Internacional University (Universidade Internacional) or UI for short, was a Portuguese

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

 private university

Private university

Private universities are universities not operated by governments, although many receive public subsidies, especially in the form of tax breaks and public student loans and grants. Depending on their location, private universities may be subject to government regulation. Private universities are...

 with facilities in Lisbon

Lisbon

Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...

 and Figueira da Foz

Figueira da Foz

Figueira da Foz , also known as Figueira for short, is a municipality in the Coimbra District, in Portugal. It is located at the mouth of the Mondego River, 40 km west of Coimbra, and sheltered by hills ....

, which had been founded in 1984. It was compulsorily closed in 2009 due to lack of funds and academic integrity.

Inspection and closing

In 2007, Internacional University was investigated by Portuguese government higher education authorities (Inspecção-geral (IGES) and Direcção-geral do Ensino Superior (DGES)) in order to clarify several previous reports that raised concerns about the quality and rigour of this and other private institutions. This situation led to the compulsory closing of Universidade Internacional in 2009 by the Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education (MCTES).

See also

• Diploma mill
  Diploma mill
  A diploma mill is an organization that awards academic degrees and diplomas with substandard or no academic study and without recognition by official educational accrediting bodies. The purchaser can then claim to hold an academic degree, and the organization is motivated by making a profit...
  
  
• Higher education in Portugal
  Higher education in Portugal
  Higher education in Portugal is divided into two main subsystems: university and polytechnic education. It is provided in autonomous public universities, private universities, public or private university institutes, polytechnic institutions and higher education institutions of other types...
  
  
• list of universities in Portugal