The University of the Nations (U of N) is a Christian university providing coursework in over fifty languages at over 250 locations throughout the world. Each of these locations are committed to discipling and equipping its students with the professional skills necessary to reach the world for Christ. The University of the Nations is part of the Youth With A Mission (YWAM) network. The current chancellor is Thomas A Bloomer (International Provost).

History
The late Howard Malmstadt, widely known as the "father of modern electronic and computerized instrumentation in chemistry", co-founded the Pacific and Asia Christian University (PACU) in 1978 with Loren Cunningham, the founder of Youth with a Mission. The first campus was launched in Kona, HI followed closely by a second campus in Lausanne, Switzerland. PACU was renamed the University of the Nations in 1989.

Education
The U of N offers Associate's degrees, Bachelor's degrees, and Master's degrees from its seven colleges. These colleges are the College of the Arts, College of Christian Ministries, College of Communication, College of Counseling and Health Care, College of Education, College of Humanitie s and International Studies, and the College of Science and Technology. There are also six interdisciplinary centers: The Community Development Center; The Center for Discipleship Training Schools; The Family Resource Center; The Center for Entrepreneurial and Economic Development; The Student Mobilization Center; and The GENESIS Center.

The U of N has a unique modular educational system that allows students to combine traditional classroom learning with a discipleship atmosphere. Students concentrate on one in-depth course lasting twelve weeks which is often followed by an eight to twelve week field assignment. Since the goal of the University is to fulfill the Great Commission, it is not necessary to complete a degree. Instead, the U of N offers university level courses and practical training that is relevant to each student’s passion. With this design, there is no time limit or required completion date. Students are encouraged to work in the mission field between courses to better apply their education and gain experience.

Since the U of N is a part of the YWAM network, it requires that a Discipleship Training School (DTS) be taken as a prerequisite for any other classes. Once a DTS program has been completed, students may enroll for classes at any of the hundreds of YWAM locations that host U of N courses.

Accreditation
The University of the Nations, as with many other private institutions, is not accredited by any accreditation body in the United States, Canada or France. However, many schools have and continue to accept transfer credits. One reason that the U of N has not sought to obtain accreditation is that “validation by an accrediting agency in one nation could be limiting. Within the U of N, students may begin their education in South America, continue it in the United States and complete their degree requirements in Europe. This type of international scope is a challenge for accrediting agencies to validate."

There do exist some transnational accrediting bodies for Christian institutions, which are not bound to indi vidual countries, and local accreditation of individual campuses is an option - for example, Australia's higher education and training system approves U of N's Institute for the Nations - Australia as a registered training organization in the Australian Capital Territory to provide "training at the certificate III to diploma level" throughout Australia.

Click here to visit the U of N’s official site and to learn more!