Commitment to Academic Quality
American Public University System (APUS), regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, is a distinguished leader providing affordable, quality online education to motivated students worldwide through American Military University and American Public University. When you choose APUS, you join a community of students, alumni, and faculty—each dedicated to their professions and to lifelong learning.
Strength and Reputation
Student Learning is Priority One
At APUS, we believe you measure what you value—and we value our students' success. As part of our overall commitment to continual improvement:
- We are a member of the Academy for Assessment of Student Learning of the Higher Learning Commission. This continuous evaluation of student learning enables us to offer quality and timely curriculum.
- Our students score above the national average for the Proficiency Profile test in all subject areas including math, writing, reading, critical thinking, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences.
We use national benchmarks to measure effectiveness including the National Survey for Student Engagement, Community of Inquiry survey, Proficiency Profile, and Major Field Tests.
98% of seniors were satisfied or very satisfied with the education they received*
97% of seniors would recommend us to a friend or colleague*
98% of seniors evaluated their experience as positive**
82% of students at all other schools evaluated their experience as positive**
96% of seniors say they would choose us again**
91% of graduates report they're currently employed full-time***
65% of graduates agree their degree helped them obtain a promotion or new job****American Public University System, End of Program Survey, January 2010- September 2010.
**National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), 2009.
***American Public University System, 3-year Post-graduation Survey, March 2009-July 2010.
Faculty of Scholars and Practitioners
The faculty at APUS is diverse, experienced, and dedicated. With a 100% online curriculum we are able to attract scholars and practitioners from around the world. We have more than 500 faculty members with doctorates and Ph.D.s from leading state and private universities. Many are widely recognized for published research and speaking forums in their respective fields – including Dr. Alan Hale (codiscoverer of the Hale-Bopp Comet), five former astronauts, and senior leaders at Fortune 500 companies. As leaders still actively engaged in their professions, they are able to bring relevancy and first hand knowledge to the academic learning environment. Read more about the credentials of our distinguished faculty.
Classroom Innovation
APUS has formed numerous industry advisory councils comprised of leaders in their respective industries and peer academic institutions. These partnerships help APU maintain relevant academic programs and ensure that students gain knowledge that can be directly applied to their professional endeavors.
Noteworthy Achievements
At APUS, university and student honors go hand-in-hand. Here are just a few examples:
We are the two-time recipient (2009, 2010) of the prestigious Sloan Consortium’s Effective Practice Award, and the 2009 winner of the Ralph E. Gomory Award for Quality Online Education.
"The consortium recognized American Public University System primarily for its excellence in collecting analytics across the enterprise – from managing enrollment and retention to assessing outcomes in student learning and faculty satisfaction," said Dr. Burks Oakley III of Sloan-C. "APUS has designed and implemented a sound and effective data-driven approach to managing all aspects of the learning enterprise in a manner that is exemplary of the world's best online educational practices."
In 2010, several top honors were awarded to our students at the International Association of Emergency Managers 57th Annual Conference, including Student Chapter of the Year.
Recent graduates have been honored as White House Fellows, one of the nation's most prestigious programs for leadership and public service.
Setting Standards in Higher Education
APUS is a founding member of the Transparency by Design initiative, which seeks to better inform consumers by promoting greater transparency and accountability among regionally accredited, adult-serving, distance higher education institutions. This initiative provides information on a variety of metrics including student demographics, completion rates, costs, survey ratings, student satisfaction, program level outcomes, and other comparative data analysis tools to help adult learners focus on selection factors important to their educational goals.
Employer Satisfaction
It is vital to choose a school where employers value the degree and institution. When we surveyed nearly 1000 employers of our alumni, they overwhelmingly showed respect for our graduates.
99% of employers said they would hire another APUS graduate.
84% would recommend the university to employees.
98% agree our graduates possess field-specific academic skills.
“Amazon consistently recruits graduates from American Military University because we feel there is a cultural alignment with our focus on customer quality, a bias for action and mutual dedication to military values. We actively recruit military leaders for placement as Area and Operations Managers to help run our massive fulfillment centers across the country.”
Phil Dana
Recruiting Manager, Military Talent Acquisition
Amazon.com, Inc.