[Updated (12/20/2016, 5:45 p.m.) with a statement from the school’s spokeswoman.]
The U.S. Department of Education will end access to federal student aid for the Charlotte School of Law, a for-profit institution, at the end of this month, the department said in a news release.
The release said that the law school was not compliant with standards set by the American Bar Association, the institution’s accreditor, and that it had violated the Higher Education Act, the department’s regulations, and the school’s agreement with the department. The department also found that the institution had misrepresented its accreditation status and the likelihood that graduates would pass the bar exam to current and prospective students.
In November the ABA announced that it had put the institution on probation, saying the Charlotte School of Law did not meet its standards for “maintaining a rigorous program of legal education” and “maintaining sound admission policies.”
Starting on January 1, students will no longer be able to use federal financial aid to attend the Charlotte School of Law, the news release said.
“The ABA repeatedly found that the Charlotte School of Law does not prepare students for participation in the legal profession,” said Ted Mitchell, the under secretary of education, in the release. “Yet CSL continuously misrepresented itself to current and prospective students as hitting the mark.”
In a news release, a spokeswoman for the school said the department’s announcement was unexpected and was based mainly on the school’s accreditation status with the American Bar Association.
“We had no warning of this change in the eligibility status of the school and no opportunity to communicate with the DOE prior to its letter or the public announcement,” said Victoria Taylor, director of community engagement and public relations, in the release.
