What American InterContinental University-Houston is like

Academic feel

AIU offers associate's, bachelor's, and master's degrees across business, IT, criminal justice, healthcare management, education, and media production. Many instructors are professionals in their fields who draw on real-world experience. The institution has invested in adaptive learning technology; in 2013, AIU launched intellipath™, a proprietary platform that personalizes instruction based on student understanding, and in 2014 became the first MBA program in the U.S. to be driven by adaptive learning technology.

Strengths

• Uses adaptive learning technology (intellipath™) to personalize instruction based on student understanding[1][2]
• Offers hybrid and fully online degree options alongside in-person instruction at physical campuses[1][2]
• Faculty drawn from professional practitioners who integrate real-world experience into classroom instruction[1][2]

Weaknesses

• The institution has faced significant regulatory scrutiny, including investigations by the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education, and the SEC[1][2]
• In 2020, the Department of Veterans Affairs suspended G.I. Bill reimbursement eligibility due to erroneous, deceptive, or misleading enrollment and advertising practices[1][2]
• Founder Steve Bostic publicly alleged in 2005 that the company sacrificed quality of student programs for revenue growth, resulting in high student attrition[1][2]
• Receives approximately 96% of all funds from the U.S. government and has been sued for defrauding the federal government by taking federal funding while providing substandard education[1][2]
• The Los Angeles campus admitted students who had not graduated from high school and included enrollment numbers for students who had never attended class[1][2]
• As of 2017, the institution was under heightened cash monitoring by the U.S. Department of Education for additional oversight of cash management[1][2]