American Intercontinental University Online is also featured in our ranking Top 25 Most Affordable Online Bachelor’s in Accounting.
American Intercontinental University Online is a university system that consists of an online campus and several campuses in American cities. Established in 1970 as the American Fashion College of Switzerland, it received accreditation the following year and added degree programs to its catalog one year later. The college gave students the chance to study American subjects in a foreign setting and to learn more about European customs and industries at the same time. It opened a campus in Atlanta and later moved its main campus from Switzerland to London, England. The new campus adopted the name of the American College for the Applied Arts. Career Education Corporation acquired the chain of campuses in 2001.
Now called American Intercontinental University, the university also goes by the abbreviation of AIU. AIU operates several campuses overseas and multiple campuses in the United States. Its Atlanta and Houston campuses are among the largest ones that it owns. Those campuses give students the chance to interact with their peers, connect with their instructors and get help from other staff. AIU established AIU Online in 2002 to increase the number of opportunities available to students today. Its online campus offers the same programs as its traditional campuses do, and the university offers a small number of programs that are only available online. The university is one of the only for-profit online schools with regional accreditation. More than 15,000 students now take classes from American Intercontinental University Online every year.
BBA in Accounting
AIU offers a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting that students can complete online or on its campuses in Atlanta and Houston. Also called a BBA in Accounting, this program features 180 credits of courses. Unlike other schools that follow a traditional semester schedule, AIU offers shorter classes and starts terms once every month or every other month. Students entering the BBA program can apply for prior learning credits to reduce the number of classes they need to take. They can also save with grants awarded by the university and with its discount for military students.
The accounting program consists of a general education core, a business core and some accounting electives. Students will take more than 59 credits of business classes that include Management Information Systems, Principles of Accounting, Managerial Accounting, Management and Leadership of Organizations and Survey of Human Resource Management. They’ll also take a capstone class. AIU requires that these students complete an accounting track too, which consists of six classes, including Accounting Information Systems, Auditing and Cost Accounting. Students will need to take at least 11 electives. Though some take accounting classes as electives, other students take courses from other departments.
American Intercontinental University Online Accreditation Details
Though AIU is an online school, it still has the regional accreditation that is a requirement of the U.S. Department of Education for students who need financial aid. The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCACS) granted the university regional accreditation. NCACS accreditation also allows students to carry credits with them from one campus to another. AIU also has regional accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) for its campuses in the south. All of its business programs, including its undergrad accounting program, have accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP).
American Intercontinental University Online Application Requirements
Students applying to AIU must first make an appointment to speak with an admissions counselor. They can talk to those counselors over the phone or in person. Counselors help students understand the application process and what they need to do to get financial aid for the coming school year. The university has its own online application too, which typically takes students around 15 minutes to complete. It asks for basic information such as where the student went to high school, if the individual attended college and the program the person wants to study.
AIU asks for other information that students can send through the mail. The university requires a high school transcript that shows the student graduated from high school or proof that a student has his or her GED. Students who completed a home school program must submit proof of the programs they completed. Though the university does not ask for a test score, it may require that students take some basic tests to determine their placement in different subjects like math and English.
Students applying to AIU will find out within a few weeks of finishing the application if the university accepted them for the coming year or semester. The university encourages students to apply for financial aid before they receive a response, which lets them get their aid faster. AIU also offers credit for prior learning and practical experience. Students can contact the university to see what credits are available to them. The university allows students to transfer in up to 75% of the credits they need to graduate too.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Tuition at AIU starts at $325 per credit hour. Students enrolled in an undergrad degree program pay this same rate. The university does not charge any miscellaneous or hidden fees. It estimates that students will pay $58,500 to earn a four-year degree online. Those who enroll on a part-time basis pay $425 per credit hour. Students can actually save money when they enroll on a full-time basis. These costs only apply to those taking online classes. The classes that the university offers on one of its traditional campuses may cost more. AIU offers a discount for military students on active duty and those in reserve branches. Military students pay just $166.66 per credit hour as a full-time or part-time student in an online undergrad program.
Students applying to AIU should use the FAFSA to see if they will get any financial aid. They can file this form prior to the start of the next term. Once the university receives the FAFSA, it will assign an aid counselor and have that counselor contact the student. The counselor will go over all the aid awarded to the student and explain anything that the individual must do. Incoming undergrads typically receive both loans and grants. AIU offers multiple grants that have applications students will need to complete. The grants available from American Intercontinental University Online provide students with up to $1,000 a year.