| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Mostly online programs taught in live video classes, plus four sites for nursing, imaging, lab and blended programs |
| Campuses | 4 in 3 states: Roanoke (Salem), VA; Nashville, TN; Louisville, KY; Pikeville, KY |
| Institutions | Two under one brand: American National University (Virginia; Salem, Nashville and online) and American National University of Kentucky (Louisville and Pikeville) |
| Credentials | Certificates, diplomas, associate, bachelor’s and master’s degrees |
| Typical length | Medical assisting certificate in as little as 8 months; paralegal AS about 2 years; BSN and BS in Cybersecurity about 3 years |
| Accreditation | DEAC for the Virginia institution (renewed July 2025, through January 2030); ABHES for the Kentucky institution |
| Federal aid | Yes: Pell Grants, SEOG, Direct Loans and Federal Work-Study |
| Owner | American National University, Inc., a private, for-profit Virginia corporation based in Salem |
| Founded | 1886 in Roanoke, Virginia, as National Business College |
| Students | 770 at the Virginia institution and 444 at the Kentucky (Pikeville) IPEDS unit (IPEDS 2024, via DataUSA) |
| Facts checked | October 2026 |
One brand, two accredited institutions
American National University (ANU) began in 1886 as National Business College in Roanoke, Virginia, and was later known as National College. It is privately owned by American National University, Inc., a for-profit Virginia corporation based in Salem. The ANU name covers two separately accredited institutions. American National University, accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC), runs the Salem campus, a nursing site in Nashville and the online “eUniversity” that teaches most programs. American National University of Kentucky, accredited by the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES), runs the Louisville and Pikeville campuses. Ten campuses shown on older listings, including ours, have closed. ANU is not National American University, a different school that many search results describe.
Programs: mostly online, with nursing and imaging tied to a campus
Most ANU programs are taught online from Salem. Nursing, radiologic technology and medical laboratory technology need clinical training and are tied to a campus and, for nursing, to students’ state of residence. Totals are ANU’s all-inclusive figures as listed on its program pages in October 2026.
| Program | Credential and length | Delivery and where | Prepares for | Total cost (October 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nursing (ASN) | AS, 119 credits, 660 clinical hours | Blended at Pikeville, KY (Kentucky residents only); blended and online at Nashville, TN | NCLEX-RN | $46,291–$51,348 |
| Nursing (pre-licensure BSN) | BS, about 3 years | Live online classes, VR labs and clinicals; Nashville, TN base; Tennessee and Virginia residents | NCLEX-RN | $63,360 |
| Practical Nursing | Certificate, 84 credits plus 405 clinical hours | Blended and online, Salem, VA; Virginia residents only | NCLEX-PN | Not published |
| Medical Assisting | Certificate, 48 credits; AS, 96 credits | Online; blended certificate at Pikeville and blended AS at Louisville | CCMA, NCMA; AS adds CPT and CET | $17,424; $30,816 |
| Administrative Medical Assisting | Certificate; AS | Online | Front-office medical work | Not published |
| Pharmacy Technician | Diploma, 48 credits; AS, 96 credits | Online, with externships | PTCE or ExCPT; AS adds CSPT | Not published |
| Phlebotomy and ECG Technician | Diploma, 36 credits | Online, with a local clinic externship | NHA CPT and CET | Not published |
| Medical Billing and Coding | Diploma, 48 credits | Online | CPC, CCA, CCS | $20,496 |
| Health Information Management | AS, 96 credits | Online | RHIT | Not published |
| Medical and Health Services Management | BS, 180 credits (needs an allied health associate degree) | Online; blended option at Pikeville | – | Not published |
| Medical Laboratory Technology | AS, 96 credits | Online plus clinical courses; Pikeville | A national MLT exam | Not published |
| Radiologic Technology | AS, 92 credits | Online plus mostly night classes and clinicals; Pikeville | ARRT radiography (R) | $38,640 |
| Paralegal | Certificate, 28 credits (needs a prior degree); AS, 92 credits | Online | Paralegal work (ABA-approved) | $13,664; $31,740 |
| Network Support | AS, 96 credits | Online | CompTIA A+, Network+, Security+ | $31,872 |
| Information Technology; Network Administration | AS and BS; BS, 180 credits | Online | – | Not published |
| Cybersecurity | BS, 180 credits, about 3 years; MS, 56 credits | Online; MS also blended at Louisville | Security+; CISSP, CSSLP | $50,580; $23,016 |
| Accounting | Diploma, 60 credits; AS, 92 credits; BBA, 180 credits | Online | Not designed for CPA licensure | $48,780 (BBA) |
| Business Administration | Diploma, 48 credits; AS, 92 credits; BBA, 180 credits; MBA, 56 credits | Online; MBA also at Louisville | – | $24,080 (MBA) |
| HVAC/R Technician | Certificate, 36 credits | Online; no lab location stated | EPA 608, NATE fundamentals, OSHA 10 | $200 a credit |
| MS Information Technology; MS Computer Science and Engineering; MS Software Development | 56; 49; 49 credits | MS IT online and at Louisville; the other two at Louisville only | – | $21,560 (MS Software Development) |
The HVAC/R certificate is taught online with no lab location stated, so ask how hands-on practice is arranged. ANU’s program list has no truck driving (CDL) program, although some directories still list one.
What the main programs cover
Nursing associate degree (ASN)
Both versions of the 119-credit ASN include 660 hours of clinical externship, and ANU says it assigns clinical sites “based on site availability, not distance”, so students may have to travel. The Kentucky version, taught at Pikeville, is blended and open only to Kentucky residents; it holds Kentucky Board of Nursing approval and NLN CNEA pre-accreditation. The Tennessee version, based in Nashville, is listed as blended and online and has initial approval from the Tennessee Board of Nursing. Students who enrolled in Kentucky before July 2024 follow an older 132-credit plan.
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
This is a pre-licensure BSN for students who are not yet nurses, not an RN-to-BSN completion degree, and ANU says it can be finished in three years. Classes meet live online, labs use virtual-reality headsets, and clinical practicums take place at approved sites. Admission requires the NLN PAX entrance exam, a résumé and a 2.5 GPA, plus a GED score of at least 500 for GED holders. ANU’s FAQ says the program is open to residents of Tennessee and Virginia; the program page also names North Carolina.
Medical assisting
The 48-credit certificate ends in a 162-hour externship, and the 96-credit associate degree in a 160-hour externship. Both prepare students for the CCMA (NHA) and NCMA (NCCT) exams and CPR certification, and the associate degree adds the phlebotomy (CPT) and EKG (CET) exams. Distance students study through Salem; the Pikeville certificate and the Louisville associate degree are blended, with some on-campus sessions. ANU loans students their medical assisting equipment, and reports a 68% exam pass rate for the associate degree, averaged over 2020 to 2024.
Pharmacy technician
Pharmacy coursework is online, followed by work in real pharmacies. The 48-credit diploma ends with an externship in a retail or healthcare pharmacy. The 96-credit associate degree includes two 120-hour externships, 240 hours in all, and adds preparation for the CSPT credential in compounded sterile preparation. Applicants must pass a background check. As with ANU’s other externships, sites are found by availability rather than distance from home, so ask where recent students in your area were placed before you enroll.
Paralegal studies
The certificate is 28 credits and is meant for students who already hold an associate or bachelor’s degree; the associate degree is 92 credits, takes about two years and includes an optional 120-hour externship. Both are taught online from Salem. Associate-degree applicants need placement scores of 85% in English and 65% in math. An ABA House of Delegates report from the 2025 Annual Meeting (Report 600) lists the Salem program as approved, and ANU announced a seven-year reapproval for the certificate and associate degree in February 2026.
Radiologic and medical laboratory technology
Both are associate degrees taught from Pikeville, with coursework online and hands-on training at clinical sites. Radiologic technology (92 credits) runs “primarily” as night classes and prepares for the ARRT radiography exam. Medical laboratory technology (96 credits) ends with two clinical courses, MLT297 and MLT299, worth 16 credits and worked in 8- to 12-hour shifts three to five days a week. Neither program page mentions programmatic accreditation (JRCERT or NAACLS); both rely on the Kentucky institution’s ABHES accreditation.
Cost and paying for it
ANU charges by the credit, with rates set by program group (tuition page updated 11 September 2026): $260 to $427 for undergraduate health sciences, $271 to $488 for business and paralegal, $302 to $332 for computer sciences, $200 for trade programs, $430 for the MBA and $372 to $440 for graduate computer sciences. The program totals on ANU’s pages are “all-inclusive” and cover fees, textbooks and lab equipment; nursing and medical assisting equipment is loaned. The application fee is $0. Nursing figures conflict: the Tennessee ASN page works out to $389 a credit ($46,291), the tuition page lists $412 ($49,028), and the Kentucky ASN page gives $46,291 to $51,348, so get a written quote. Federal IPEDS data for 2024, via DataUSA, put the average net price at $18,061 for the Virginia institution and $16,519 for the Kentucky one.
ANU takes Pell Grants, SEOG ($150 a term), Direct and PLUS loans and Federal Work-Study. State aid listed includes Tennessee’s TSAA, Kentucky’s CAP and KEES and the Kentucky Board of Nursing’s Nursing Incentive Scholarship Fund. ANU’s own grants include:
- Workforce Development Grant, up to $1,500 a term, for students funded through WIOA or TAA
- Business Partnership Grant, $1 for every $2 of employer tuition assistance
- Private Loan Supplemental Grant, up to 40% of a private loan
- University Transfer Grant ($1,000), Legacy Merit Scholarship ($1,000) and Refer-a-Friend ($750)
- President’s Grant (discretionary) and the Mongolian Dreamer Grant (25%)
Military students can use GI Bill chapters 30, 31, 33, 35 and 1606, MyCAA and VA work-study. ANU takes part in the Yellow Ribbon program (up to 50% of Chapter 33 tuition), and its Blue Ribbon Grant covers up to 35% of direct education costs once military benefits run out, up to $18,000 in all.
Admissions, schedule and state limits
Undergraduate applicants need a high school diploma or GED (or a state equivalent) and take English and math placement tests, plus a science placement test for health programs. Niche describes admission as open. Some programs ask for more:
- Graduate programs: a bachelor’s degree with a GPA of at least 2.5.
- Nursing: a GPA of at least 2.5; the BSN also needs the NLN PAX exam and a résumé.
- Paralegal AS: placement scores of 85% in English and 65% in math.
- Phlebotomy and ECG: two of five entry criteria, or a prior degree.
Online classes combine live video sessions with work done on the student’s own schedule; ANU calls programs with limited on-campus residency “blended”. Radiologic technology at Pikeville is taught mostly at night.
Licensure programs are limited by state: the Kentucky ASN to Kentucky residents, Practical Nursing to Virginia residents, and the BSN to residents of Tennessee and Virginia (one ANU page adds North Carolina). Both catalogs say ANU takes part in NC-SARA, and neither lists any state whose residents cannot take its other online programs. ANU is approved to enroll international students on F-1 visas and offers non-credit English as a Second Language classes at $1,583.33 a term.
Accreditation and results
DEAC accredits the Virginia institution, which covers the Salem campus, the Nashville site and online programs. It renewed that accreditation in July 2025, “through January 2030”, with no conditions noted. ABHES accredits American National University of Kentucky (Louisville and Pikeville); we could not check its grant or renewal dates in the ABHES directory. ANU’s paralegal certificate and AS are approved by the American Bar Association. Other program accreditations rest on ANU’s own word: ANU says its online medical assisting program is CAAHEP-accredited and its Louisville medical assisting program ABHES-accredited, that its pharmacy technician programs are accredited by ASHP/ACPE and its Health Information Management AS by CAHIIM, and that the Kentucky ASN holds NLN CNEA pre-accreditation.
Nursing pass rates and board oversight
The Kentucky Board of Nursing publishes first-time NCLEX-RN results for the Pikeville ASN (March 2026 report):
| Year | Tested | Passed | Pass rate | Kentucky ADN average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 37 | 18 | 48.6% | – |
| 2022 | 22 | 16 | 72.7% | – |
| 2023 | 13 | 12 | 92.3% | – |
| 2024 | 26 | 13 | 50.0% | 85.8% |
| 2025 | 43 | 15 | 34.9% | 82.5% |
On 24 October 2024 the board approved site-visit requirements for the program, with quarterly progress reports from 31 October 2024, and minuted that it “remain[s] an approved program of nursing”; a follow-up site visit was set for March 2025. The board’s January 2026 Education Committee agenda listed an “Accreditation Extension Request” from the program; we could not find the outcome. The Tennessee ASN and BSN have initial approval only, ANU says the Virginia practical nursing certificate has Virginia Board of Nursing initial approval, and we found no NCLEX results for any of them.
Graduation rates
ANU’s 2025 DEAC student-achievement disclosure for the Virginia institution gives these graduation rates, as we read them in October 2026, for cohorts that started between June 2019 and January 2025 depending on the program (the time allowed to graduate is not stated in what we could read):
| Program | Graduation rate |
|---|---|
| MBA | 74% |
| MS Cybersecurity | 60% |
| MS Information Technology | 70% |
| BBA Accounting | 13% |
| BBA Management | 14% |
| BS Cybersecurity | 0% |
| BS Medical and Health Services Management | 71% |
| BS Network Administration | 17% |
| AS Business Administration–Accounting | 7% |
| AS Business Administration–Management | 17% |
| AS Health Information Management | 44% |
| AS Medical Assisting | 14% |
| AS Network Support | 5% |
| AS Paralegal | 39% |
| AS Pharmacy Technician | 3% |
| AS Administrative Medical Assisting | 32% |
| Certificate, Medical Assisting | 25% |
| Certificate, Paralegal Studies | 75% |
| Diploma, Medical Billing and Coding | 29% |
| Diploma, Phlebotomy and ECG | 29% |
| Diploma, Pharmacy Technician | 17% |
ANU also reports a 75% first-time pass rate on the PTCE pharmacy technician exam and a 68% exam pass rate for medical assisting associate graduates (2020–2024 average). Federal IPEDS data for 2024, via DataUSA, give a 50% graduation rate for each institution.
Borrower-defense settlement
ANU is one of 153 schools on the automatic-relief list of the 2022 Sweet v. Cardona borrower-defense settlement. ANU publicly rejected any implication of misconduct on 11 July 2022 and, with two other schools, intervened in the case and appealed the settlement’s approval. The Supreme Court denied a stay in April 2023, and the 9th Circuit rejected the appeal for lack of standing in November 2024. ANU is not a petitioner in the Supreme Court petition another school filed in October 2025.
Before you enroll
- Check which ANU you are enrolling in. The Kentucky campuses belong to a separate institution with a different accreditor (ABHES) and catalog from the Virginia institution (DEAC) that runs the online programs. If you may transfer later, ask the receiving school whether it accepts credits from that accreditor.
- Completion is low in many online programs. ANU’s 2025 DEAC disclosure reports graduation rates of 3% for the pharmacy technician AS, 5% for the network support AS, 7% for the accounting AS and 0% for one BS in Cybersecurity cohort.
- Pikeville’s NCLEX-RN pass rate fell to 34.9% in 2025, against a Kentucky ADN average of 82.5%, and the Kentucky Board of Nursing has required quarterly progress reports since October 2024. The Tennessee ASN and BSN have initial approval only, and ANU says the Virginia practical nursing program has initial approval; we found no pass rates for them yet, and the BSN has no programmatic accreditation yet.
- The radiologic technology and medical laboratory technology pages do not mention JRCERT or NAACLS accreditation. Confirm with ARRT or the certification body you plan to use that you will be eligible for its exam.
- Clinical and externship sites are assigned by availability, not distance, and the accounting BBA is not designed to meet CPA licensure requirements.
Where ANU teaches
- Roanoke (Salem), VA, 1813 East Main Street: headquarters, main campus of the Virginia institution, home base for online programs and the Practical Nursing certificate.
- Nashville, TN, 2451 Atrium Way: ASN and BSN nursing.
- Louisville, KY, 10509 Timberwood Circle, Suite 200: main campus of the Kentucky institution; master’s degrees, mostly for international students, and the blended medical assisting AS.
- Pikeville, KY, 130 South Mayo Trail, Suite 101: ASN, radiologic technology, medical laboratory technology and medical assisting.
The Nashville, Louisville and Pikeville sites have moved from the addresses on older listings.
Campuses no longer open
These former campuses appeared on older listings, including ours. None is on ANU’s current locations or accreditation pages, and ANU now names only Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky. We could not confirm when each closed.
| Former campus | Address | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Danville, KY | 115 East Lexington Ave. | Closed; date not confirmed |
| Lexington, KY | 2376 Sir Barton Way | Closed; date not confirmed |
| Bartlett, TN | 5760 Stage Rd. | Closed; date not confirmed |
| Bristol, TN | 1328 Highway 11W | Closed; date not confirmed |
| Memphis, TN | 2576 Thousand Oaks Cove | Closed; date not confirmed |
| Dayton area (Kettering), OH | 1837 Woodman Center Dr. | Closed; date not confirmed |
| Charlottesville, VA | 3926 Seminole Trl. | Closed; date not confirmed |
| Lynchburg, VA | 104 Candlewood Ct. | Closed; date not confirmed |
| Parkersburg, WV | 110 Park Center Dr. | Closed; date not confirmed |
| Princeton, WV | 421 Hilltop Dr. | Closed; date not confirmed |
Housing and externships
ANU has no student housing; its admissions page mentions housing support for international students only. Nursing, medical assisting and pharmacy technician students complete clinicals or externships at outside sites, which ANU says are placed “based on site availability, not distance”. We could not confirm what job placement help ANU’s career services provide.
What students say
Niche is the only platform we found with 25 or more reviews of ANU (checked 5 October 2026): 4.14 out of 5 from 83 reviews for Roanoke Valley (Salem), 3.72 from 109 for Nashville and 4.03 from 34 for Pikeville, or about 3.9 across 226 reviews by our calculation. Trustpilot has no reviews.
- Praise: the live online format works for working adults; instructors are approachable and invested; classes are small and textbooks are included.
- Complaints: students in the first nursing cohorts describe changing policies, a program “needing further development” and too few clinical sites; others mention communication gaps, worry about loan debt and unexpected out-of-pocket costs, and low graduation rates.
We saw no sign that the reviews were invited by the school or posted in bursts. The Pikeville reviews run from October 2016 to November 2024, so older ones may describe a different program mix, and the data on Niche’s Nashville profile may come from an older federal record for that campus.
Sources
Checked October 2026: ANU locations · ANU accreditation · ANU of Kentucky accreditation · Tuition, fees and catalogs · DEAC student achievement disclosure (2025) · Kentucky Board of Nursing pass rates · Tennessee Board of Nursing program list · Sweet v. Cardona appeal ruling (Higher Ed Dive)
Programs & Courses
Nursing
- Nursing, Associate of Science (ASN): Pikeville, KY (Kentucky residents only) and Nashville, TN
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing (pre-licensure BSN): Nashville, TN base; Tennessee and Virginia residents
- Practical Nursing (certificate): Salem, VA; Virginia residents only
Allied health
- Medical Assisting (certificate; AS)
- Administrative Medical Assisting (certificate; AS)
- Pharmacy Technician (diploma; AS)
- Phlebotomy and ECG Technician (diploma)
- Medical Billing and Coding (diploma)
- Health Information Management (AS)
- Medical Laboratory Technology (AS, Pikeville)
- Radiologic Technology (AS, Pikeville)
- Medical and Health Services Management (BS)
Business and accounting
- Accounting (diploma)
- Business Administration (diploma)
- Business Administration–Accounting (AS)
- Business Administration–Management (AS)
- Business Administration–Accounting (BBA)
- Business Administration–Management (BBA)
Legal
- Paralegal Studies (certificate; ABA-approved)
- Paralegal (AS; ABA-approved)
Information technology
- Network Support (AS)
- Information Technology (AS; BS)
- Network Administration (BS)
- Cybersecurity (BS)
Skilled trades
- HVAC/R Technician (certificate, online)
Graduate
- Master of Business Administration (MBA)
- MS in Cybersecurity
- MS in Information Technology
- MS in Computer Science and Engineering (Louisville)
- MS in Software Development (Louisville)
English language
- English as a Second Language (non-credit)
Campus Locations
Roanoke (Salem), VA 1813 East Main Street, Salem, VA 24153
Nashville, TN 2451 Atrium Way, Nashville, TN 37214
Louisville, KY 10509 Timberwood Circle, Suite 200, Louisville, KY 40223
Pikeville, KY 130 South Mayo Trail, Suite 101, Pikeville, KY 41501