International American University (IAU) is a private-for-profit higher education institution based in Los Angeles, California. Established in 2005, the university has a focused academic structure centered on business, management, and information technology, with qualifications ranging from associate and bachelor’s degrees to master’s and doctoral study. Its wider academic provision includes certificate, general education, English-language, and pathway study.
IAU holds institutional accreditation from the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS) and operates in California with approval from the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE). Its academic organization consists of the School of Business and the School of General Education. Teaching is offered through hybrid or blended instruction and synchronous and asynchronous online formats, with availability depending on the program and location.
The Los Angeles institution uses the iaula.edu domain. It is separate from International American University College of Medicine in Saint Lucia, which is a different institution with its own academic and regulatory arrangements.
| Field | Institutional information |
|---|---|
| Official name | International American University (IAU) |
| Institution type | Private-for-profit higher education institution |
| Established | 2005 |
| Main location | Los Angeles, California, United States |
| California main address | 3731 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1000, Los Angeles, CA 90010 |
| Institutional accreditation | Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS) |
| California regulatory status | BPPE Approved, institution code 41500926 |
| Academic units | School of Business and School of General Education |
| Main academic areas | Business administration, management, and information technology |
| Qualification levels | Associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees, with certificate and English/pathway provision |
| Teaching formats | Hybrid/blended, online synchronous, and online asynchronous |
International American University developed from an organization incorporated in California in August 2005 as Management Institute of America, Inc. Its institutional history records temporary approval from California’s then Bureau for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education in July 2006. The organization adopted the legal name International American University, Inc. later in 2006.
The World Higher Education Database records IAU as an institution created in 2005 and classifies it as private-for-profit. This places the university within the private higher education sector rather than California’s public university system.
IAU’s institutional development has remained academically concentrated. Its degree provision is built primarily around business administration, management, and information technology rather than a large collection of unrelated disciplinary faculties. Certificates, general education, English-language study, and pathway provision extend this academic base without changing its principal orientation.
The university’s identity requires careful distinction from International American University College of Medicine in Saint Lucia. The two institutions share similar naming and the IAU acronym, but the Los Angeles university covered here is the organization associated with iaula.edu and with the TRACS, CHEA, BPPE, and WHED records used for its institutional status.
International American University holds institutional accreditation from the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools. TRACS granted IAU Accredited Status as a Category IV institution on October 26, 2020. Its Accreditation Commission subsequently granted reaffirmation of accreditation in April 2025.
IAU records the reaffirmed accreditation term as effective from July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2035. The April 2025 reaffirmation is independently recorded by TRACS, while the Council for Higher Education Accreditation lists International American University in Los Angeles with institutional accreditation through the TRACS Accreditation Commission.
California regulatory approval is separate from institutional accreditation. BPPE lists International American University as an Approved institution under institution code 41500926. BPPE approval concerns the institution’s authorization to operate under applicable California private postsecondary education requirements. It should not be described as state accreditation.
These distinctions matter because several forms of educational status answer different questions. TRACS accreditation addresses institutional academic and organizational standards. BPPE approval concerns operation under California regulation. Neither status by itself requires another university, professional regulator, employer, credential evaluator, or government authority to accept a particular qualification or transferred credit.
IAU’s academic qualifications are offered within its own institutional and approved program structure. Recognition by another institution or by an authority outside the United States remains a separate decision made under the receiving organization’s rules.
The available institutional evidence does not support claims of automatic worldwide recognition, universal credit acceptance, or guaranteed professional eligibility. Those questions depend on the qualification, receiving institution, profession, and jurisdiction involved.
IAU’s governance structure places final institutional authority with its Governing Board of Directors. The board is responsible under the university’s governing arrangements for institutional policy, operation, and evaluation.
Administrative functions are organized across academic and operational offices rather than being treated as separate academic schools. These functions include academic affairs, admissions, accounting, career and alumni services, executive affairs, facilities management, human resources, information technology, international student services, registrar functions, student support, and media and events.
The academic structure is considerably narrower. WHED identifies two academic divisions: the School of Business and the School of General Education. This division reflects the university’s primary emphasis on business and management while providing general education and related academic support for its degree programs.
Information technology forms another applied area within the university’s degree portfolio. Its presence alongside business and management broadens the range of study available, but IAU is not organized as a comprehensive university with numerous disciplinary faculties in fields such as medicine, engineering, natural sciences, humanities, and the arts.
IAU provides academic study from certificate and associate levels through doctoral qualifications. Course coverage is concentrated in a limited number of subject areas rather than distributed across many academic schools.
At undergraduate level, the university’s academic portfolio includes the Associate of Business Administration, Associate of Information Technology, Bachelor of Business Administration, and Bachelor of Information Technology. Certificate and English/pathway study form part of the wider non-degree and preparatory provision.
Graduate education is centered on business and management. The university offers Master of Business Administration study together with specialized MBA pathways in Business Analytics and Management Information Systems. Doctoral education includes the Doctor of Business Administration and Doctor of Management.
WHED’s academic classification reflects a broader set of business-related fields within the School of Business, including administration, accountancy, business administration, business computing, human resources, international business, leadership, management, and marketing. General Education provides supporting academic study rather than operating as a separate professional faculty comparable in scale to the School of Business.
This arrangement gives IAU a distinct institutional character. Business and management form the dominant academic area, while information technology provides a second applied discipline. Certificate, pathway, English-language, and general education provision supports students entering or progressing through these degree pathways.
Program availability is location-dependent. The existence of a program within the university’s overall academic portfolio does not mean that it is delivered at every IAU site.
International American University uses three principal instructional formats: hybrid or blended study, online synchronous study, and online asynchronous study.
Hybrid or blended teaching combines required face-to-face instruction with online learning activities, assignments, and assessment. The university uses its IAUonline learning management system for digital course components. Mandatory hybrid meetings require physical attendance, while live academic sessions can also be delivered through Google Meet and recorded for later access.
Online synchronous instruction uses scheduled live interaction between instructors and students. Asynchronous study allows students to access learning material and complete academic activities without attending a live class at a fixed time, while still following course requirements and submission deadlines.
The availability of these formats depends on the individual degree or program. They should not be treated as interchangeable delivery options available automatically across the entire university.
The teaching structure is especially relevant to IAU’s mixture of campus-based and distance learners. Its digital systems support programs designed for online participation as well as courses that combine physical and online instruction.
IAU’s California main campus is located at 3731 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1000, Los Angeles, CA 90010. BPPE records this as the institution’s main California address.
The state regulator also records a wider California footprint. In addition to the Los Angeles main site, IAU has branch locations in San Diego and Santa Clara and satellite locations in Los Angeles, Westminster, Irvine, and San Francisco.
These regulatory categories identify physical sites associated with the institution. They do not establish that every degree or course is available at each location. Academic delivery remains dependent on the program and site.
The Los Angeles campus supports both academic and administrative functions. Campus resources include library access, student workstations, Wi-Fi, and printing and copying services. These facilities align with the university’s business, information technology, general education, and blended-learning model rather than with laboratory-intensive scientific or clinical education.
No evidence supports describing IAU as a laboratory-based research institution with large scientific research facilities. Its physical and digital resources are more closely connected to classroom instruction, computer-supported study, student advising, and online learning.
IAU also has academic activity outside its California operations, but these arrangements should be understood separately because educational authorization and recognition are jurisdiction-specific.
Nepal provides a documented example. International American University has an academic relationship with Model Institute of Technology (MIT Nepal) in Kamaladi, Kathmandu. Nepal’s Report of Higher Education 2023/24 records Model Institute of Technology with International American University, Los Angeles, USA as the foreign university and identifies BBA, MBA, and Bachelor of Information Technology (BIT) programs within that reporting record.
This relationship should not be interpreted as evidence that every program in IAU’s U.S. portfolio automatically carries the same status in Nepal. Local authorization applies to the programs and institutional arrangements recognized under Nepal’s own higher education system.
IAU also has an institutional presence in Ras Al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates. The UAE Commission for Academic Accreditation lists INTERNATIONAL AMERICAN UNIVERSITY - RAS AL KHAIMAH as an Active higher education institution. The regulatory entry reviewed for the institutional research did not provide a corresponding program list, so the institution-level status does not establish program-level accreditation for every qualification associated with IAU.
IAU also identifies other locations through its own institutional network. Regulatory treatment should not be generalized across them. California operations fall under BPPE records, while the Nepal partnership and the Ras Al Khaimah institution are subject to their respective national arrangements.
This distinction is important for global readers because institutional accreditation in the United States and authorization to deliver a program in another country are different matters.
IAU’s most clearly documented research activity appears within its doctoral programs rather than through evidence of a large institution-wide research operation.
The Doctor of Management includes research-methods study, quantitative and qualitative analysis, a multi-stage dissertation component, and a final oral defense. Doctor of Business Administration course descriptions also include research methods, literature review work, and a guided doctoral project.
These requirements show that research training forms part of doctoral education at IAU. They do not establish a wider claim about institutional research volume, citation performance, research expenditure, or comparative research standing.
Faculty profiles include academics with research and publication backgrounds, but these individual records should not be converted into institution-wide measures of research performance. The university is more accurately characterized through the research requirements embedded in its doctoral curricula.
Student-facing functions at IAU cover both academic administration and practical support. The institutional service structure includes admissions, academic affairs, registrar services, career and alumni services, international student services, general student support, library assistance, writing assistance, information technology, and student finance administration.
Library access forms part of the Los Angeles campus resources. Students also have access to workstations, Wi-Fi, and printing and copying services. These resources complement the IAUonline system used for online and blended instruction.
Writing assistance and academic support sit alongside administrative services rather than forming separate academic schools. Registrar services handle academic records, while information technology support relates to the digital systems used across campus and online study.
Career and alumni services form another identifiable administrative function. Their presence establishes that the university maintains a dedicated service area for career and alumni matters, but it does not provide a basis for claims about placement rates, guaranteed employment, or graduate earnings.
International Student Services handles institutional support relevant to students studying across national borders, including administrative matters connected with international student status.
IAU does not operate or control university dormitories. Students are responsible for arranging their own accommodation.
The university provides information on off-campus housing, and International Student Services can provide assistance to international students seeking information about homestay arrangements or housing near their place of study.
This housing model differs from universities with institution-owned residential campuses. Accommodation should therefore be considered separately from academic enrollment rather than assumed to be included as part of university provision.
Admission requirements at International American University differ by academic level and applicant category.
For undergraduate degree study, the university accepts applicants who meet its academic-entry requirements through a high school diploma, GED, specified prior postsecondary study, or an accepted foreign equivalent.
Admission to master’s study requires an earned bachelor’s degree from an appropriately accredited postsecondary institution or an accepted foreign equivalent.
Doctoral applicants are expected to hold both bachelor’s and master’s qualifications, with at least one degree related to the proposed field of doctoral study. Doctoral admission can also involve additional academic and professional material relevant to advanced study.
Foreign academic records are handled through credential-evaluation procedures. A general evaluation can be used to establish an earned qualification, while applicants seeking transfer credit from international study may require a course-by-course evaluation.
English-language requirements are connected to the relevant program and applicant pathway rather than being represented by a single rule for every student and qualification.
IAU also distinguishes among standard admission and categories of international-student applications. This reflects the fact that academic admission, transfer of previous study, and immigration-related institutional processing involve different administrative requirements.
IAU evaluates incoming transfer credit through its academic and admissions processes. A grade of C or higher can be considered for transfer, while the accreditation status of the sending institution is an important factor in the decision. Transfer credit is not awarded automatically solely because a student previously studied at an accredited institution.
Foreign applicants seeking credit for prior study may need a course-by-course credential evaluation. This differs from a general credential evaluation used primarily to establish that a qualification has been completed.
The same principle applies when an IAU student seeks to transfer credit to another institution. TRACS accreditation does not require a receiving university to accept IAU coursework. Each receiving institution sets its own transfer rules and determines the academic equivalence of previous study.
International recognition is similarly jurisdiction-specific. Accreditation in the United States does not automatically establish academic equivalence, professional licensing eligibility, public-service eligibility, or recognition for further study in another country.
The authority responsible for the intended use of the qualification remains decisive. A university may assess an IAU credential differently from a professional licensing body, government agency, employer, or national credential-evaluation authority.
The distinction between U.S. institutional accreditation and local program authorization is also visible in IAU’s international activity. The Nepal partnership and Ras Al Khaimah institution operate within their own regulatory systems rather than acquiring identical status solely from the accreditation of the Los Angeles institution.
International American University is a focused private university rather than a broad multi-faculty institution. Its academic identity rests primarily on business administration, management, and information technology, supported by general education, certificate, English-language, and pathway study.
Its institutional position is defined by several separate elements: TRACS institutional accreditation, California BPPE approval, a two-school academic structure, degree provision extending through doctoral level, and a teaching model that combines physical and online instruction.
The university also operates through multiple locations and international relationships, but those arrangements do not carry identical regulatory implications. California sites are recorded through BPPE, while international activity is subject to the rules of the countries in which it takes place.
For students considering transfer, further study, regulated employment, or use of an IAU qualification outside the United States, the distinction between institutional accreditation and recognition by a receiving authority is particularly important. Accreditation establishes the university’s institutional status; it does not predetermine every later decision made about a particular credential.
Yes. International American University holds institutional accreditation from the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools. TRACS granted reaffirmation of accreditation in April 2025. CHEA also lists the Los Angeles institution with institutional accreditation through the TRACS Accreditation Commission.
IAU is classified by the World Higher Education Database as a private-for-profit higher education institution. It is not part of California’s public university system.
The California main campus is at 3731 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1000, Los Angeles, CA 90010. BPPE also records branch and satellite sites elsewhere in California.
Business administration and management form the university’s principal academic area. Information technology provides another applied degree field, while general education, certificates, English-language study, and pathway provision supplement the main degree portfolio.
IAU’s academic structure consists of the School of Business and the School of General Education.
Yes. The university uses online synchronous and online asynchronous instruction alongside hybrid or blended study. Delivery format depends on the program.
IAU does not operate or control dormitory facilities. Students arrange their own accommodation, while the university provides off-campus housing information and related assistance through International Student Services.
No. Another institution determines whether it will accept credits earned at IAU. Institutional accreditation does not create automatic transfer rights.
No. International recognition depends on the receiving university, government authority, professional regulator, employer, or credential-evaluation body and on the purpose for which the qualification is being assessed.
