A defunct private nonprofit university in Washington, D.C. that served diverse learners for 130 years before losing accreditation in 2009.
Southeastern University offered degree programs at the associate, bachelor, and master levels across disciplines including Criminal Justice, Child Development, Public Administration, Business Management, Accounting, Finance, Liberal Studies, Computer Science, and Allied Health. The university also provided certificate programs in entrepreneurship, property management, real estate, and web development. Classes were offered during day, evening, weekend, and online formats through an accredited quadmester system, with an average class size of 15 students taught by practitioner-teachers with professional expertise.
The main campus was located in southwestern Washington, D.C., at 501 I Street SW, within walking distance of the Waterfront-Southeastern University Metro station and L'Enfant Plaza. A second facility, the Center for Allied Health Education, operated at 1310 Southern Avenue SE in partnership with Greater Southeast Community Hospital. The student body was diverse and locally based, with approximately 77% of students from the District of Columbia area and a significant international enrollment, though international student numbers declined after 2001.
Southeastern admitted undergraduate and graduate students, as well as international applicants and non-degree-seeking students. The university emphasized affordability and flexibility, with approximately 75% of students receiving some form of financial aid including scholarships, grants, student loans, and payment plans. The admissions office maintained extended hours including weekend availability and offered open houses throughout the year to prospective students.
Established by the YMCA in 1879 and chartered by Congress in 1937, Southeastern University operated for 130 years. The institution faced financial and enrollment challenges throughout the 1980s and 1990s, including a student loan default rate of 42% by 1987 and enrollment decline from 1,800 to 500 students in the early 1990s. Despite receiving $1.5 million from the District of Columbia three months before the decision, the university lost accreditation on August 31, 2009, due to lack of rigor, declining faculty, enrollment instability, and financial difficulties. The university ceased offering classes after an extended summer session in 2009.