Northcentral University, by all accounts, is on the path to accreditation. If accreditation is denied for some reason, is it likely that they would continue operation or would that be the end of them? Would they be allowed to exist in Arizona if they do not achieve accreditation? Scott
This raises an interesting issue. Not what would happen; that's hard to say. But, rather, when was the last time this happened? How long has it been since a DL school was a candidate for accreditation, only to see it denied? I'm guessing it would be the International Graduate School. Before that, you'd have to look at Prometheus College or Windsor University. IGS lost its candidacy somewhere around 1985 or 1986. Prometheus was even earlier (around 1981); Windsor before that. Then there was UECU, which regained its candidacy and was (after nine years) granted accreditation. If there is another example since 1980, I'd like to hear of it. (Not that I'm saying there isn't one; I just don't recall another.) The fact is, the vast majority of DL schools granted candidacy have gone one to "full" accreditation. And not many have lost it, either. I can think of only one: Beacon. Others? Rich Douglas
My guess is in disagreement with Rich's guess. My guess is that there have been a dozen or more schools with candidacy that did not get accreditation over the last decade. How to find out: The Higher Education Directory (published every October) indicates which schools are candidates. One need only take, for instance, the 1991-1995 H.E.D.s, and note what happened to the "Candidate" schools. The current (2001) H.E.D. lists roughly 50 candidate schools with the regional agencies. Probably 10 to 15 new ones each year. So between 1991 and 1995, there probably were 60 or 70 schools with candidacy. How many got full accreditation? I don't have the time. I'm leaving on a long trip in a few weeks. But the data are out there for harvesting. As for what happens if accreditation is not gained, there are some useful data, I suggest, for the previously-accredited schools that lost their accreditation. According to a long article on this matter in the Chronicle of Higher Education (1/12/01), all five regionally-accredited schools that lost their accreditation in 1997-1999 closed within a year: Phillips University (Oklahoma), West Coast University, Westmar University, Shorter College, and Sue Bennett College.
My guess has to do with DL schools only. I just can't think of any other examples of schools listed in Bear's or Bears' guides that had candidacy and didn't go on to full accreditation, or lost accreditation once it was awarded. There is no doubt that many schools fail to go on to full accreditation, or lose it once they've gained it. But DL schools? That's where I came up short on examples. I'll try to look through the guides to find any other examples. Rich Douglas, wondering what ever happened to West Coast University, which was a clone of National University.
