A commitment to academic quality, affordability, innovation—and service.

APEI has a unique vision that is rooted in our history. Originally established in 1991 as American Military University (AMU) to serve the needs of a highly mobile military, we are guided by a strong sense of social responsibility, and a commitment to serving our students and the broader community. Today, through APUS and Hondros College of Nursing, we serve more than 100,000 adult learners worldwide and offer more than 100 degree programs. Our mandate has broadened, but our mission remains the same—to prepare our students for leadership and service in a diverse and changing world, and to help them reach their full potential by providing quality, affordable, innovative education programs.

Quality
APUS has earned a reputation for academic quality. The first 100% online institution to be recognized by the Online Learning Consortium (OLC) for best practices in online education, APUS has received an unprecedented four Effective Practice awards from OLC. In 2015, APUS ranked in the top 10% nationally among 292 schools offering online undergraduate programs in U.S. News & World Report’s annual qualitative ranking. Academic rigor is our top priority. The APUS curriculum encompasses 97 online degree programs including highly specialized degrees in fields such as fire science, space studies, intelligence studies, logistics management, and emergency and disaster management. In 2014, our faculty of scholar-practitioners, leaders in their respective fields, published more than 500 books and papers; earned over 500 awards for their professional practice, research and community service; and presented at more than 1,700 conferences, workshops and panels. We strive for excellence. Over the past two years, 22 APUS students and alumni have been named Presidential Management Fellowship finalists, and since 2008, four of our APUS staff members have received the prestigious Wagner Award for Distance Education.

Value
We strive to expand access to a quality higher education by keeping our programs affordable. At APUS, combined tuition, fees and books are roughly 19% less for undergraduate and 33% less for graduate students than the average in-state cost at a public university. Among 10 leading providers of online education, AMU and APU are on average 42% lower for undergraduate and 33% lower for graduate students. Our overarching goal is to help our students achieve their full potential. Toward that end, we encourage the faculty to work closely with students and provide the tools they need to support student success; and we partner with other academic institutions and organizations on research whose goal is to improve distance learning and student outcomes. In 2014, we conferred degrees on a record class of more than 10,000 AMU and APU graduates and undergraduates—the true measure of our success.

Innovation
We excel at innovation. Today, APEI is building an advanced learning platform to create the classroom of the future by investing in new technologies and working with partners in fields such as game-based learning and simulation to strengthen our programs and drive new developments in education technology. Within APUS, we are enhancing our courses with rich digital content that creates a stimulating, interactive learning environment and using technology, including our new ClearPath, Learning Relationships Management (LRM) System, to identify and support at-risk students. Our commitment to innovation extends beyond the academic arena. As a charter signatory to the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), APUS is committed to achieving carbon-neutrality by 2050. To achieve this goal, we have implemented an array of initiatives—from electric vehicles and charging stations to paperless administration and sustainable construction practices. For example, our new Finance Center in West Virginia (shown here) is powered by the state’s largest solar array and built according to LEED Gold standards.

Relationships
We build meaningful, substantive relationships with our students and graduates by providing quality academic programs and support—a fact reflected in high levels of student satisfaction, high referral rates and a high percentage of students returning for a second degree. Our outreach strategy hinges on relationships, including our longstanding relationship with the military and public service communities, and hundreds of established relationships with corporate partners, associations, organizations and community colleges. Public service, community service and environmental stewardship are integral elements of our curriculum, our values and our culture as a company; and we maintain strong relationships with the broader community through programs such as Habitat for Humanity, Read Across America and other community-based initiatives.