Honolulu University of the Arts, Sciences, and Humanities, or just Honolulu University, is an unaccredited

Educational accreditation

Educational accreditation is a type of quality assurance process under which services and operations of educational institutions or programs are evaluated by an external body to determine if applicable standards are met...

 institution of nontraditional higher education (distance learning).

History

The University was originally founded by Warren Walker as Golden State University in California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, and later moved to Hawaii

Hawaii

Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...

, where it was incorporated as a non-profit corporation in February 1987.

Accreditation and affiliation

The University is affiliated with the International Management Association of Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

, which also identifies American City University

American City University

American City University is a private unaccredited offeror of higher education via distance education operating from Los Angeles and Fresno, California. The same name was formerly used by a similar institution that operated from Cheyenne, Wyoming....

 as an affiliate.

Until 2005 the University was a full institutional member of the International Council for Open and Distance Education

International Council for Open and Distance Education

The International Council for Open and Distance Education, or ICDE, is a global membership organisation in the field of open and distance education, and in formal consultative relations with UNESCO. It was founded in 1938 in Canada as the International Council for Correspondence Education.ICDE...

 (ICDE), which only admits institutions in good standing but is not an accreditation body. In its advertising Honolulu University claims accreditation by "Akademie für Internationale Kultur- und Wissenschaftsförderung", which is not a generally recognized accrediting body in Europe and apparently also is defunct.

Degrees obtained from Honolulu University are illegal to use in the State of Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

.

Events

The institution received media attention because of lawsuits resulting from irregularities related to school agents in Asia who failed to properly disclose the unaccredited status of the school to prospective students. The school lost in court and the Hawaii Office of Consumer Protection is processing requests for tuition refunds. Honolulu University in turn sued their Singaporean agent, who in the meantime had died.

External links

• State of Oregon - list of unaccredited schools
• State of Michigan list of unacceptable schools or civil service requirements
• Accreditation: Honolulu University stands behind its 'unapproved' status, Honolulu Star-Bulletin
  Honolulu Star-Bulletin
  The Honolulu Star-Bulletin was a daily newspaper based in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. At the time publication ceased on June 6, 2010, it was the second largest daily newspaper in the state of Hawaii...
  
  Hawaii News, 2/20/2001. Honolulu University President Arthur Yamada freely admits that the university is not accredited, but insists it is not a "diploma mill
  Diploma mill
  A diploma mill is an organization that awards academic degrees and diplomas with substandard or no academic study and without recognition by official educational accrediting bodies. The purchaser can then claim to hold an academic degree, and the organization is motivated by making a profit...
  
  ."