So an announcement was made on 12/19/12 that the HLC Appeal Panel upheld the decision to withdraw MSU's accreditation. WOW. Just...wow. I have a few friends that went there. 2 online and 1 b & m. SO once I heard about all the accreditation drama, I started watching it. WOW. Between that, people still waiting for financial aid to be released since August, their final graduation last night, it's all been just crazy. Obviously MSU knew they weren't going to win the appeal since they've been selling everything off, laying off staff, no one is ever at the campuses, and now University of Charleston has agreed to actually take over their campuses. No one can get their loans forgiven because UC agreed to take the MSU students, but the problem is many of them are only 12-18 credits from completing their degrees and UC will not be offering all of the degrees that MSU did. SO they will lose A LOT of their credits in the transfer process either to UC or to somewhere else. And most of the people there who used student loans are almost maxed out and have no other funding and can't continue now or start over somewhere else. It's all such a shame. It really is.
I don't recommend them for everyone, but MSU students who are that close to the end of their programs would do well to consider Charter Oak State College and rest of the Big Three.
It depends on what the school does. If it decides to stay in business and teach out the students, they'll have the option to continue to graduation. But the school might also enter into one or more agreements with one or more accredited schools (besides UC) to accept the students in transfer. Of course, students who can graduate before the actual loss of accreditation--if that date hasn't already passed--will likely stay with it. It sounds, however, like the school is having a going-out-of-business sale. Doctoral students will likely get a raw deal.
MSU has posted a "teach-out" plan, which covers all of their programs. The teach-out plan was approved by HLC in August 2012. It addresses the Doctorate in Executive Leadership program as follows: It sounds like current students have until December 2012 to finish with an MSU degree, or until August 2013 to finish with a UC degree. After that, they still may be able to finish with a UC degree, pending HLC approval.
If it were me, then under the circumstances I'd rather finish with a University of Charleston degree, thank you very much.
Accreditation for MSU officially ends on the 31st. The had their final graduation a few days ago. They have a teach out plan and UC is taking over some campuses. But many students are already seeing that UC will not be offering all of the courses that MSU did, so they can either quit school, transfer somewhere else and lose credits, or get into a different program offered by UC and lose credits. All this is provided that they can find funding. 2 of my friends are completely maxed out on loans and still have 12 credits to go. It's just such a mess.
Wow. Back in 2004-2005, I had everything ready to start a BS program with MSU. I'm relieved that I never followed through with it because even though my degree would still be valid, I would be extremely irritated by the accompanying stigma.
So in looking at this page, I see they have what they think are similar degrees offered by UC (some, perhaps. But definitely some are a real stretch) and then a lot that MSU offered that UC is hoping to be able to offer in the future but don't offer as of now. That's A LOT of people who can't get their degrees. Mountain State University
Mountain State University's final appeal denied » Today's Front Page » The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia
Here is the public disclosure notice from the HLC: http://www.ncahlc.org/download/_PublicDisclosureNotices/PDN_1944.pdf
Crazy that it was so bad at MSU, that what was once a seemingly decent university will have to pretty much shutter its doors and close down.