What happens to the student if the school becomes unaccredited?
If a student enrolls in an accredited institution with the assumption they will get a degree from an accredited institution, but the institution loses it's accreditation....does the student get their money back in order to apply at a new institution, do their credits transfer to an accredited institution in order to complete their degree, do they complete their degree from the unaccredited institution and do employers look at that, or are they just "stuck". It is not the student's fault it the school loses accreditation, so are their guidlines in place to protect them if this were to occur?
melinda,
Certain states have established tuition recovery funds which are designed to assist students when something like this occurs at an institution. Additionally, accrediting bodies and state agencies sometimes work with other institutions to assist with "teaching out" students who have started at an institution that closes and/or loses accreditation. There is no set process in place so this varies by state and institution but, if the closing institution works with other institutions, there are sometimes solutions to assist students - and sometimes it even helps certain staff and faculty who may otherwise be out of a job as they are sometimes asked to assist at the institution receiving the students.
Traci Lee
