Independente University was a private university

Private university

Private universities are universities not operated by governments, although many receive public subsidies, especially in the form of tax breaks and public student loans and grants. Depending on their location, private universities may be subject to government regulation. Private universities are...

, headquartered in Lisbon

Lisbon

Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...

, Portugal

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

, founded in 1993 by Luís Arouca, Rui Verde and Amadeu Lima Carvalho. It was compulsorily closed by state education authorities in 2007.

Closure

In March 2007, UnI was placed under investigation on alleged irregular

Irregular

Something that is irregular does not follow the expected pattern. The term is used in many different fields, with quite different meanings.-Canon Law:...

ities on several matters. In April 2007, it was in talks to merge with another private university, the Universidade Internacional. On 9 April 2007, the Portuguese Minister

Minister (government)

A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....

 of Science, Technology and Higher Education

Higher education

Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...

, Mariano Gago

Mariano Gago

Mariano Gago, ComSE , fullname José Mariano Rebelo Pires Gago, graduated as an electrical engineer by the Technical University of Lisbon's Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon, and did advanced research work in Paris at the École Polytechnique as a high-energy physicist...

, announced that UnI would be shut down by the Portuguese Government after the investigation reported serious pedagogical, ethical and financial irregularities.

Prominent graduates

• José Sócrates
  José Sócrates
  José Sócrates Carvalho Pinto de Sousa, GCIH , commonly known by José Sócrates , is a Portuguese politician who was the Prime Minister of Portugal from 12 March 2005 to 21 June 2011....
  
  , the Portuguese prime-minister, member of the Portuguese Socialist Party
  Portuguese Socialist Party
  The Portuguese Socialist Party was a political party in Portugal.The party was founded in 1875. During its initial phase the party was heavily influenced by Proudhonism, and rejected revolutionary Marxism. The party suffered constant factional struggles...
  
  , earned his licenciatura (licentiate
  Licentiate
  Licentiate is the title of a person who holds an academic degree called a licence. The term may derive from the Latin licentia docendi, meaning permission to teach. The term may also derive from the Latin licentia ad practicandum, which signified someone who held a certificate of competence to...
  
  ) degree in civil engineering
  Civil engineering
  Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
  
   from UnI in 1996. Since the outburst of the UnI scandal
  Scandal
  A scandal is a widely publicized allegation or set of allegations that damages the reputation of an institution, individual or creed...
  
   and loss of credibility of the institution, the media investigated Sócrates' student file and found inconsistencies which raised suspicions of irregularities, being the most notable the part where Sócrates' diploma was issued in a Sunday, day on which the university was closed. State authorities investigated the case and archived the file as the suspicions against José Sócrates turned out to not have enough evidences. On the other hand, the university itself was investigated by education state authorities in 2007, which resulted in the compulsory closing of UnI due to lack of academic rigour and teaching quality, along with generalized managerial and financial chaos in the institution.
• Armando Vara
  Armando Vara
  Armando António Martins Vara is a Portuguese politician, member of the Portuguese Socialist Party, and banking administrator. He enrolled in philosophy, at the New University of Lisbon, leaving the institution whithout being awarded a degree...
  
  , Portuguese politician, member of the Portuguese Socialist Party
  Portuguese Socialist Party
  The Portuguese Socialist Party was a political party in Portugal.The party was founded in 1875. During its initial phase the party was heavily influenced by Proudhonism, and rejected revolutionary Marxism. The party suffered constant factional struggles...
  
  , former Minister, and banking administrator. He was awarded a degree by UnI in 2005. It was found that the close friend of José Sócrates, Armando Vara, was also awarded a diploma by the Universidade Independente days before he was appointed for a high ranked banking administration position in the state-run Caixa Geral de Depósitos
  Caixa Geral de Depósitos
  Caixa Geral de Depósitos is a Portuguese state-owned banking corporation and the largest bank in Portugal.- History :*1876 — Caixa Geral de Depósitos was founded under the aegis of the Junta de Crédito Público....
  
  , which in turn was strictly opened to candidates holding at last one academic degree on any subject.

Prominent professors

• Alberto João Jardim
  Alberto João Jardim
  Alberto João Cardoso Gonçalves Jardim, GCIH |Santa Luzia]], Funchal, Madeira Island) is a Portuguese politician who has been the President of the Regional Government of Madeira, Portugal, since 1978. He is currently among the most controversial politicians of Portugal.-Early years:Jardim was born...
  
  , President of the Regional Government of the Autonomous Region of Madeira
  Madeira
  Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies between and , just under 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union...
  
   for over 20 years, member of the Portuguese Social Democratic Party, was an Invited Professor at UnI.
• Mário Crespo
  Mário Crespo
  -Early life:He was born in Coimbra, his father was an employee of the Portuguese bank Banco Nacional Ultramarino , and his mother, a professor at the Commercial School. As civil servants of the Portuguese Empire, they moved to Portuguese Mozambique capital, Lourenço Marques, with their only baby son...
  
  , journalist and reporter.
• Filipe La Féria
  Filipe La Féria
  Filipe La Féria is a Portuguese theatre director and producer and screenwriter and producer for television.-Career:...
  
  , theatre director and producer, screenwriter and producer for television.

See also

• 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...
  
  
• Higher education in Portugal
  Higher education in Portugal
  Higher education in Portugal is divided into two main subsystems: university and polytechnic education. It is provided in autonomous public universities, private universities, public or private university institutes, polytechnic institutions and higher education institutions of other types...
  
  
• List of colleges and universities in Portugal
• Southeastern University (Washington, D.C.)