When a College Loses Accreditation
Most colleges, universities and even K-12 schools are accredited. Accreditation demonstrates to the public at large, other institutions and potential employers that students graduating from an accredited school are well prepared and educated. So when a school loses its accreditation status its students can often experience some negative repercussions.
When a College FailsWhen a college, university or vocational program loses its accreditation status, there are many more looming implications for its students.
Students attending the school at the time of the accreditation loss face the school closing rather abruptly. This is due to the fact that the federal government does not usually provide financial aid to unaccredited post secondary institutions. The vast majority of these schools are heavily dependent on financial aid and the immediate withdrawal of all government funds guarantees that the school will quickly go bankrupt.
Furthermore, these students will have a difficult time finding admission to another school to complete their degree or program if their school closes from an accreditation loss. While most colleges and universities will accept high school students from unaccredited schools, they're not nearly as forgiving to those students who attended an unaccredited post secondary institution.
If an unaccredited school manages to stay in business then its graduates will undoubtedly face a tough time finding a job. Many employers simply do not hire graduates from unaccredited schools. Some employers in the medical field cannot hire graduates from unaccredited schools because they believe these graduates are not guaranteed to have adequate preparation, making them a liability to the company.
Keep in mind though, that if you graduated from a school when it was accredited, and the school lost the accreditation after you graduated, then you are still viewed as having graduated from an accredited institution.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)Can I Get My Money Back?
Unfortunately, most students will not receive refunds if their school loses its accreditation status. This is because most colleges and universities operate like a business, and you invest into this business by paying for your education. If your school goes bankrupt they cannot afford to refund any money, and your investment is just considered a loss.
However, in rare cases some state post secondary institutions may refund monies depending on how and why accreditation was lost. These institutions would be refunding with money from the government.
Can I Sue?Again by paying for an education you are willingly investing into your post-secondary institution. If your school loses its accreditation and goes bankrupt your investment is then considered bad - but this is not usually solid ground for a lawsuit.
There are some unusual cases of students suing their school over an accreditation loss, but these are typically class action suits and involve fraudulent behavior on part of the school. For instance, 58 former nursing students successfully sued Virginia Western Community College because the college lied about having lost its accreditation status.
In summary, when a post-secondary institution loses its accreditation, the school's current students face serious repercussions. The best course of action is to thoroughly research potential schools you're thinking of attending and choose one that is unlikely to ever lose its accreditation status.
Article ReferencesUS News
http://www.usnews.com/articles/education/
The Roanoke Times
http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/144269
US Department of Education
http://www.ed.gov/index.jhtml
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