Not What They Signed Up For?

By Elizabeth Redden. When Albert Anarwat applied to the for-profit Aristotle University, in California, the Ghanaian student said he asked the university if the institution was accredited. Not only was he told yes, he said, but he also was told that if the university was not accredited, “How could they get a SEVIS number” – SEVIS being the federal Student and Exchange Visitor Information System. In other words, if the institution was not accredited, how could it be approved to host international students?
But it wasn’t, and it was. Two years after the revelations regarding the “sham” Tri-Valley University, another unaccredited California institution enrolling all international students is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Aristotle currently enrolls nine F-1 visa holders in a master of public health program that operates without state approval and holds class only one day per week in an office space. Student complaints about Aristotle first came to light after a recent NBC San Diego investigation. Read more...