Keiser University is a

private university Private universities and private colleges are institutions of higher education, not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. They may (and often do) receive from governments tax breaks, public student loans, and grant (money ...

with its main campus in

Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale () is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and largest city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it the tenth ...

and flagship residential campus in

West Palm Beach, Florida West Palm Beach is a city in and the county seat of Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is located immediately to the west of the adjacent Palm Beach, which is situated on a barrier island across the Lake Worth Lagoon. The populati ...

. Additional branches are located in other parts of Florida and internationally. Keiser provides educational programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctorate levels in both traditional and online delivery formats. The school is institutionally accredited by the

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is an educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. This agency accredits over 13,000 public and priv ...

History

In 1977, Arthur Keiser and his mother, Evelyn, created a career college called the Keiser School in Fort Lauderdale to prepare students for jobs in Florida's growing business and healthcare communities. In 1982, with the addition of paralegal and computer programs, the school changed its name to the Keiser Institute of Technology. In 1986, the school began to award associate degrees and became Keiser College. In 2001, Keiser created its first bachelor's degree programs. Five years later, in 2006, the for-profit school again changed its name and became Keiser University. In 2010, the

Florida Attorney General The Florida attorney general is an elected cabinet official in the U.S. state of Florida. The attorney general serves as the chief legal officer of the state and is head of the Florida Department of Legal Affairs. The office is one of Florida's t ...

began to investigate Keiser University and several other for-profit schools based in the state, but by 2012 the investigation was closed and Keiser entered into an "assurance of voluntary compliance". In 2011, the university switched from a for-profit to a not-for-profit model, when Arthur Keiser sold the institution for an undisclosed sum to Everglades College Inc., a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

entity founded by Keiser that also operates

Everglades University Everglades University, formerly known as the American Flyers College, is a private university with its main campus in Boca Raton, Florida, and several other campuses throughout the state. Everglades offers bachelor's and master's degree programs, ...

. In 2015, Keiser University added a 100-acre flagship residential campus in West Palm Beach, on the site of what was formerly

Northwood University Northwood University (NU) is a private university focused on business education with its main campus in Midland, Michigan. Opened in 1959, more than 33,000 people have graduated from the institution. History Northwood University opened as Nort ...

's Florida campus. The goal of this expansion was to help in providing students with a residential, traditional, educational experience in West Palm Beach, Florida. In 2016, the university launched the new college of

Chiropractic Chiropractic is a form of alternative medicine concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system, especially of the spine. It has esoteric origins and is based on several pseudosci ...

Medicine, with Dr. Michael Wiles serving as the Dean. This is the first program of its kind started in South Florida. In 2017, CEO and President Arthur Keiser, became chair of the U.S. Department of Education's

National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity The National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI, pronounced nah-SEEK-eeh) is an advisory body that makes recommendations to the U.S. Secretary of Education "on matters related to accreditation and to the eligibility a ...

(NACIQI). Keiser was first appointed by then Secretary of Education

Margaret Spellings Margaret M. LaMontagne Spellings (née Dudar; born November 30, 1957) is an American government and non-profit executive who has been serving as President and CEO of Texas 2036 since 2019. She previously served as the eighth United States secreta ...

and reappointed twice by Republicans.

Licensure and accreditation

Keiser University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the

to award certificates and degrees at the associate, baccalaureate, master's and doctoral levels. Keiser University is licensed by the Commission for Independent Education in Florida.

Recognition and rankings

* In 2021, '' U.S. News & World Report'' ranked Keiser University #284 (tie) out of all national universities and #11 (tie) in "Top Performers of Social Mobility." *In 2020, '' U.S. News & World Report'' ranked Keiser University #272 (tie) out of all national universities and #34 (tie) in "Top Performers of Social Mobility." * In 2019, ''

Washington Monthly ''Washington Monthly'' is a bimonthly, nonprofit magazine of United States politics and government that is based in Washington, D.C. The magazine is known for its annual ranking of American colleges and universities, which serves as an alternat ...

'' ranked Keiser University 263rd out of 395 schools on its national universities list. This ranking is based on three broad categories: social mobility, research, and promoting public service. * In 2018, ''

Money Money is any item or verifiable record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts, such as taxes, in a particular country or socio-economic context. The primary functions which distinguish money are as ...

'' magazine rated Keiser University - Fort Lauderdale at #8 in top colleges for the money in Florida.

Athletics

The Keiser athletic teams are called the Seahawks. The university is a member of the

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic scholarships to its stu ...

(NAIA), primarily competing in the Sun Conference (formerly known as the Florida Sun Conference (FSC) until after the 2007–08 school year) since the 2015–16 academic year. Prior to July 2015, the Seahawks represented

's West Palm Beach campus. Keiser competes in 26 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, tennis, track & field (indoor and outdoor) and wrestling; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, flag football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track & field (indoor and outdoor) and volleyball; and co-ed sports include eSports and spirit squad. Club sports include equestrian and fishing. Basketball Basketball was started in the 2006–2007 season, after the hiring of

Rollie Massimino Roland Vincent Massimino (November 13, 1934 – August 30, 2017) was an American basketball coach. He served as the head men's basketball coach at Stony Brook University (1969–1971), Villanova University (1973–1992), the University of Nevada, L ...

in 2005, as Director of Basketball Operations for both men's and women's basketball. Per ESPN, on December 14, 2016, Massimino, Keiser University's men's basketball coach, became the third active coach to achieve 800 career wins and the ninth coach overall. Massimino was 82 years old at the time. Golf The Seahawks Women's golf team have won four NAIA Women's Golf National Championships (2003, 2015, 2016, 2021). In 2022, the Seahawks Men's golf team won their first NAIA Men's Golf National Championship, while also having their first individual golf national champion. Swimming The Keiser Men's Swim team won the NAIA Men's Swimming National Championship three consecutive years in 2018, 2019, and 2020. With the 2021 championships canceled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, they would follow up by winning their fourth straight national title in 2022. In 2022, the Keiser Women's Swim team won their first NAIA Women's Swimming National Championship. Football In 2016, Keiser announced its plan to add football to its slate of varsity athletic programs, beginning during the 2018–19 academic year. In 2021, the Seahawks football team advanced to the NAIA quarterfinals for the second straight year, ending the season as the No. 7 ranked team in the nation. Wrestling In 2018, Keiser announced that the inaugural men's wrestling season will begin during the 2019–20 academic year. Keiser, along with

Southeastern University Southeastern University is a private Christian university in Lakeland, Florida. It was established in 1935 in New Brockton, Alabama, as Southeastern Bible Institute, relocated to Lakeland in 1946, and became a liberal arts college in 1970. It i ...

and St. Thomas University (2020), are the current institutions that sponsor scholarship wrestling programs in Florida. Soccer Both the Seahawks Men's and Women's soccer teams have won national championships. The Women's soccer team won back-to-back

national championships A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the best team, indi ...

in 2019 and 2020. The Men's soccer team collected its first

national championship A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or competition, contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the be ...

in 2021.(December 6, 2021)
2021 NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship
''NAIA''. Retrieved September 19, 2022.

References