By Amanda Harry
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) has placed Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) on one-year probation for good cause, the most severe action short of accreditation loss.
The action took place on June 12, 2025.
While the institution still has accreditation, the SACSCOC board placed JCSU on probation for failing to meet certain standards that are part of the board’s accreditation principles.
The SACSCOC board determined that JCSU failed to demonstrate the following throughout a two-year review that began in June 2023:
- Fiscal responsibility
- Control of sponsored research/external funds
- Compliance with federal and state responsibilities
The SACSCOC will reconsider the accreditation status of JCSU in June 2026, after which the board will have a few options:
- Remove JCSU from probation with or without a follow-up report.
- Continue the probation and request another report
- Revoke JCSUs accreditation
JCSU President Valerie Kinloch said in a statement that being on probation provides the school with an “important opportunity to ensure continuous internal controls.”
“We are fully committed to strengthening all of our internal controls as we strive to become a nationally ranked, top-performing HBCU,” Kinloch said.
According to the 2025 U.S. News rankings of colleges and universities, JCSU last year enrolled about 1,058 undergraduate students and charged more than $21,000 for tuition and fees. It tied for 34th among the 79 historically Black universities tracked by U.S. News.
In December 2017, under a different administration, JCSU found itself under a similar probationary period after a SACSCOC review cited concerns about the university’s financial stability and financial aid audits. Its probation was lifted a year later.
