ...

'', Monday, August 25, 2008 AUOL is not a valid UK degree awarding body.

References

{{reflist, 2

External links

Official website
For-profit universities and colleges in Europe Unaccredited institutions of higher learning Distance education institutions based in the United Kingdom