This is not the position any school wants to be in as the Higher Ed Bubble reaches maximum capacity.

Andrew Shain of The State reported.

SC State University’s accreditation downgraded

COLUMBIA, SC — S.C. State University’s accreditation was placed on probation Thursday after an outside review cited the Orangeburg college for problems with its finances, governance, administration and financial aid program.

The state’s only historically public black college has a year to make changes or could face another year under probation, said Belle Wheelan, president of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, which oversees school’s accreditation.

If the school does not meet standards by 2016, S.C. State could lose its accreditation, she said.

Federal financial aid is not available to students attending schools without accreditation, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Cuts in federal aid already have hurt S.C. State’s enrollment. A plummeting student body — down which has dropped by one-third since 2007 — is a crux of the school’s ongoing financial problems that includes a $13.6 million deficit this year.

S.C. State’s accreditation was placed under a warning a year ago for financial and governance problems. SACS officials checked the school’s progress in April and downgraded S.C. State’s status after citing the college in eight areas.

Wheelan said they include: financial resources; financial stability; control of finances; student financial aid; organizational structure; governance; qualified academic and administrative officers; and control of sponsored and external funds.