Almeda University was an unaccredited for-profit online university registered on the Caribbean island of Nevis. It offered illegitimate degrees including online certificate programs, general "Life Experience Degrees", and doctorates in religion and theology. Almeda was accredited by the Council for Distance Education Accreditation, the Interfaith Education Ministries (IEM), and the Association for Online Academic Excellence (AOAEX), none of which were recognized by the United States Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. Almeda University is widely regarded as a diploma mill. It was owned and operated by Pakistani software company Axact. History Almeda University was founded in 1997 as a distance learning program. From 2001 to 2016, the school awarded undergraduate degrees as well as masters and doctorate degrees based upon "life experience". Degrees were issued upon payment, with life experience assessments based on the word of the applicant. In addition to its degree programs, Almeda University also offered a wide selection of zero-credit courses intended for professional development. As of 2012, Almeda only had a mailing address in Boise, Idaho. Upon inspection, Bears' Guide says that it could not locate the physical address of the institution and was informed by reception that Almeda University was a "web only" institution. Richard Smith was Almeda's founding CEO. Academics Almeda University offered associate, bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees using "Prior Learning Assessments” which evaluated a candidate’s life experience. It also offered several hundred non-degree technical and business courses and certification preparation programs by e-learning. Accreditation and recognition Legally, Almeda University was a corporation registered on the Caribbean island of Nevis. It was listed as an accredited member of Interfaith Education Ministries and the Association for Online Academic Excellence, and claimed accreditation by the Council for Distance Education Accreditation; however, none of these were recognized by the United States Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. On its website, Almeda stated that its sources of accreditation were not recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, with the result that students could not receive U.S. federal loans or assistance under the GI Bill, and that Almeda degrees might not be recognized by academia or employers in some states. Connecticut: In October 2001, the Connecticut Department of Higher Education ordered Almeda to cease offering degrees in Connecticut. In 2002, when an investigation showed that Almeda continued to advertise its programs in Connecticut, the Department of Higher Education sent a