Paine College Granted Candidacy Status by Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools Accrediting Commission

Augusta, GA…..President Jerry L. Hardee and the Paine College Board of Trustees announced that Paine College had been granted Candidacy status by the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS) accrediting commission after completing a successful self-study and being evaluated on-site by a visiting evaluation team of higher education professionals.

The Candidacy status gives Paine College all of the rights and privileges of a fully accredited institution under TRACS. With the approval of the U.S. Department of Education, Paine College students will continue to be eligible for federal aid and Title IV assistance. TRACS is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and the International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE).

"I want to thank the TRACS Commission for voting unanimously to accept Paine College as a member institution. This would not have been possible without the dedication and hard work of the Paine College Board of Trustees, faculty, staff, students, and alumni who rendered guidance, support and labored during this long and arduous process," commented President Hardee. Dr. Hardee further stated, "Given this new status under TRACS, Paine College is in pre-full accreditation mode and moving forward."

The TRACS Commission made its decision after reviewing Paine College's progress in several areas:

1) Paine College presented evidence of improvements in its finances that reflected a reduction of debt and balanced budgets. The Institution submitted clean Audits for two consecutive years, demonstrated improvements in fundraising, and submitted evidence of a strengthened endowment.

2) The College noted improvements in increased enrollment and improved retention. During the 2018 fall semester, the Institution witnessed the largest new student incoming class in eight years with 272 students.

3) The College showed growth in its academic programs by launching its new Evening Program and expanding operating hours (8am to 10pm).

Board Chair-elect, Attorney Michael Thurmond, added, "I would like to thank Augusta businessmen William Morris, Sr., Peter Knox IV, and the Augusta community for their prayers, support and standing with Paine College during this long, difficult and ultimately successful process."

During the TRACS Commission Hearing held October 30, 2018 in Dallas, Texas, TRACS Commissioners stated that they were impressed with Paine College's detailed documentation, self-study report, and overall thorough presentation. Candidate Status is granted to institutions that are in Basic Compliance with the TRACS Standards. Basic Compliance is the determination by the Accreditation Commission that an institution is in full compliance with all Standards related to the Institutional Eligibility Requirements (IERs) and has the ability to be in Substantive Compliance with all of the Accreditation Standards within the period of candidacy. Candidacy is for a period of up to five years.

For more information about Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools accrediting commission, visit http://www.tracs.orgwww.tracs.org.