There's new fallout surrounding Aspen University and its nursing program. The embattled school in the Valley is now at risk of losing its accreditation as concerns mount over the school's ability to meet basic educational requirements.
Many nursing students were walking in and out of Aspen University in Phoenix on Thursday. Some of them tell say they have spent two years in the program and only have four months left to graduate if the program doesn't get shut down.
"That would affect my whole life. We've put in a lot of work to go through this program. We've put a lot of time; we've put our family back on the back burner. So, like, it would just crush us all if we lost everything," says Jennifer Gann, a nursing student at the school.
Aspen University was initially investigated in 2021, in part for not meeting the minimum pass-rate standard for the nursing license exam.
"If you don't put in the work, you're going to fail," says Gann.
According to court documents, between the Arizona State Board of Nursing and Aspen, by September of 2022 the university had stated they would voluntarily surrender their state-issued nursing program approval after teaching out its remaining students. This would delay the closure of the program, for up to two years, as long as basic education requirements would be met.
"I would not still be in this program if it wasn't worth it for me or if I didn't feel I was getting the education I deserved," says Donielle Jording, a nursing student at Aspen University.
This week the Distance Education Accrediting Commission issued a new notice to Aspen, citing ongoing problems including the quality and integrity of the program. As a result, the university is being asked to show why its accreditation should not be withdrawn altogether.
"There's a lot of accountability for yourself and prioritizing and organizing. So, it's not just on the school," says Jording.
The state board of nursing tells us their mission is "to protect the public, and this includes patients of Arizona nursing clinical rotations, prospective patients, and nursing students."
The board is set to meet on February 23 to consider the nursing program status, which could include shutting it down entirely.
"It would be devastating and would hurt so many people who... they're doing it for the right reasons. We want to help the communities," says Jording.
ABC15 reached out to Aspen University but did not hear back.
