Herguan University

Herguan University

Herguan University campus
Type Private
Established 2008
President Dr. Ying Qiu Wang
Location Sunnyvale, California, United States
37°23′11″N 121°59′49″W / 37.38648°N 121.99691°W / 37.38648; -121.99691Coordinates: 37°23′11″N 121°59′49″W / 37.38648°N 121.99691°W / 37.38648; -121.99691
Nickname HGU

Herguan University is a private university in Sunnyvale, California.

Accreditation status

Herguan University is accredited by ACICS as of December 17, 2014.[1][2] At one time, it was on the Oregon Office of Degree Authorization list of unaccredited colleges.[3]

Operating status

The University's MBA, MSCS, and MSEE programs operate with approval from the California Department of Consumer Affairs' Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education.[4] The Bureau is not an accreditation agency and does not confer accreditation status to educational institutions.

On August 2, 2012, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) served Herguan with a notice of intent to withdraw its SEVP certification.[5][6] Herguan's CEO has been indicted on visa fraud charges.[7]

On September 18, 2012, ICE revoked Herguan's SEVP approval, but rescinded that decision a day later.[5] According to ICE, Herguan's lawyer had sent the response to a wrong email address. The San Jose Mercury News reported on evidence that Herguan officials tried to get help from local and state politicians regarding the ICE investigation.[8]

On April 9, 2015, Herguan's former CEO, Jerry Wang, pleaded guilty to visa fraud.[9] On April 10, 2015, ICE moved to revoke Herguan's SEVP approval.[10]

On September 14, 2015, Herguan's former CEO, Jerry Wang, was sentenced to 12 months in prison and forfeiture of $700K for his role in a student visa fraud scheme at Herguan.[11]

On October 6, 2016, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) revoked Herguan's SEVP approval, terminating their ability to enroll foreign students.[12]

Enrollments

The enrollment practices of Herguan have been compared to Tri-Valley University, whose founder had previously worked as an adjunct faculty member at Herguan. The Chronicle of Higher Education claims Herguan targets international students looking for full-time or part-time internships.[13] The enrollment as of August 2012 is around 450 people, of which 400 are from India.[7][14]

Other practices

Herguan obtained government approval to admit foreign students based on an application that included letters purporting to be from accredited colleges stating that they would accept credits from Herguan for transfer students. However, the letters were disclaimed by those colleges. An official at another college stated that Herguan staff offered payments in exchange for recognition. However, as recently as late 2010, most of Herguan's students were employed outside of California in full-time jobs, an apparent violation of the condition of their visas requiring them to be full-time students taking no more than one on-line class each term. This practice may have been curtailed in December 2010 when Herguan's president sent letters to all students requiring them to return to California.[13] The president, however, backtracked later, and offered students $500 to return for classes for six days.[15]

Several Herguan staff claimed that otherwise failing students had been able to buy passing grades by paying more money to the school.[13][15] Prospective students have claimed students get paid $1200 for each student who they refer to the school.[16] The school also maintained "educational consultants" who were paid for students they referred, most of whom were based in Hyderabad, India.[17]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ "Accreditation Details". Dept of Education. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
  2. ↑ U.S. Department of Education Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs
  3. ↑ Oregon Office of Degree Authorization at the Wayback Machine (archived October 5, 2012)
  4. ↑ California Department of Consumer Affairs Bureau of Private Postsecondary Education
  5. 1 2 ICE Information for Herguan Students
  6. ↑ Lisa M. Krieger and Molly Vorwerck (August 2, 2012). "CEO of 2 Bay Area universities charged in HSI-led visa fraud probe". Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
  7. 1 2 "Sunnyvale university CEO indicted on visa fraud charges". San Jose Mercury News. August 3, 2012. Archived from the original on March 18, 2013.
  8. ↑ Shirakawa accepts money from Silicon Valley college at center of scandal
  9. ↑ "Bay Area university CEO pleads guilty to visa fraud". Inside Bay Area News. April 10, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Ex-CEO of Bay Area university pleads guilty to role in student visa fraud scheme". Immigration and Customs Enforcement. April 10, 2015.
  11. ↑ "Former CEO of Bay Area university sentenced in visa fraud scheme". September 15, 2015.
  12. ↑ "Feds revoke student visas to Silicon Valley's Herguan University". October 6, 2016.
  13. 1 2 3 Bartlett, Tom; Fischer, Karin; Keller, Keller (March 20, 2011). "Little-Known Colleges Exploit Visa Loopholes to Make Millions Off Foreign Students". The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
  14. ↑ "Herguan Students in Limbo After Feds Downgrade College Status". India West. 9 August 2012.
  15. 1 2 "US varsity fraud: students took the risk". The Hindu. 9 August 2012.
  16. ↑ Visa scam: Telugu students may lose an academic year
  17. ↑ "Brokers thrive in state". Deccan Chronicle. 6 August 2012.
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