[1] The company disputes the label[2] and instead describes itself as a for-profit unaccredited educational institution offering undergraduate and graduate degrees solely by distance learning.
Its website says it was established in 1984 as the American College of Science & Technology and was incorporated as an independent distance learning institution in 1999 in St. Kitts and Nevis.
[3] The Oregon Office of Degree Authorization (ODA) identifies two possibly unrelated entities operating under the name "American University of London", one in St. Kitts and Nevis, the United Kingdom and Sri Lanka, and the other in Saudi Arabia.
[7] According to the AUOL prospectus, the university has "not applied for accreditation with any American nor British official accreditor".
The same prospectus adds that its degrees are validated due to their "agreement with a renowned USA agency" who are able to issue Equivalency Certificates to AUOL graduates.