Morris Brown College Regains Accreditation After 20 Year Fight

Morris Brown College has regained its full accreditation after a fight that has spanned two decades.

The historically Black college made the announcement this week after previously falling $30 million in debt thanks to financial mismanagement from former leadership. Morris Brown’s accreditation was snatched away in 2002, and the school has been fighting to restore it ever since. In 2020, a virtual homecoming raised over $550,000 from alumni, supporters, and sponsors. It was one of many efforts that raised money to pay down the school’s debts. Shortly after, President Kevin James announced that the institution’s accreditation application with the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools had been approved. TRACS, an accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, granted the college its candidacy last year. The DOE followed up by reinstating Morris Brown’s participation in the federal program, allowing students to apply for federal grants, scholarships, and work-study jobs while the college worked toward full accreditation status.

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President James says it’s “a new day for Morris Brown College.”

Its financial challenges over the years have significantly impacted the student population, at times having only up to 50 people enrolled. Despite nearly non-existent registration, the college, founded in 1881, never shut down.

The reaccreditation is also a win for graduates, who will have their degrees accredited. Many career fields will not recognize college degrees that are not accredited.

Morris Brown has been the educational hub for some of the most prominent names in Black history. Civil rights activist Hosea Williams and the mother of Martin Luther King Jr., Alberta Williams King, are among the school’s alumni.