Virginia International University
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Fairfax University of America (FXUA, formerly Virginia International University) was 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 ...
in
Fairfax, Virginia Fairfax ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia and the county seat of Fairfax County, Virginia, in the United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 24,146. Fairfax is pa ...
, United States. It was established in 1998, and then as a non-profit
501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, Trust (business), trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of ...
university in 1999. The university was formerly accredited by the
Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools The Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) was a Non-profit organization, non-profit education corporation that was recognized by the United States Department of Education as an independent and autonomous Higher education ...
(ACICS). In 2022 the
United States Secretary of Education The United States secretary of education is the head of the United States Department of Education. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States, and the federal government, on policies, programs, and activi ...
denied ACICS's accrediting status. The university ceased operations effective December 31, 2024.


Accreditation and certification

ACICS came under heavy scrutiny by regulators for its lax accreditation standards and failure to flag deficient programs at several institutions, including Fairfax University, which was "blasted orthe quality and rigor of its online education program" by state regulators in 2019 and nearly closed down.


History

The university's website states that the institution was founded in 1998 as Virginia International University. In 1999, the university was incorporated as a non-profit corporation and obtained
501(c)3 A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, Trust (business), trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of ...
non-profit status. The first commencement was held on May 4, 2006, with 20 graduates in attendance. In March 2019, the
State Council of Higher Education for Virginia The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) is the Commonwealth's coordinating body for higher education. SCHEV was established by the Governor and General Assembly in 1956. Its mission, which is outlined in the Code of Virginia§ ...
threatened to revoke VIU's license to operate in the Commonwealth of Virginia after a 2018 audit found defects in the academic rigor and quality of VIU's online courses, run under Alwani's predecessor, publishing a report that ''
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 ...
'' called "scathing". The audit cited several concerns including widespread instances of plagiarism and its admissions policy that allowed
international student International students or exchange students, also known as foreign students, are students who undertake all or part of their secondary or tertiary education in a country other than their own. In 2022, there were over 6.9 million international ...
s who demonstrated "abysmally poor" English language skills to attend the university. Although the audit was focused on the school's online courses, auditors suggested that the issues likely impacted face-to-face classes as well, noting that online courses and in-person courses shared common teaching faculty, while the English proficiency issues were common among students attending in-person classes. In June 2019, the State Council reached an agreement with VIU to allow the college to continue operating on the condition that they pause its distance education for at least three years. The university's name changed to Fairfax University of America (FXUA) on January 1, 2020. On December 13, 2021, the State Council completed their audit, finding FXUA to be in full compliance of SCHEV regulations, permitting FXUA to immediately begin offering distance education again. In 2024, FXUA announced that they would cease operations at the end of the year, citing that the university faced significant challenges due to a complex regulatory environment and a limited timeframe available to secure new accreditation.


Academics

The university's academic units were organized into two schools: the School of Business and the School of Computer Information Systems. In Fall 2021 there were 5 full-time instructional faculty and 13 part-time instructional faculty.


New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy

Fairfax University of America operated a research institute, founded in 2019, the
New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy Fairfax University of America (FXUA, formerly Virginia International University) was a private university in Fairfax, Virginia, United States. It was established in 1998, and then as a non-profit 501(c)(3) university in 1999. The university was ...
, a foreign policy think tank operating out of
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy and ''New Lines'' magazine, edited by
Hassan Hassan Hassan Hassan (born 1982) is an American author and journalist of Syrian origin. He co-wrote the 2015 ''New York Times'' bestseller '' ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror'' with Michael Weiss. He has written on Islamist groups in the Middle East. He ...
and focusing on the Middle East now operate as independent entities from FXUA. New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy is licensed in Washington, D.C. as of 2022.


Student life

25 (5 undergraduate) students were enrolled at the university in 2022.


References

{{authority control Private universities and colleges in Virginia Education in Fairfax County, Virginia Colleges accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools Universities and colleges established in 1998 1998 establishments in Virginia Educational institutions disestablished in 2024 2024 disestablishments in Virginia