Texas authorities have ordered a Muslim university located in the Dallas area to close. The decision came after accusations of the school illegally offering degree programs without the necessary state approvals.
On May 6, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board sent a directive to TexAM University at Dallas. They instructed the institution to halt all advertising and enrollment activities. The board emphasized that the university must not offer degrees or study programs until it obtains a Certificate of Authority.
The board’s letter labeled TexAM University at Dallas as a university offering STEM degree programs online and at its Richardson campus without proper authorization.
TexAM’s advertising and postings via its website indicate that your entity publicly holds itself out as offering in the State of Texas STEM degree programs, including a master’s degree in Artificial Intelligence and admissions to bachelor’s degree programs in computer science, IT, cybersecurity, and health informatics,
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton took further action by filing a lawsuit against the university. Paxton accused TexAM of falsely presenting itself as an accredited university and misleading students about its programs. Additionally, he noted the university’s name resembled Texas A&M University too closely, causing potential confusion.
Paxton stated, TexAM has repeatedly disregarded Texas law, misrepresented its authority to grant degrees, and risked deceiving students about its legitimacy. My office will not allow illegal, unaccredited degree mills to operate in Texas.
According to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s letter, TexAM was instructed to confirm, by May 8, that it had ceased operations. They were directed to provide a written confirmation by this date.
Shahid A. Bajwa, founder and chairman of the Texas American Muslim Institute for Technology, responded by declaring their willingness to resolve any misunderstandings. He noted that the institute had complied with the board’s instructions and clarified changes to their entity’s practices.
Bajwa emphasized that they had removed their online presence and ceased using the term “University” while not offering any degree courses or collecting fees from students. He acknowledged the similarity in the entity’s name to Texas A&M University. Bajwa stated they are working on addressing the issue and plan to respond to Texas A&M’s request.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and Attorney General Paxton for further comments without eliciting an immediate response.