Have you heard of Nexford University

[ss20ts]

ss20ts: "f they have international students in Nigeria and other areas of subsaharan Africa then NA or RA probably doesn't matter and they'll overjoyed with a degree from an American university"

No, they won't be - particularly the NUC (Nigerian Universities Commission.) If it's unaccredited, or they deem its degree-granting procedures to be substandard or insufficient - they'll BAN it and use of the degrees would carry a severe penalty. (They once banned ALL distance degrees - any school - but that has since been relaxed.)

You could have problems in quite a few African countries. If you're planning to risk this kind of trouble, at least DON'T do it in Nigeria! Generally, if the degree isn't recognized here, it very well might not be, in Africa. 

And yes, I agree with ss20ts on this:  I, too, get the impression that Nexford is run by people who may be much more familiar with running businesses other than education ventures. I hope they can adapt.

Well they're actually pursuing students in Nigeria. The whole article talks about Nigeria over and over. Maybe they have some deal with the government? 

I understand colleges are a business, but it's not like running a Fortune 500 company. There's soooo many regulations - nationally, state wise (NC-SARA), and the various accreditations. Your customers are your students. They don't care about dividends. They care about completing their courses usually quickly and for as little as possible. A CEO running a university is just weird. 

It is an interesting concept. Uof People has an interesting concept but is poorly developed. These out of the box schools really do have great ideas but need serious work on their execution. Hopefully that comes over time but they need to move quickly because they will earn a bad reputation quickly.

[Johann]

I think the educational system would be so much better if more schools were "run like businesses" than like schools. Yes, schools are mostly in it for the profits (even the non-profit ones) but they tend to treat it like students don't have any choice. If you don't want to pay tens of thousands in tuition & fees then that's just too bad. No degree for you. Now, people on this forum realize that isn't the case. But, with the vast majority, students don't realize that they actually have viable options.

Yes. Competition=good. But any shortcomings in specific product knowledge = bad. Producing and selling education is different from producing and selling tablet computers, financial products, pharmaceuticals etc. All specialized - all different. 

You have to have business savvy AND specialized knowledge / skillset for education. Nexford people have good business skills. Let's see if they can rapidly get to warp speed in the specialized world of higher ed - their product. I wish them success.

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[eLearner]

 Don't put much wait on that USDOE ruling. It was made during the last administration and nothing has really changed.

The change of terms is official and it's not going to change back, nor should it. That day is over. Schools are slooooowly changing their language to match it, it will take time but eventually it will likely become the norm. It was necessary and long overdue for the USDOE to communicate what it did to help work toward reversing what has led to generations of ridiculous misconceptions and discrimination against holders of degrees from NA schools. Besides, with many NA schools having achieved the same programmatic accreditations as RA schools now (some even achieving ones many RA schools haven't been able to, like Grantham achieving ABET), and because distance learning has knocked down the regional barriers that made national accreditation necessary in the first place, supporting the old system no longer makes sense.

It's was a dying dog that needed to be put down.

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I think the educational system would be so much better if more schools were "run like businesses" than like schools. Yes, schools are mostly in it for the profits (even the non-profit ones) but they tend to treat it like students don't have any choice. If you don't want to pay tens of thousands in tuition & fees then that's just too bad. No degree for you. Now, people on this forum realize that isn't the case. But, with the vast majority, students don't realize that they actually have viable options.

Well said.

What's unfortunate is that the alternative options are usually attacked and that discourages people from trying them. Look at how people attack even low-cost NA schools that are doing things right, Spanish Propio's, and even programs like Straighterline. We've seen people report that some schools deem ACE courses and credits as scams. To us it seems crazy, but there are millions of people who see no problem with spending a life's fortune on degrees that will get them to the same place some of these alternatives will.

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A CEO running a university is just weird. 

Ehn. That's only because of the title, but the function of a CEO and a non-profit school President is a lot more alike than a non-profit school would ever legally admit. Knowing that made me stop caring about the CEO title being used.

[Ericsales]

Nexford University, an American licensed online university headquartered in Washington DC, offers online certificates, undergraduate and masters degree programs for students and professionals.
Nexford offers a wide range of Bachelor and Masters programins, including courses covering Artificial Intelligence & Robotics, Cybersecurity, Data Science, Financial Decision Making, IoT, Technology and Operations Management among other in-demand fields.

Certificate Program:
Renewable Energy
Financial Decision Making
Accounting and Financial Reporting
Artificial Intelligence & Robotics
AI and the Future of Automation
Internet of Things
Applied Economics and Statistics
Building a Tech Startup
Doing Business in Sub Saharan Africa
Business Analytics
Doing Business Across Emerging Markets
Product Management
Supply Chain & E-Commerce
Global Business
Corporate Sustainability
Culture in a Global Business Environment
Cybersecurity Leadership
Data Sciences for Decision Making
Technology and Operations Management
Enabling E-Commerce and Digital Strategy


Graduate Degrees:
MBA
MBA in Advanced AI
MBA in E-Commerce
MBA in Hyperconnectivity
MBA in Sustainability
MBA in World Business

Undergraduate Degrees:
Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA)
BBA in 360° Marketing
BBA in AI and Automation
BBA in Building a Tech Startup
BBA in Business Analytics
BBA in Business in Emerging Markets
BBA in Digital Transformation
BBA in E-Commerce
BBA in Product Management
Associate of Applied Science in Business (AAS)

Why Nexford:

Gain practical skills you can apply immediately at work
100% online, affordable American degree, certificates & MBA programs
Designed for busy professionals like you who need flexibility when studying
Programs start on the first of every month
The faster you finish your program, the less you pay.

Nexford University, licensed in Washington DC, is a next-generation university, committed to helping people across the world realize their academic, professional, and personal goals.

It is a real university, with real learners, faculty, advisors, and graduates!

[jsd]

It is a real university, with real learners, faculty, advisors, and graduates!

Why is there such an odd amount of new accounts seemingly spamming the forum in the past couple days digging up these random threads? Keeping our mods on their toes.

No one was claiming that Nexford didn't have real lerners, faculty, or grads. There was simply discussion on if they will become legitimately accredited in the US (in this case, by DEAC). I look forward to learning this too, as the setup does seem intriguing.

[rachel83az]

Why is there such an odd amount of new accounts seemingly spamming the forum in the past couple days digging up these random threads? Keeping our mods on their toes.

That's a good question. I'm guessing maybe someone released a new Spambot 5000 or something. Usually, the spammers just start new threads of their own!

[SteveFoerster]

They definitely seem hyper focused on serving nations with a great deal of poverty. This seems to be where they're really focusing their programs and not in the US. If they have international students in Nigeria and other areas of subsaharan Africa then NA or RA probably doesn't matter and they'll overjoyed with a degree from an American university thus the label as an "American licensed university."

They'd get a few that way, but I can assure you that many Nigerians are more savvy consumers of international higher education than that.

[jsd]

Nexford is now NA accredited (DEAC), as of 2/17/2023!

https://www.deac.org/UploadedDocuments/P...report.pdf
https://www.nexford.org/accreditation

[Johann]

YAY! They made it! DEAC Accreditation. As I said, I was hoping they would! They are the FIRST (and so far, only) school to make it from ASIC to US recognized Accreditation.

I'm hoping Newlane University will be the second school to make it from ASIC to DEAC.

Another once-ASIC school, Charisma University (Turks and Caicos) has been pursuing accreditation (NA) through TRACS. That accreditor has a Candidacy status and I believe Charisma was scheduled for a site visit re: Candidacy in late January. TRACS hasn't released any update on that, as yet. I'm figuring Charisma may well be another school that started with ASIC, to attain recognized US Institutional Accreditation. Charisma earned Programmatic (ACBSP) accreditation for its Business Programs some time ago.

If someone had told me years ago that ANY of this would happen, I wouldn't have believed it. Times change. Good lesson for me, here.

[elbulk]

Why is there such an odd amount of new accounts seemingly spamming the forum in the past couple days digging up these random threads? Keeping our mods on their toes.

That's a good question. I'm guessing maybe someone released a new Spambot 5000 or something. Usually, the spammers just start new threads of their own!

They definitely seem hyper focused on serving nations with a great deal of poverty. This seems to be where they're really focusing their programs and not in the US. If they have international students in Nigeria and other areas of subsaharan Africa then NA or RA probably doesn't matter and they'll overjoyed with a degree from an American university thus the label as an "American licensed university."

They'd get a few that way, but I can assure you that many Nigerians are more savvy consumers of international higher education than that.

So they did something smart in Nigeria, they partnered with some banks who first of all send their staff for courses at Nexford at a reduced price. Also, they have scholarships and loans through the banks too for other consumers who want to pay a reduced fee and seamlessly as we had some restrictions for international payment (that is getting relaxed now). They also have an ex Federal Minister on their board. Graduated of the undergraduate degrees can get exclusion certificates from the National Youth Service Commission (NYSC), typically every graduate serves for 1 year but if you are above 30 you get an exemption certificate but if you did a part time program (which they would group the Nexford degree under), you get an exclusion letter.
Most employers would ask you for the NYSC document before employment and also local institutions for further studies. So they are doing a good job in legitimizing their degrees in Nigeria.