Fairfax University of America (FXUA, formerly Virginia International 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 grants. Dep ...

Fairfax, Virginia The City of Fairfax ( ), colloquially known as Fairfax City, Downtown Fairfax, Old Town Fairfax, Fairfax Courthouse, FFX, or simply Fairfax, is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth ...

. It was established in 1998, and then as a non-profit 501(c)(3) university in 1999. The university is certified to operate in Virginia by the

State Council of Higher Education for Virginia The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) is the Commonwealth's coordinating body for higher education. SCHEV was established by the Governor and General Assembly in 1956. Its mission, which is outlined in the Code of Virginia§2 ...

(SCHEV) and is accredited by the

Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools The Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) is a non-profit education corporation that was recognized until 2021 by the United States Department of Education as an independent and autonomous national accrediting body. ...

to award certificates, bachelor's degrees, and master's degrees.

Accreditation and certification

The university is certified to operate in Virginia by the

(SCHEV) and is accredited by the

to award certificates, bachelor's degrees, and master's degrees. ACICS came under heavy scrutiny by regulators for its lax accreditation standards and failure to flag deficient programs at several institutions, including Fairfax University, which was "blasted orthe quality and rigor of its online education program" by state regulators in 2019 and nearly closed down.

History

The University states it was founded in 1998 as Virginia International University. In 1999, the university was incorporated as a non-profit corporation and obtained 501(c)3 non-profit status. The university held its first commencement on May 4, 2006, with 20 graduates in attendance. In March 2019, the

threatened to revoke VIU's license to operate in the Commonwealth of Virginia after a 2018 audit found defects in the academic rigor and quality of VIU's online courses, publishing a report that '' Inside Higher Ed'' called "scathing". The audit cited several concerns including widespread instances of plagiarism and its admissions policy that allowed

international student International students, or foreign students, are students who undertake all or part of their tertiary education in a country other than their own and move to that country for the purpose of studying. In 2019, there were over 6 million internati ...

s who demonstrated "abysmally poor" English language skills to attend the university. Although the audit was focused on the schools online courses, auditors suggested that the issues likely impacted face-to-face classes as well, noting that online courses and in-person courses shared common teaching faculty, while the English proficiency issues were common among students attending in-person classes. In June 2019, the State Council reached an agreement with VIU to allow the college to continue operating on the condition that they pause its distance education for at least three years. The University changed its name to Fairfax University of America (FXUA) on January 1, 2020. On December 13, 2021, the State Council completed their audit, finding FXUA to be in full compliance of SCHEV regulations, permitting FXUA to immediately begin offering distance education again.

Academics

The university's academic units are organized into two schools: the School of Business and the School of Computer Information Systems. In Fall 2021 there were 5 full-time instructional faculty and 13 part-time instructional faculty.

New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy

Fairfax University of America operates a research institute, founded in 2019, the New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy (formerly the Center for Global Policy) is a foreign policy think tank operating out of

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

It hosts ''New Lines'' magazine, edited by

Hassan Hassan Hassan Hassan (born 1982) is an American author and journalist of Syrian origin. He co-wrote the 2015 ''New York Times'' bestseller '' ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror'' with Michael Weiss. He has written on Islamist groups in the Middle East. H ...

and focusing on the Middle East.

Student life

17 (8 undergraduate) students were enrolled at the university as of 2022.

References

{{authority control Private universities and colleges in Virginia Education in Fairfax County, Virginia Colleges accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools Educational institutions established in 1998 1998 establishments in Virginia