Columbus University is an unaccredited distance education institution that has been based at different times in Louisiana and Picayune, Mississippi.The institution initially operated in Louisiana under a provision of state law that exempted tax-exempt nonprofit entities from licensing requirements.Columbus has been accredited by the World Association of Universities and Colleges (WAUC), although this body is not recognized by the United States Department of Education.Columbus University is on the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board's list of institutions whose degrees are illegal to use in Texas, because degrees from such institutions have been found to be "fraudulent or substandard".