Stratford University, which has campuses in Virginia and Maryland, is closing down at the end of the semester after losing its accreditation.
The closure was announced in an email from university president Richard Shurtz to students on Friday, WTOP’s news partner NBC Washington reports.
The Department of Education decertified the university’s accreditor, so the school cannot enroll new students, according to NBC Washington. Without the ability to enroll new students, the university officials decided to shut down.
“We worked hard to save the school, leaving no stone unturned. We almost had an investor from Silicon Valley, but the actions of the Department made the deal impossible,” Shurtz said in an email obtained by NBC Washington.
Watch video from NBC Washington for more.
Stratford University, a private university based in Falls Church, Virginia, first risked losing its accreditation in the winter of 2020.
The school’s local campuses are in Alexandria and Woodbridge, Virginia, and Baltimore.