It has been described by federal investigators, Congressional testimony, and news sources as a diploma mill[2][3] Its administrative offices were located in Agoura Hills, California.
"[8] In the same article the Chronicle quoted the school's director of admissions as saying the new California regulations would not have permitted KWU "to offer college credit for work experience and a more flexible self-paced model.
[9] The following year, however, WNU released an announcement that "Warren National's plans to earn affiliated status with the HLC were adversely impacted by the limitations of a tightening credit market and made more difficult by the increased costs of daily operation.
[13] After the school closed, former students who took out loans to pay Warren National University learned that their degree was not accepted by some government or state employment that required licenses.
The Chronicle of Higher Education stated in 2002, "Kennedy-Western University has a history of flirting with accreditation but failing to earn it.
[8] As a condition of registration in Wyoming, the institution had to meet standards contained in "Article 4: Private School Licensing."
[12] On January 30, 2009, Warren National University announced that their attempt to achieve accreditation had failed and that they would cease operating on March 31, 2009.
These part-time WNU faculty were paid on a piecework basis, receiving $25 to grade a paper, $200 to develop a course, and $40 per hour to answer students' questions.
[28] An investigation was conducted in 2003-2004 by the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) to determine whether the federal government had paid for degrees from diploma mills and other unaccredited postsecondary schools.
[31] Investigators determined that the federal government employed 463 individuals with degrees from unaccredited institutions including Kennedy-Western University.
Kennedy-Western waived 43% of the course credit required for the degree based only on her application and descriptions of prior coursework and military training.
"[33] The university's Director of Corporate Communications, David Gering, stated to The Oregonian, "We clearly believe that we are not a diploma mill and have an academically rigorous program.
"[35] In July 2004, Warren National University filed a lawsuit on behalf of three former students, challenging an Oregon law that made it illegal for résumés used in connection with employment (including job applications) in the state to list degrees from institutions that are not accredited or recognized by the state as legitimate.
[39] In the settlement, the Oregon State Office of Degree Authorization (ODA) also agreed to refrain from referring to the school as a "diploma mill" and the state attorney general's office agreed to provide ODA personnel with a training session on law related to defamation.