The state of Virginia reached a consent agreement allowing Virginia International University to continue operating provided it stops offering online education for a period of at least three years.
The State Council of Higher Education of Virginia voted in March to move ahead with revoking VIU’s certificate to operate after an audit found deficiencies in the quality and rigor of its online education offerings. The audit found that “the single most important factor contributing to the substandard quality of online education at VIU is the institution’s acceptance of international students with an abysmally poor command of the English language.”
Although the audit report focused on the online education offered by VIU, it stated that SCHEV staff believe the “deficiency of the education provided by VIU is not limited to online courses.” The report cited a number of reasons staff reached this conclusion, including that the lack of English proficiency among the student population would affect not only online but also face-to-face courses and the fact that the same faculty are teaching online and face-to-face classes. SCHEV’s review of more than 60 student transcripts found “no discernible difference” in grades received for online versus face-to-face classes.