The Raleigh, NC-based HBCU, Saint Augustine’s University, has lost its appeal to maintain accreditation with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). The commission reaffirmed its decision to remove the institution from its membership, HBCU Gameday reports.
It’s been an uphill battle for SAU. In December 2022, the commission placed the university on probation after it failed to meet accreditation standards due to significant financial issues, including $32 million in debts and nearly $10 million in IRS tax liens.
The school received financial backing from 50 Plus 1 Sports, a Black-owned development company. As BLACK ENTERPRISE previously reported, 50 Plus 1 Sports was willing to invest $70 million into the university, allowing it to be self-sufficient while keeping its land. The agreement prioritized eliminating debt and investing in campus improvements, all while ensuring that the university would become financially stable. The controversial deal with 50 Plus 1 Sports initially sought to lease all of SAU’s more than 100 acres of land. The attorney general’s office reportedly denied the deal over concerns about SAU’s nonprofit status.
However, university leaders previously told BE that they had little-to-no confidence that the state attorney general’s office would move forward with the deal since investors are now interested in taking over the university’s land, which was appraised for roughly $207 million in 2024. The North Carolina Attorney General’s Office did not reply to Black Enterprise’s request for comment.
With the latest setback, SAU leaders say the university is committed to ensuring that May 2025 graduates earn degrees from an accredited institution by pursuing a 90-day arbitration process.
“This decision does not define us—our resilience does,” said Interim President Dr. Marcus H. Burgess.
In the meantime, the university is fighting for its future and calling on alumni, corporate partners, and the broader HBCU community for support.
“We now have the financial leverage to protect SAU’s legacy,” Trustee Hadley Evans told HBCU Gameday.
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