California's largest college may be getting the break it needed to stay open, as a new policy could give the school two years to make its case to stay open.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) announced Wednesday a new set of rules. The new policy could potentially put the much-publicized accreditation battle with City College of San Francisco (CCSF) to rest.

The ACCJC last year informed CCSF that it had completed a review and determined the school should be shut down if it could not meet certain recommendations by July 31 this year. The new policy would give CCSF two more years to complete these recommendations and stay open.

The ACCJC was facing a huge amount of pressure from all around to give the school an extension, especially since CCSF has an enrollment of about 80,000 students. If CCSF lost accreditation, its current students would no longer be in school and graduates could have wound up with useless credits.

"This change in policy to provide for an accreditation restoration status would protect the students," Barbara Beno, ACCJC president, said in a statement. "This is not a free pass, but a careful process of holding the college accountable for implementing new and sustained practices that meet standards of quality within two years."

CCSF is not celebrating just yet, as the policy must be taken to a vote by the ACCJC in two weeks. The school is also still in the process of reviewing the policy, which must also receive federal approval from the U.S. Education Department.

"We're cautiously optimistic," CCSF spokesman Larry Kamer told the Times. "There's more analysis to be done, but as has been the case from the beginning City College is going to do everything in its power to keep its accreditation. The reason we're most optimistic is we have transformed City College in the last two years into a much more sustainable, accountable and responsible organization."

The policy would not only apply to the largest singular institution in the state, but also to the 112 other two-year colleges across Calif. and in Hawaii.

Over the past year, CCSF has lost its fair share of students, likely because it looked as though the school was certain to close in 2014. Though it is irregular for a school to get an extension this long, CCSF should be able to take advantage by rebuilding its enrollment and fixing the several financial and governance problems the ACCJC pointed out.

"I've been very critical of them ... and they appeared to be tone deaf for a very long period of time," U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Hillsborough) told the Times. "It appears they've found a way to get this terrible situation under control by crafting a new policy that allows 80,000 students to continue their education. But anything that is self-appointed and self-regulating is not good for public policy and I think there needs to be a comprehensive look at what makes sense moving forward."

Related