Almeda University was an unaccreditedUnaccredited Post-Secondary Educational Institutions
,

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

state government

for-profit Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or buying and selling products (such as goods and services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for profit." A business entity is not necessari ...

online university A virtual university (or online university) provides higher education programs through electronic media, typically the Internet. Some are bricks-and-mortar institutions that provide online learning as part of their extended university courses while ...

registered on the Caribbean island of

Nevis Nevis ( ) is an island in the Caribbean Sea that forms part of the inner arc of the Leeward Islands chain of the West Indies. Nevis and the neighbouring island of Saint Kitts constitute the Saint Kitts and Nevis, Federation of Saint Kitts ...

. It offered illegitimate degrees including online certificate programs, general "Life Experience Degrees", and doctorates in religion and theology. Almeda was accredited by the Council for Distance Education Accreditation, the Interfaith Education Ministries (IEM), and the Association for Online Academic Excellence (AOAEX), none of which were recognized by the

United States Department of Education The United States Department of Education is a cabinet-level department of the United States government, originating in 1980. The department began operating on May 4, 1980, having been created after the Department of Health, Education, and ...

or the

Council for Higher Education Accreditation The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) is an American organization of degree-granting colleges and universities. It identifies its purpose as providing national advocacy for academic quality through accreditation in order to ...

. Almeda University is widely regarded as a

diploma mill A diploma mill or degree mill is a business that sells illegitimate diplomas or academic degrees, respectively. The term ''diploma mill'' is also used pejoratively to describe any educational institution with low standards for admission and gradua ...

. It was owned and operated by Pakistani software company Axact.

History

Almeda University was founded in 1997 as a distance learning program. From 2001 to 2016, the school awarded undergraduate degrees as well as masters and doctorate degrees based upon "life experience". Degrees were issued upon payment, with life experience assessments based on the word of the applicant. In addition to its degree programs, Almeda University also offered a wide selection of zero-credit courses intended for professional development. As of 2012, Almeda only had a mailing address in

Boise, Idaho Boise ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Idaho, most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, there were 235,685 people residing in the city. Loca ...

. Upon inspection, ''Bears' Guide'' says that it could not locate the physical address of the institution and was informed by reception that Almeda University was a "web only" institution.''Bears' Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning''
, John Bear, Maria Bear, (2003-01-01), pp.187 Ten Speed Press, 215. Richard Smith was Almeda's founding CEO.

Academics

Almeda University offered associate, bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees using "Prior Learning Assessments” which evaluated a candidate's life experience. It also offered several hundred non-degree technical and business courses and certification preparation programs by e-learning.

Accreditation and recognition

Legally, Almeda University was a corporation registered on the Caribbean island of

. It was listed as an accredited member of Interfaith Education Ministries and the Association for Online Academic Excellence, and claimed accreditation by the Council for Distance Education Accreditation; however, none of these were recognized by the

or the

. On its website, Almeda stated that its sources of accreditation were not recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, with the result that students could not receive U.S. federal loans or assistance under the

GI Bill The G.I. Bill, formally the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, was a law that provided a range of benefits for some of the returning World War II veterans (commonly referred to as G.I.s). The original G.I. Bill expired in 1956, but the te ...

, and that Almeda degrees might not be recognized by academia or employers in some states. *Connecticut: In October 2001, the Connecticut Department of Higher Education ordered Almeda to cease offering degrees in

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

. In 2002, when an investigation showed that Almeda continued to advertise its programs in Connecticut, the Department of Higher Education sent a second cease and desist letter to Almeda and referred the issue to the

Connecticut Attorney General The Connecticut attorney general is the state attorney general of Connecticut. The attorney general is elected to a four-year term. According to state statute, eligibility for the office requires being "an attorney at law of at least ten years' ...

for possible legal action. *Florida: In 2003, the

Florida Department of Education The Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) is the state education agency of Florida. It governs public education and manages funding and testing for local educational agencies (school boards). It is headquartered in the Turlington Building ( ...

entered into an agreement with Almeda requiring the institution to cease operating in the state. While Floridians could still get a degree from the online university, Almeda warned customers that its degrees might be invalid for public employment in Florida. *Texas: Almeda was listed on the

Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) is an agency of the U.S. state of Texas's government that oversees all public post-secondary education in the state. It is headquartered at 1801 North Congress Avenue in Austin. THECB dete ...

list of "Institutions Whose Degrees are Illegal to Use in Texas." *Other states: Almeda's website indicated that its degrees also might not be valid for public employment in Illinois, Oregon, New Jersey, North Dakota, Washington and Idaho. The

Better Business Bureau The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is an American private, 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization founded in 1912. BBB's self-described mission is to focus on advancing marketplace trust, consisting of 92 independently incorporated local BBB organizati ...

additionally advised that residents of these states should potentially "consider the Almeda degree as a novelty item only". In January 2013, the city of

Fraser Fraser may refer to: Places Antarctica * Fraser Point, South Orkney Islands Australia * Fraser, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb in the Canberra district of Belconnen * Division of Fraser (Australian Capital Territory), a former federal ...

, Michigan, sued Almeda and 99 other "John Doe" defendants alleging violations of the Michigan Authentic Credentials in Education Act. In January 2016, the Michigan Court of Appeals upheld one of these claims (barring the others due to the statute of limitations).

Reception

Almeda's academic standards have been criticized by a variety of education organizations. According to ''Bears' Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning'', Almeda College and University was a web-only university offering degrees based on an assessment of a candidate's "life experience". Bear noted that Almeda stated it was accredited by the Association for Online Academic Excellence, but that association itself was also unrecognized. In 2011 the U.S. News University Directory, operated by '' U.S. News & World Report'', published an article about online education that favorably mentioned Almeda's master's degree program in psychology. ''

Inside Higher Ed ''Inside Higher Ed'' is an American online publication of news, opinion, resources, events and jobs in the higher education sphere. In 2022, Quad Partners, a private equity firm, sold it to Times Higher Education, itself owned by Inflexion Priv ...

'' reported in June 2011 that the U.S. News website had removed the posting after being alerted that Almeda was not "recognized as an accredited degree-granting university by the U.S. Department of Education or any mainstream accrediting agency". Website editors stated their commitment to "focus on accredited colleges and universities" and blamed an "editorial oversight" for the site's use of an Almeda press release. In a 2017 CBC Marketplace episode investigating diploma mills, it was discovered that several people from across Canada had purchased degrees from Almeda and then passed them off as accredited degrees.

Incidents

In 2004 a

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

affiliate in

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is located on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River. Albany is the oldes ...

, reported that one of their reporters filed an Almeda application for an

associate degree An associate degree or associate's degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of academic qualification above a high school diploma and below a bachelor's degree ...

on behalf of his dog, citing child care responsibilities and other requisite experience. Almeda initially granted the dog a "life experience" associate degree in childhood development based on the false and erroneous claims. Almeda later proclaimed in public response that the reporter perjured himself by creating a false identity. In 2006 a

Naples, Florida Naples is a city in Collier County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 19,115, down from 19,539 at the 2010 census. Naples is a principal city of the Collier County, Florida, Naples–Marc ...

police officer was forced to return a salary increase based on an Almeda degree. Two other Naples police officers were temporarily terminated when an investigation showed that they received diplomas from Almeda. Both officers appealed the ruling, stating they had spoken to department administrators before submitting the credentials needed to verify that they qualified for the incentive program. In October 2006, both officers were reinstated with back pay, but both received 10-day suspensions and were required to take an ethics course. Similarly, in 2009, eight Washington state troopers who obtained degrees from Almeda had to relinquish educational incentive pay but avoided recrimination as prosecutors could not establish criminal intent. Also in 2009, the ''

Sacramento Bee ''The Sacramento Bee'' is a daily newspaper published in Sacramento, California, in the United States. Since its foundation in 1857, ''The Bee'' has become the largest newspaper in Sacramento, the fifth largest newspaper in California, and the 2 ...

'' reported that one or more Sacramento city firefighters have had their raises revoked after obtaining degrees from Almeda.Robert Lewis
The Public Eye: 'Diploma mill' degrees for firefighters cost city $50,000, grand jury says

, July 9, 2009
Archived by archive.org on October 19, 2009

References

{{Reflist

External links

Official website
Unaccredited institutions of higher learning in the United States Former for-profit universities and colleges in the United States Distance education institutions based in the United States Universities and colleges established in 1997 1997 establishments in Saint Kitts and Nevis Educational institutions disestablished in 2016 2016 disestablishments in the United States Axact