Stratford University is a private, public benefit corporation and for-profit university now headquartered in their Falls Church/Alexandria, Virginia campuses. Founded in 1976, Stratford delivers online, classroom, and blended online/classroom programs. Stratford University has campuses in Virginia Maryland, and India. The majority of the student body is non-traditional and works full-time while attending school. Stratford's international student body represents over thirty countries. The Stratford campus in India is a joint venture with the Modi Group, created to offer residential American degrees in India. The legal name of the Indian joint venture is Modi Stratford Education Management, Pvt. Ltd. The Modi Stratford Foundation, a wholly owned non-profit subsidiary of MSEM, delivers the academic programs in India as an accredited campus of Stratford University. The school as of March 2020 is at risk of losing its accreditation and has been ordered to stop enrolling new students. The university is under scrutiny for allegedly operating an unapproved program in Irbil, Iraq.
Academics
Stratford awards graduate and undergraduate degrees in a number of disciplines including business administration, computer information systems, health sciences, nursing, culinary arts, and hotel management. Online, residential, and blended programs are available. All online and blended courses use the Stratford online Moodle platform hosted in Stratford's data center. Stratford has established programs to help US military and former-US military personnel complete their education and is recognized by the Veterans Administration as a member of the Yellow Ribbon Program. Stratford offers non-credit continuing education and professional development courses like Event Management Certificate Program, Culinary Workshops and Certification Courses including Oracle, MSCE,.Net Framework, Cisco, Linux, and computer security-related topics for students and IT professionals. Stratford's Language Institute offers an academic English as Second Language program to help international students enter a degree program.
Acquisitions
Stratford University signed a letter of intent for an affiliation with Baltimore International College on August 12, 2011. The university has received approval from the and Baltimore officially became an additional location of Stratford University on December 1, 2011.
Stratford University signed a memorandum of understanding with Sojourner-Douglass College on April 2, 2015. This memorandum outlines a process through which SDC programs will transition to Stratford after June 30, 2015, the date that SDC loses it accreditation. This location will be renamed the Sojourner-Douglass Center at Stratford University.
Athletics
From 2017 until 2019, the Stratford University Newport News and Virginia Beach Campuses offered Men's Basketball, Men's Baseball, Women's Soccer, and Women's Softball. as a member of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association. Stratford University promptly ended its athletic programs in 2019, when the university closed its Newport News campus.
Dr. Richard R. Shurtz II, Stratford president, won the 2009 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year award in Greater Washington for the Government/Education Services category. Stratford University was ranked as one of the Top 100 Graduate Degree Producers for All Disciplines in 2009 by Diverse Education. Stratford University received the Virginia V3 Perseverando Award for both 2015 and 2015. The awards were presented to Stratford by Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe of at the Annual Chamber of Commerce Workforce Conference in Richmond. In 2016, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker presented Stratford University with the President’s "E" Award for Exports. It is the highest recognition any U.S. entity can receive for making a significant contribution to the expansion of U.S. exports. The 'E' Awards noted Stratford University's dedication to providing quality education to students around the world, particularly its investment in language training programs.
