Knightsbridge University
Knightsbridge University is a private distance learning institution based in Denmark that caters mostly to English speaking people. It was founded in 1991 by Henrik Fyrst Kristensen. Although the school is based in Denmark, John Bear's guide states that Knightsbridge was formerly incorporated in Liberia and at time of publication was incorporated in Antigua and Barbuda, while using a mailing address in Scotland. Accreditation and licensing status. Knightsbridge University is not accredited and is not officially recognized as an educational institution in Denmark. Due to the lack of accreditation, its degrees and credits might not be acceptable  to employers or other institutions, and use of its degree titles may be restricted or illegal in some jurisdictions. Several American states identify Knightsbridge as a school that does not have appropriate legal authority to issue degrees. In 2006 Bear told the "Irish Independent" that "Knightsbridge most emphatically is not licensed or recognised by the Danish government (or any other government on Earth)." Formerly Knightsbridge claimed accreditation from the World Association of Universities and Colleges, an unrecognised accreditation agency. However, since 2003, Knightsbridge University has been registered as a limited company in Denmark. Danish law does not restrict private institutions  without public funding from operating without approval or accreditation by Danish authorities, but their students are not eligible for state study grants. In 2009, it was listed as a diploma mill by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers. Controversies. There are a number of incidents reported in the news that involve use of Knightsbridge University degrees. In 2000, Coleman Nyathi, an official of the South African province of Mpumalanga, was forced to resign after it was revealed that he had lied about his citizenship and that his academic credentials, including his Knightsbridge University doctoral degree in business  administration, were "mail order" distance learning degrees from unaccredited institutions. Officials said that Knightsbridge and other universities where Nyathi had obtained degrees are not accredited in South Africa, so his degrees are useless in the country. In another incident in 2006, Michael Meegan, the head of the Irish charity ICROSS in Africa, received negative attention when it was revealed that his claimed PhD in medical anthropology was not from an accredited university, but was from Knightsbridge University, described in the press as an institution "which trades from a Danish post office box." In another incident in 2007, Indiana University-Purdue  University Indianapolis (IUPUI) discovered that the university's Chief Engineer and Fire Protection Services Manager, Tom Hulse, had used a bachelor's degree from Knightsbridge to qualify for his job, which he had held since 2001. Interviewed by reporters, Hulse admitted knowing that his degree had no standing in the US. He said: "We know it's not an accredited school. It's not a secret." IUPUI expected to treat the case as an ethics violation.