Despite the federal cutoff of student loans, Charlotte School of Law will remain open at least through the spring 2017 semester, allowing third-year graduates to graduate and other students time to transfer.
It’s unclear if the school will be able to remain open beyond this semester.
After announcing in mid-December that it would not provide federal financial aid to students after Jan. 1, the Department of Education now says it’s in discussions with the school for a “teach out.” That’s defined as “a written course of action a school that is closing will take to ensure its students are treated fairly with regard to finishing their programs of study.”
The Charlotte Observer reports the school still has not said what will happen after the spring semester is over.
The DOE’s December announcement was an unprecedented move that was driven by the school’s noncompliance with standards set by the American Bar Association (ABA), which placed the school on probation in November.
“This action furthers the department’s commitment to vigorously protect students, safeguard taxpayer dollars and increase institutional accountability among postsecondary institutions,” the DOE said.
Charlotte School of Law said it was given no warning before the public announcement. Students were left in limbo during the holiday break as the school did not make an announcement about the spring semester until early January. Some have applied to transfer to other schools, and two federal lawsuits have been filed by students.
Classes are expected to begin Jan. 23, a week later than scheduled.
Charlotte Law, a for-profit school that is part of The InfiLaw System, also told students it was trying to make arrangements with its sister institution, Florida Coastal School of Law in Jacksonville, Fla., so students could receive an ABA-accredited degree.
Read our previous coverage of this story here.
