I am glad I found this discussion about American Intercontinental University. However, it's sad to see all the bickering and personal insults flying around on here. That said, I am simply going to tell my experience with AIU.
I applied to an online university because I was working full-time and taking care of my sick mother full-time.
During the application process, I asked my Admissions Advisor if AIU was accredited. He ensured me that AIU was in fact accredited. I asked him if regular universities such as USC or UCLA accept AIU's accredidation system. He ensured me all my classes would transfer to a regular, campus university like UCLA should I decide to continue my education.
I called UCLA and asked the Admissions Staff there if they accepted transfer classes from AIU. They said they did not.
I called AIU back and spoke to Admissions again. They told me UCLA was mistaken, and that AIU was accredited and classes would transfer. Besides, my advisor told me, AIU was in the process of becoming accredited in other regions of the United States as well, so it wouldn't matter what a university like UCLA said now, it would all work out in the end. I signed up for AIU for the AA in Business Administration, and I finished with honors.
However, nearing the end of my jaunt with AIU, Admissions Advisors started calling me to convince me to continue with AIU's Bachelor Degree program in Business. I declined. Over a period of three weeks, I was called nearly 40 times. They called my work, my house, and my cell phone at all hours of the night, at 5 am on Saturday mornings, all to convince me to re-enroll. When I continued to politely decline and asked them not call again, the Admissions Staff at AIU became hostile.
After weeks of harrassment, I contacted an attorney and threatened AIU with a hefty lawsuit for harrassment. The calls stopped for awhile, then started up again. Why? They need to verify that I was working at a job. Why? Because they needed to keep updated student records.in the end, they just wanted to keep track of me to keep calling me.
I had Admissions Advisors calling me from their home phone numbers because I stopped answering my phone when AIU popped up on the caller ID. They resorted to nasty, personal insults when I told them I would sue if they wouldn't leave me and my family alone. (This was happening near my degree completion, as well as after I had severed all ties with AIU at the end of my classes).
My last conversation with someone from AIU was with an "Exit Advisor, " and "Employment Assistance." I told her to take me off the contact list for AIU student records, and to make a note on my file to stop contacting me. She refused. It wasn't until after I started throwing around the words "lawyer" and "sue" that she complied.
In addition to harrassment, I feel AIU was dishonest about the cost of my degree. They quoted me a package of $12,000. I am now paying off over $20,000 in student loans for AIU. When I tried to terminate classes at AIU, they told me I would have to pay a contract termination fee.
Finally, no regular, fully accredited universities accept AIU's credits. I am working with a great university now that may end up acception some of the classes I took at AIU.in the end, though, I feel like AIU took advantage of me and my family.
I agree with supporters of AIU that the classes are great in format, and are very hard to complete. I thought it was a very challenging program, and well taught. However, I would advise prospective AIU students to do your research and possibly take your educational goals elsewhere.
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