If you are considering attending Ashford University, you need to be very sure about several things. One of these important factors is whether or not the university is accredited. In this article, you will learn about Ashford University’s Accreditation status, how it is regulated, and its legal status. Listed below are a few of the most important details to consider. Make sure to read them all before you enroll!
Accreditation
Earlier this year, the California Attorney General filed a lawsuit against Ashford University, challenging its accreditation by the Department of Education. While Ashford University continues to be accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), it has been placed on Notice due to a series of non-financial issues. The University was identified for further investigation based on its non-financial data in its Institutional Annual Report (IAR). The HLC screens non-financial data from all accredited and candidate institutions each year for seven conditions. When an institution meets one of these conditions, HLC will request an institutional report from that institution.
Students at Ashford University must meet basic requirements for admission, including English language proficiency. In addition to this, applicants must be at least 22 years old and have a high school diploma or GED. Additionally, students must be a resident of the United States. In addition, students should meet the GPA requirement of 2.0 or higher to be considered for admission. While students do have to meet English proficiency requirements, the university is proud to be accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission.
Accreditation status
Although the Higher Learning Commission has denied Ashford University’s request for accreditation, the school has been providing the Higher Learning Commission with information about its academic program. The commission said its decision to deny Ashford’s application to receive accreditation was in part due to concerns about the university’s online division. The agency also expressed concern that the university lacks academic and writing specialists. Despite the decision, Ashford University is continuing to work with the Higher Learning Commission to provide timely updates about its accreditation status.
Although Ashford University was granted WASC accreditation in 2013, it closed its main campus in June 2016 due to enrollment requirements. After this, Bridgepoint Education purchased Ashford University and plans to merge it with the University of the Rockies to establish a nonprofit university. The school has lost more than 50% of its enrollment since its accreditation status in 2005 and is currently working to raise funds by turning it into a nonprofit institution. However, it is not yet clear why Ashford University’s enrollment has fallen by 50% since the accreditation process. The school’s graduation and retention rates are low – according to the US Department of Education, only sixteen percent of Ashford University’s students graduate.
Accreditation body
The higher learning commission (HLC) is the accrediting body for Ashford University. The university has been the poster child for the for-profit college acquisition phenomenon. WASC has commended Ashford for its on-ground location in Iowa. The university has invested heavily in the campus and its support of residential students, and its residential campus serves as an anchor identity for thousands of online students. WASC’s recent review highlights the institution’s efforts to improve its residential campus.
While the group’s final report did not give a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down to Ashford, it did leave that judgment to WASC, the regional accrediting body. The team visited Ashford five times and also made site visits to Iowa and San Diego. The accreditation board ultimately denied Ashford’s request for regional accreditation. Despite the setback, the report lauds Ashford and Bridgepoint for cooperating with the intensive review. Several other members of the team are well-known scholars in higher education finance.
Legal status
The legal status of Ashford University is up for debate. The university has been accused of using illegal methods to enroll veterans. In order to do so, it set up a second “headquarters” in Arizona, which was about the size of a Chipotle restaurant. This is clearly noncompliance, and the UA has frozen enrollments. The university is currently working to change its status to nonprofit. While the lawsuit is not final, Ashford is moving forward to convert.
In April 2018, the California Attorney General’s office filed a complaint against Ashford claiming that the school misrepresented enrollment information, hid fees and inflated student balances. The complaint claims that Ashford was fraudulent and used unfair enrollment practices to lure students into paying for its education. It also claims that Ashford engaged in illegal debt collection practices and passed on the costs to students. This lawsuit is likely to continue for a few more years.