What happens when a University folds?

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by kered, May 24, 2015.

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  1. kered

    kered New Member

    So, what happens if and when a University goes under?
    With for-profit educational institutions feeling pressure (and some non-profits), do graduates have to be worried about their degrees?
    What happens to the student if there college is no longer in business and they have put 2 years into an MBA or 4 years into a doctorate there?

    One of the reasons I am leaning so strongly towards WGU is that I feel like there model is one that will promote long term enrollment and success, staying solvent in the long term.
     
  2. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    Often, students are allowed to finsh their programs as the university closes. If not, there is typically some sort of deal made with other institutions that will allow students to transfer their credits/work into a different but similar school program. If you've earned a degree then that degree will always be yours, even if the school closes. The more common problem is "What if someday I need transcripts? What do I do?" Typically schools will make arrangements for another institution to hold their records so that degrees can be verified and transcipts made available.
     
  3. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    For current students, usually "teach out" arrangements are made with one or more other institutions. For example, Mid-Continent University folded last year, but its students are able to complete their programs through Murray State University, the University of the Cumberlands, or Campbellsville University without significant loss of effort.

    For alumni, a school's academic records become housed by another institution, or by the state where it's registered. A student who completed a credential while the school was accredited still holds a credential from an accredited school, but obviously employers might not be impressed by credentials from a school that subsequently had a public meltdown, even if the degree was earned before that happened.

    One never knows, but I agree with you that WGU looks stable.
     
  4. Neuhaus

    Neuhaus Well-Known Member

    I agree with everything said here.

    A person with a degree from Heald College is a fully legitimate degree from a regionally accredited institution. Unfortunately, the remaining students weren't given the opportunity to teach out at another school. Oregon seems to be working with those students to try to transfer their credits to other schools, but that may add time to their degree programs. Hopefully they all land well.

    The biggest issue for Heald graduates won't be transcripts. Those records will be kept elsewhere. The biggest issue for them will be the fact that their college was dragged down into the abyss as Corinthian College went down in a fiery ball.

    Though, the Corinthian debacle largely invoked the names "corinthian" and "Everest," Heald's reputation was also tarnished. But realistically, I cannot see the majority of HR people making the connection.

    So there's the legal aspects, covered here, but the intangible aspects of school closure as well. Heald College graduates are likely to face more issues than graduates of Sweet Briar. If the first page of Google results for your school's name are scandalous articles, bad sign.

    All of that aside, WGU seems solid.

    Then again, a decade ago, there wasn't much emphasis on for-profit colleges. There was little scandal to keep a person away from them. My prediction is that after the for-profit furor dies down someone will actually realize how big of a ripoff some small liberal arts colleges are ($50k for a BA in Liberal Arts, for example).
     
  5. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    What happens if your university is ordered to close down during your time in program is that you are usually given about five years to finish your degree or you are helped to find another school who will take most iof not all of your credits,. Further, your transcripts will be stored either by your accreditor or your school will be merged with a stronger school. Therefore, it will be a matter of record that you graduated with your MA in Social Studies from Waestern State Colorado University in August 1989 . AND THAT'S ABOUT ALL I KNOW ANBOUT THAT.
     
  6. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    oR, maybr you kicked yourself in the butt and you actually finished thatr last incomplete on Thucydides by handing in that Thucydides paper to the good Rev DAr Harold M Parjker Jr and you graduated that MA in Social Studies by August 10, 1985.
     
  7. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    or, maybr you successfully transferred to a MA in Mediaeval History at the University of Colorado and graduated in 1988 and successfully entered doctoral studies either at CU Boulder or elsewhere. And your friends either finished up at Western State or maybe one transferred to an MA in Anthropology at some school in New Mexico.
     
  8. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    Mid-Continent University? Is that From the GFreat Stater of KY?
     
  9. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    btw -n the technically correct name for a degree that was closed down after you graduated is called an orphaned degree.
     
  10. AV8R

    AV8R Active Member

  11. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    It was, yes.
     

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