American InterContinental University, commonly called AIU , is an international for-profit university owned by Career Education Corporation (NASDAQ:CECO). It was founded in 1970 in Europe.

AIU is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association to award Associate's, Bachelor's, and Master's degrees.

American InterContinental University (AIU) was founded in 1970 in Lucerne, Switzerlandby American couple Jack and Helen Barnette of Atlanta, and was first known as the American Fashion College of Switzerland.The school was recognized as an American degree awarding institution in 1971, initially offering associate and bachelor's degrees starting in 1974.In 1976 American Fashion College of Switzerland opened a campus in Atlanta and in 1978, the Lucerne campus moved to London, and changed its name to the American College for the Applied Arts. .

By 1978, the school had approximately 300 students, and began to expand its course offering beyond fashion to areas such as business. Today, AIU has about 24,000 students and offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate degrees in programs such as business, IT, criminal justice and fashion design.More than 80 percent of AIU students attend AIU Online, an internet-based online campus that delivers degree programs 100 percent online.

The institution first received SACS accreditation in 1987. Steve Bostic bought the school in 1996 and changed its name to American InterContinental University .In 2001, AIU was acquired by Career Education Corporation, a publicly traded operator of for-profit schools that was established in 1994.

In 2009, AIU was granted accreditation by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA).AIU, which had been accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) since 1987 , sought HLC accreditation to better reflect the fact that the majority of its students are served through its Internet-based campus which is based in the HLC geographic region.SACS and HLC are among the six regional accrediting organizations recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.