Colleges That Lost Accreditation and Others That Are at Risk

Accreditation is designed to protect you as a student. Institutional accreditation signifies a college’s academic strength and certifies its sound management and administrative and financial practices according to strict guidelines.

Today, colleges that have operated successfully for decades risk losing accreditation due to financial struggles, a changing education landscape, and enrollment struggles that intensified after the COVID-19 pandemic.

If your college loses accreditation, you might graduate with a degree that is not accepted by employers, putting your future career goals at risk. As always, the best defense is to be aware of a university’s strengths and know whether it is experiencing financial issues or cutting programs. Read on to find at-risk colleges.

Financial pressures, the COVID pandemic, and a shift to online learning have all affected how colleges teach and how students attend college. Additionally, high tuition costs are causing more students to question whether college is worth it. Taken together, it’s no surprise that many colleges struggle to meet accreditation standards.

While many colleges that lose accreditation end up closing, some remain open, making it easier for college hopefuls to fall into the trap of attending an unaccredited institution.

Estimates suggest more than 70 schools closed or merged with other schools in the 2000s. Some of those 70 schools lost accreditation, and many more have received warnings or been placed on probation. This is a small percentage of the more than 5,000 colleges and universities in the United States, but it’s significant for affected students.

The following are notable examples of colleges that lost accreditation in recent years, jeopardizing students’ hard-earned credits and future career goals.

Bay State College, a for-profit college in Boston owned by the Chinese company Ambow, lost its accreditation following claims of fraud by former students. The college’s leadership notified the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education and ceased operations as a degree-granting institution on August 31, 2023.

Bay State completed transfer agreements with several local schools to support students scheduled to complete degree programs after that date.

Clarks Summit University officially closed its doors in 2024. The small Baptist college faced scrutiny from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education over fiscal management and severe financial issues. It was forced to furlough all of its employees in the summer of 2024 before closing in the fall.

The board of trustees at Clarks Summit issued an announcement summarizing the issues, saying that while they “have worked to overcome the most recent challenges and have exhausted every viable solution to bridge a significant financial gap,” the board “has made the difficult and painful decision to begin the process of closure.”

Northwestern College was plagued by financial issues for several years before closing on July 6, 2024. The school stated that the decision was made based on a “careful analysis of its current and projected fiscal position.” The announcement came just days after the Higher Learning Commission placed the school on notice, as it was at risk of being out of compliance with accreditation criteria. On October 31, 2024, the Higher Learning Commission acted to withdraw Northwestern College’s accreditation.

Union Institute & University was a private online university based in Cincinnati with satellite campuses in Florida and California. In 2023, it publicly disclosed severe financial issues, with the university seeking possible resolutions.

In May 2024, the Higher Learning Commission placed Union on administrative probation for policy violations and failure to pay annual dues. Later, the school voluntarily renounced its accreditation effective June 25, 2024, and permanently closed on June 30, 2024.

A school’s accreditation typically undergoes a comprehensive review based on the accreditor’s three-, five-, or 10-year schedule. During these reviews, if the accreditation committee finds issues — or is notified of issues between formal evaluations — the college may be placed on notice, warning, probation, or have its accreditation revoked.

There are eight possible outcomes of an accreditation visit review:

A college can appeal the decision if it is not granted or reaffirmed for accreditation. Typically, more frequent evaluations will occur until the issues are resolved or accreditation is revoked.

Initially, a school may be warned, or put on notice, and given specific actions for improvement. If the school fails to address the issues, it may be placed on probation for six months to two years. Finally, if it is noncompliant, it will lose accreditation. The following colleges fall within this risk range but are still accredited.

The Higher Learning Commission placed Defiance College on probation in June 2023. The college was given a probation period of up to two years, during which time it had to improve its financial and academic performance.

The commission stated that Defiance must improve its financial resources base. For academics, Defiance needed to improve on systematic and integrated planning and requirements related to degree programs. After a comprehensive evaluation in December 2024 to gauge progress, the commission will meet in June 2025 to determine whether the institution has demonstrated compliance and issue a new decision.

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges placed Dillard University on warning because it failed to provide sufficient library, learning, and information resources. Dillard University must now offer adequate and appropriate library, learning, and information resources, services, and support to students and faculty.

The commission took action on June 13, 2024. Dillard must demonstrate that it has resolved the issues at its next review in June 2025; in the meantime, the school maintains its accreditation.

This private college in Pennsylvania has faced mounting business challenges. The Middle States Commission on Higher Education alleges Keystone College failed in multiple areas, including governance and finances. Accreditation was withdrawn toward the end of 2024, but Keystone appealed, leaving the school’s accreditation in effect until the appeal was resolved.

The appeal is still in progress, and in February 2025, the school requested that the Middle States Commission on Higher Education reconsider the withdrawal of accreditation. University president John Pullo pledged to “pursue every possible opportunity” in the appeal.

Mesalands Community College was placed on probation by the Higher Learning Commission due to financial, governance, and staffing issues. The probation was effective February 29, 2024.

The probation notice details issues with the sufficiency of faculty and staff, future financial projections, board autonomy, governance, and the resource base. The institution must provide evidence of addressing these issues by July 1, 2025, and will have an on-site evaluation by September 2025 to measure its progress.

As of June 2024, Missouri State University-West Plains is on probation from the Higher Learning Commission after failing to meet all academic standards. The commission stated that the school needs to improve on four specific criteria, including the quality of its educational offerings, systematic and integrated planning and improvement, academics appropriate to higher education, and its assessment of student learning.

According to the probation notice, the college will undergo an on-site evaluation no later than December 2025, and the commission will determine its accreditation in June 2026.

Due to governance issues, the Higher Learning Commission placed Morton College on notice in 2023. The commission warned Morton of problems related to integrity and board autonomy. It also received a warning about planning and improvements related to academic programs.

Morton was required to provide evidence that it had addressed the issues by February 1, 2025, and will have an on-site evaluation in spring 2025 to further assess the situation.

North Idaho College, a popular community college, has struggled with governance issues and extremist views that have put its accreditation at risk. In early 2023, the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities placed it on “show cause” status due to concerns about its board of trustees.

The specific recommendations for the university revolved around the board’s governance and financial transparency, which the university responded to in August of 2024. In February 2025, the “show cause” status was lifted, and the college was granted an extension to resolve the remaining issues.

Pierpont Community and Technical College is on notice from the Higher Learning Commission as of June 2024 due to financial, governance, and faculty issues. The commission’s report cited seven areas where Pierpont failed to meet basic requirements, including insufficient faculty and staff, board autonomy, assessment of student learning, and the school’s resource base.

Pierpont must provide evidence that it has addressed the issues at least eight weeks before the commission’s next on-site evaluation, scheduled during or before December 2025.

The Higher Learning Commission placed Southeast Arkansas College on probation for academic and governance reasons, including persistence, retention, and completion outcomes; systematic and integrated planning and improvement; the quality of the school’s educational offerings; the assessment of student learning assessment; and governance and administrative structure issues.

Southeast Arkansas College must be re-evaluated by December 2025. In June 2026, the commission will meet to decide whether the school meets the accreditation requirements and issue a new decision.

St. Augustine’s University has struggled with financial issues for years. In 2022, it failed to meet accreditation standards and was placed on probation. In 2023, its accreditation was revoked, but the school appealed the decision.

It lost the appeal in February 2024, but a panel reversed the decision in July, leaving the school accredited but on probation. In December, the commission once again revoked accreditation, and the school is currently on probation while the school appeals the ruling. To help its students graduate with a degree from an accredited school, St. Augustine’s held a December graduation. The university stated that students who complete their degrees by May 2025 will still receive degrees from an accredited institution.

The University of the Potomac received a ruling of “non-compliance show cause” from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education on June 27, 2024. The commission stated that the school faced issues around governance, ethics and integrity, planning, resources, institutional improvement, governance, leadership, and administration. The University of the Potomac was required to show cause by November 1, 2024. The decision process is still ongoing as of early 2025.