Everglades University

Everglades University is a small private not-for-profit post-secondary institution. Its mission is to provide superior education to a diverse population of adult learners in a collaborative learning environment where every student has the ability to reach their maximum potential and advance in their career fields or pursue higher educational opportunities. In effort to accomplish its mission, Everglades University combines innovative programs that feature small classes with traditional academic standards. It is committed to providing high quality undergraduate and graduate programs that are offered both on-campus and online.

Everglades University facilitates a student-center philosophy that offers flexible course offerings to meet the needs of busy adults. Undergraduate students are able to enroll in one course at a time and graduate students can take just two courses at a time during a two-month time frame. The learning environment focuses on personalized attention to successfully education career-minded students to give them the competitive edge to lead rewarding careers. The curriculum is flexible and personalized and implements prior knowledge and abilities.

Everglades University offers a distance learning program that enables students who are unable to attend campus courses to complete their education. The goals of online programs are to provide education through inquiry, collaborative processes between students and instructors and students and fellow classmates, and personal understanding of ideas. Students are given the opportunity to complete assignments and participate in class discussions on their own schedule. The online programs are flexible, but challenging and rigorous and students are expected to log in to the virtual classroom a certain amount of times every week. Online courses involve a variety of assignments and tasks such as case studies, quizzes and examinations, and individual and group projects. The online classes also provide various opportunities for student/instructor and student/student interactions such as online lectures, document sharing, chat rooms, threaded discussions, and email. The distance learning programs are offered at the bachelor and master degree levels in various areas such as business administration, alternative medicine, applied management, construction management, aviation science, aviation technology, and aviation management.

Students enrolled in distance learning programs have access to a variety of student services such as academic advising, one-on-one tutoring, testing services, automatic shipment of books and course materials, career placement assistance, and library resources.

Everglades University was founded in 1990 as American Flyers College. Shortly after, the college became a nationally accredited institution by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology and was approved to award associate degrees. Arthur and Belinda Keiser acquired the college in 1998 and its name was changed to Everglades College in 1999. The college added bachelor degree programs in 2000 and in 2002 it become one of the first institutions to offer a bachelor degree in alternative medicine. The college started to offer master degrees in 2003 and also changed its name to Everglades University. Since 2003, the university has continued to expand adding new campuses and additional academic programs. It gained accreditation from the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 2010.

Accreditation

The Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools regionally accredits Everglades University to award bachelor and master degrees. The Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC) also accredits the university.

Scholarships Offered

Everglades University offers several scholarships including merit-based awards and military scholarships. Scholarships include the Everglades University Academic Scholarship, Everglades University Financial Scholarship, Everglades University Graduate Scholarship, Keiser Career College Graduate Scholarship, Keiser University Graduate Scholarship, Southeastern Institute Graduate Scholarship, Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Scholarship, and Active Military Scholarship. The university also accepts private scholarships such as the Career College Association Scholarship, Florida Association of Postsecondary Schools and Colleges Scholarships, and Florida Bright Future Scholarship.

Financing Options

The Financial Services Department at Everglades University assists students in obtaining financial aid to pay for tuition and fees. It participates in various federal and institutional aid programs such as the Federal Pell Grant, Florida Student Assistance Grant, Federal Direct Stafford Subsidized Loan, Federal Direct Stafford Unsubsidized Loan, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), Federal Perkins Loan, Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG), Federal PLUS Loan, and Federal Work Study (FWS).

Credit Earning Options

Everglades University generally accepts transfer credits completed at other regionally accredited institutions. Previous coursework from non-regionally accredited institutions may be granted credit on an individual basis. Transfer courses must be similar in content to courses offered by chosen programs and have been completed with a grade of a C or better. Students are also able to receive credit for military training and experiences and the College Level Examination Program (CLEP). Undergraduate students are required to complete the last 30 credits toward a bachelor degree at Everglades University. Graduate students are able to transfer up to six credits and courses must have a grade of a B or better. Students must make arrangements for official transcripts to be sent directly from transfer institutions.