| Trident University International | |
| Image Alt: | Shield with ancient trident |
| Motto: | Aspire, Believe, Achieve |
| Established: | 1998 |
| Accreditation: | HLC |
| President: | John Kline |
| Provost: | Dr. Ruki Jayaraman |
| Students: | 3,899 |
| Undergrad: | 1,447 |
| Postgrad: | 2,452 |
| City: | Chandler |
| State: | Arizona |
| Country: | United States |
| Campus: | Online |
| Former Names: | TUI University, Trident University International |
| Colors: | Navy Blue and "Old" Gold |
| Website: | www.trident.edu |
Trident University International is a private for-profit online university based in Chandler, Arizona. It is a member of the American InterContinental University System and accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.[1] It is owned by the for-profit company Perdoceo Education Corporation, publicly traded on the NASDAQ under PRDO and formerly known as Career Education Corporation (CEC).[2]
Trident offers five doctoral degree programs,[3] eight master's degree programs, eight bachelor's degree programs, one associate degree program, and six professional certificate and diploma programs. As of 2014, enrollment included about 75% military personnel.[4]
The institution was founded as Touro University International, a branch campus of Touro College, in July 1998, by its founders Dr. Yoram Neumann and Edith Neumann. It was the first university in the world to offer a regionally accredited doctorate program online with no residency requirement. Touro University International was initially accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). Touro College, including the Touro University International branch campus, was subsequently re-accredited by MSCHE in 2004. Because of its location in California, robust growth, fiscal and operational stability, and unique online delivery model, Touro University International was separately accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) [Now called the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC)] in February 2005.
In October 2007, Touro University International was sold to Summit Partners for 190 million dollars and a new institution, TUI University (now Trident at AIU) was formed and incorporated as a private for profit.[5] Under the new ownership, the management team continued to lead the institution while the learning model, faculty, and staff maintain their central roles in the quality and vitality of the university. In January 2011, TUI University officially changed its name to Trident University International. On March 29, 2015, Jones International University (JIU) announced it would close in 2016 and that it had entered into a formal teach-out transfer agreement with Trident University International that would provide all JIU students with individualized, custom learning plans and the opportunity to transition their studies to Trident. Trident also announced plans to rename its business school The Glenn R. Jones College of Business Administration.[6] In March 2019, Career Education Corporation entered into an agreement to acquire Trident University International for $35 – 44 million from Summit Partners and merged this acquisition into Career Education Corporation's American InterContinental University as a branch campus. Trident at AIU was officially granted accreditation by the Higher Learning Commission on February 19, 2020.[7] Trident withdrew accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges on March 2, 2020.[8]
In June 2011, the WSCUC Commission received information that Trident awarded baccalaureate degrees to students who had not fulfilled the university's general education (GE) requirements. In addition, Trident failed to notify WSCUC of this problem when it was first brought to the institution's attention by the Servicemembers Opportunity College (SOCNAV), an organization that works with the United States Navy to assure that the colleges that Navy personnel attend are appropriately accredited and military friendly. Because of the serious breach of Standards One and Two related to integrity and general education, the Commission issued an Order to Show Cause why Trident's accreditation should not be terminated effective March 30, 2012. The following year, the commission confirmed that Trident had satisfactorily addressed the issues and reaffirmed Trident's accreditation.[9]
As of 2015, Trident was under heightened cash monitoring by the United States Department of Education "to provide additional oversight of cash management."[10]
In 2017, the Veterans Education Success organization alleged that Trident had used misleading information to recruit "survivors" who had Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits. Survivors are the children of a father or mother who was killed while on active duty and their widows or husbands.[11]
On March 9, 2020, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) suspended G.I. Bill reimbursement eligibility for American InterContinental University and several other for-profit schools due to what the V.A. said were "erroneous, deceptive, or misleading enrollment and advertising practices", giving the schools 60 days to take "corrective action".[12] Later that year, the VA reversed its action.[13]
Trident at American InterContinental University is institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.[14] In 2022 Trident University's Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA), Bachelor of Science in Human Resource Management (BSHRM), Master of Business Administration (MBA), and Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) programs were granted programmatic accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) under the American InterContinental University System (AIUS).[15]
Trident offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral level degrees in a 100% online environment in the following colleges:[16]
Trident University International placed #80 in Washington Monthly's 2019 National University Rankings Report[17] and #19 in The Military Times Best: Colleges of 2018 for best online and nontraditional schools.[18]
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, Trident at AIU has a 6-year graduation rate of 17% and a 3-year default rate of 18.8 percent.[19]