Everglades University, formerly known as the American Flyers College, is a private university with its main campus in Boca Raton, Florida, and several other campuses throughout the state. Everglades offers bachelor's and master's degree programs, both via online and on-campus.
History
Everglades University was originally called the American Flyers College when it was founded in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in 1990. In 1998, Arthur and Belinda Keiser purchased American Flyers College then changed the name to Everglades College in 1999 after relocating to Fort Lauderdale. They were already the owners of Keiser University.
Everglades College was created in 2000 and was incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation in the state of Florida. Two years later, in 2002, the US Internal Revenue Service recognized Everglades College, Inc., as a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation, and Everglades College, Inc., became independently operated by a board of trustees.
In January 2003, the Florida Department of Education granted approval to open the Sarasota Branch Campus of Everglades University. In December 2003, Everglades College, Inc. officially changed its name to Everglades University. In April 2004, the main campus of Everglades University relocated to Boca Raton, Florida. Later that year, the state of Florida Department of Education granted approval to open the Orlando Branch Campus of Everglades University.
Everglades University was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award bachelor’s and master’s degrees in 2010. A year later in 2011, Everglades College, Inc., the parent company of Everglades University, purchased Keiser University, a Floridian for-profit chain, which then became a nonprofit college.
In 2014, Everglades University was granted approval to open the Off-Campus Instructional Site of the Sarasota Branch Campus, in Tampa, Florida. Everglades University was also granted approval to relocate the Orlando Branch Campus to Maitland, Florida. In 2015, Everglades University received their ten-year accreditation reaffirmation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
Everglades University was one of 153 institutions listed in a settlement between the U.S. Department of Education and a class of student-loan borrowers that cancelled student loans after the students alleged wrongdoing by the schools. The class action was brought by a group of more than 200,000 student borrowers, assisted by the Project on Predatory Student Lending, part of the Legal Services Center of Harvard Law School. A settlement was approved in August of 2022, stating that the schools on the list were included due to "substantial misconduct by the listed schools, whether credibly alleged or in some instances proven." Everglades University and other schools objected to the settlement on the grounds that they were included based on undisclosed evidence or no evidence, and without an opportunity to defend themselves. The schools stated that their inclusion in the settlement would cause irreparable reputational harm. The Supreme Court rejected the challenge in April of 2023.
Academics
Everglades University offers a mixture of bachelor and master's degrees. Their website and other literature about the university stipulate that they have small class sizes, with students who predominantly want to be educated while learning and/or adult learners. The university has a small undergraduate enrollment range of between 1,000 and 2,000.
Each class is taken over the period of one month, with students taking one class at a time. This approach is aimed to focus students' learning on an individual subject at one time when compared to traditional university models, where numerous modules are studied together. The institution has a selective admission policy, where students are selected based on entrance examinations and the past academic records of students. The Fall acceptance rate for 2016 was 74%.
Buildings and sites
Everglades University has five different campuses and an online division in Florida. They are located in Boca Raton, Miami, Orlando, Sarasota, and Tampa.