Aspen University is a United States-based private, for-profit, nationally accredited online university that was established in 1987. Aspen University offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in nursing, education, computer science, technology, information systems, business, project management, counseling, and criminal justice.
Aspen Group, Inc. is a publicly held, for-profit post-secondary education company headquartered in New York, New York. and owns two accredited universities, Aspen University and United States University.Aspen Group, Inc. is publicly traded over the counter under the symbol ASPU.[2] In 2023, ASPU voluntarily delisted from the New York Stock Exchange.[3]
History
The university was founded during the 1960s as the International Academy. In 1987, the International Academy established the Information Institute and changed the school's name to the International School of Information Management (ISIM), focusing on emerging information technologies. In 2003, ISIM changed its name to Aspen University. Patrick Spada was the founder of Aspen University and Served as its chairman, President and CEO until 2011.
Effective March 12, 2014, Aspen University's RN to BSN Program received CCNE accreditation.
In 2021, Aspen University in Arizona had nursing exam pass rates that were below the state standards. In 2022, students filed a class action suit, claiming the school had violated Arizona's Consumer Fraud Act.[4]
In 2022, Aspen University suspended new enrollments to its pre-licensure nursing programs in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Texas.[5]
Accreditation
Aspen University is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC).[6] The Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC) is listed by the U.S. Department of Education as a nationally recognized accrediting agency, and is a recognized member of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
The baccalaureate and master's degree in nursing at Aspen University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.aacn.nche.edu/ccne-accreditation).
Aspen University has been reviewed and approved as a provider of project management training by the Project Management Institute (PMI).[7]
Aspen University's Bachelor's & Master's degrees in Psychology of Addiction and Counseling are approved by the National Association for Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors (NAADAC).
The Colorado Commission on Higher Education (CCHE) has authorized Aspen University to operate in Colorado as a private university under the Degree Authorization Act.
Aspen University is not regionally accredited, and thus, degrees gained there may not be as widely accepted or transferable.[8]
Some careers and career licenses require a regionally accredited degree. Generally, colleges with the same type of accreditation accept each other's courses and degrees. If a student attends a non-regionally accredited college, the majority of regionally accredited colleges will not accept that they have a "real" degree. For example, if they want to gain a master's degree, or work in a job that requires an undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited university.[9]
Faculty
Aspen University has 34 full-time instructors and 345 part-time instructors for 9,563 students.[10]
Academics
The school offers degrees at various levels in Psychology and Addiction Counseling, Medical Management, various specialty degrees in Criminal Justice, Nursing, Early Childhood Education, Education, Business Administration, Information Management, Information Systems, Information Technology and Computer Science.
