Keiser University is a

private university Private universities and private colleges are higher education institutions not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. However, they often receive tax breaks, public student loans, and government grants. Depending on the count ...

with its main campus in

Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County, Florida, Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the ...

and flagship residential campus in

West Palm Beach, Florida West Palm Beach is a city in and the county seat of Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is located immediately to the west of the adjacent Palm Beach, Florida, Palm Beach, which is situated on a barrier island across the Lake Worth Lag ...

. Additional campuses are located in other parts of Florida and internationally. Keiser provides educational programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctorate levels in both traditional and online delivery formats. The school is institutionally accredited by the

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is a regional educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. As of 2022, the organization oversees ap ...

History

In 1977, Arthur Keiser and his mother, Evelyn, created a career college called the Keiser School in Fort Lauderdale to prepare students for jobs in Florida's growing business and healthcare communities. In 1982, with the addition of paralegal and computer programs, the school changed its name to the Keiser Institute of Technology. In 1986, the school began to award associate degrees and became Keiser College. In 2001, Keiser created its first bachelor's degree programs. Five years later, in 2006, the school made its final name change and became Keiser University. In 2010, the Florida Attorney General began to investigate Keiser University and several other for-profit schools based in the state, but by 2012 the investigation was closed and Keiser entered into an "assurance of voluntary compliance". In 2011, the university switched from a for-profit to a not-for-profit model, when Arthur Keiser sold the institution for an undisclosed sum to Everglades College Inc., a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

entity founded by Keiser that also operates Everglades University. In 2015, Keiser University added a 100-acre flagship residential campus in West Palm Beach, on the site of what was formerly

Northwood University Northwood University (NU) is a private university focused on business education with its main campus in Midland, Michigan, United States. Opened in 1959, more than 33,000 people have graduated from the institution. History Northwood Universit ...

's Florida campus. The goal of this expansion was to help in providing students with a residential, traditional, educational experience in West Palm Beach, Florida. In 2016, the university launched the new college of

Chiropractic Chiropractic () is a form of alternative medicine concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system, especially of the spine. It is based on several pseudoscientific ideas. Many c ...

Medicine, with Dr. Michael Wiles serving as the Dean. This is the first program of its kind started in

South Florida South Florida, sometimes colloquially shortened to SoFlo, is the Regions of the United States#Florida, southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the two others are ...

. In 2017, CEO and President Arthur Keiser became chair of the U.S. Department of Education's

National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity The National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI, pronounced nah-SEEK-eeh) is an advisory body that makes recommendations to the U.S. secretary of education "on matters related to accreditation and to the eligibility a ...

(NACIQI). Keiser was first appointed by then Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings and reappointed twice by Republicans.

Licensure and accreditation

Keiser University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the

to award certificates and degrees at the associate, baccalaureate, master's and doctoral levels. Keiser University is licensed by the Commission for Independent Education in Florida.

Recognition and rankings

* In 2022-23, '' U.S. News & World Report'' ranked Keiser University #219 in National Universities (tie) and #1 in Top Performers on Social Mobility. * In 2021, ''U.S. News & World Report'' ranked Keiser University #284 (tie) out of all national universities and #11 (tie) in "Top Performers of Social Mobility." *In 2020, '' U.S. News & World Report'' ranked Keiser University #272 (tie) out of all national universities and #34 (tie) in "Top Performers of Social Mobility." * In 2019, ''

Washington Monthly ''Washington Monthly'' is a bimonthly, nonprofit magazine primarily covering United States politics and government that is based in Washington, D.C. The magazine also publishes an annual ranking of American colleges and universities, which ser ...

'' ranked Keiser University 263rd out of 395 schools on its national universities list. This ranking is based on three broad categories: social mobility, research, and promoting public service. * In 2018, ''

Money Money is any item or verifiable record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts, such as taxes, in a particular country or socio-economic context. The primary functions which distinguish money are: m ...

'' magazine rated Keiser University - Fort Lauderdale at #8 in top colleges for the money in Florida.

Athletics

The Keiser athletic teams are called the Seahawks. The university is a member of the

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for higher education, colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic schola ...

(NAIA), primarily competing in the

Sun Conference The Sun Conference (TSC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Eight of the ten full member institutions are located in Florida, with two in Georgia. The Sun Conference co ...

(formerly known as the Florida Sun Conference (FSC) until after the 2007–08 school year) since the 2015–16 academic year. Prior to July 2015, the Seahawks represented

's West Palm Beach campus.Bandell, Brian. (Mar 15, 2015)
Keiser University to take over Northwood University's West Palm Beach campus
''South Florida Business Journal''. Retrieved Sep 9, 2020. Keiser competes in 24 intercollegiate varsity sports: men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, tennis, track & field (indoor and outdoor) and wrestling; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, flag football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track & field (indoor and outdoor) and volleyball; and co-ed sports include Esports, cheer and dance. Club sports include equestrian, fishing and golf.

References