Weston Reserve University is an unaccredited distance education institution of higher learning based in the Seychelles. It describes itself as a unit of University Consortium International, Ltd., registered in the Seychelles.[1] The university bulletin identifies it as a branch of Westonia Advisors, Ltd., which is stated to have a European Union charter but has mailing addresses in Vancouver, British Columbia and Miami, Florida.[2]
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Western Reserve claims to have a royal charter from the Royal Family of Kuwait, authorizing it to award academic degrees, as well as an Al-Qassimi Royal Academic Charter from United Arab Emirates[1] The Oregon Office of Degree Authorization identifies Weston Reserve as an unaccredited college whose degrees are not approved for use in Oregon and states that the institution does not any "recognized provincial or national approval."[3] WRU does not appear on UNESCO's list of accredited universities in Kuwait or on the databases of accredited institutions in the USA or elsewhere. The WRU website also claims accreditation by International Association of Educators for World Peace[1] and the International Parliament for Safety and Peace,[4][5] but these are not recognized accreditation associations for higher education.[6] Without recognition of the "accreditation agency" by USDE and CHEA or an entity in the country where the accreditor is located, such accreditations are "bogus" to the academic community.[7] The Confederation of University Faculty Associations of British Columbia states that it is not clear if Weston Reserve has offered degree programs in British Columbia, but Oregon officials believed it was operating from the province.[8]
The institution allows people to purchase degrees in lump sum payments that range from a Bachelor's degree for $800 to $4,800 to a PhD for $1,200 to $8,800.[9] Prices for degrees are given only in US dollars.
According to the webpage it has headquarters in Victoria, Mahe in the Republic of the Seychelles (a Commonwealth of Nations state).[10] It has no accreditation there.[11] Also it has a PO Box in Miami, Florida and a PO Box in Wan Chai, Hong Kong. It has no accreditation in North America[6] or China.[12] No Kuwaiti address is listed.[10]