Virginia Union University is continuing to address financial issues months after receiving probation that, if not resolved, could lead to the loss of its accreditation.

In a community update last week, VUU officials said the university is preparing to provide a monitoring report of its operations to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), VUU’s accreditation agency, by Sunday, Sept. 8, as part of their work to remain accredited.

“Virginia Union University is focused on its mission, accomplished through sustained institutional effectiveness for student success,” VUU officials said. “This probation period is a learning time and an opportunity to strengthen the University’s infrastructure. The process toward compliance with the SACSCOC standards is part of the University’s commitment to excellence.”

The college was accredited in December by the SACSCOC, as shared by VUU President Hakim J. Lucas in a community letter last year. However, while VUU improved its institutional standing from 2022 and filed its financial audit on time, the school failed to meet the requirement of an audit without findings of problems with the college’s financial control and responsibility.

This led to the two-year probation as the SACSCOC Board of Trustees determined that VUU wasn’t compliant with accreditation principles. The school faces the possibility of losing its accreditation if it fails to meet the necessary financial standards.

“While we are disappointed, it is important to understand that the university agrees: We aspire to an audit with no findings,” Dr. Lucas said. “We have delivered these in the past, and we expect to deliver one again in 2024.”

As part of VUU’s efforts to improve its financial assessment, weekly audit meetings, biweekly meetings with the VUU Board of Trustees and regular assessment meetings with university faculty and staff have been held ahead of submitting the monitoring report.

In addition, a “Fifth-Year Report” group is preparing documentation due during the 2025-26 academic year, according to last week’s update.

“It’s important to know that the university will deliver an on-time financial audit soon after the fiscal year ends, for the second year in a row,” VUU spokesperson Grant Neely said.

He added: “This continues the positive trajectory which the accrediting agency cited when it wrote that ‘the institution has demonstrated recent significant accomplishments’ over the past year.’ ”

VUU has had to manage these considerations and the probation amid a rise in enrollment, including 2,068 students in undergraduate and graduate programs last September. This was an 11% increase from 2022.

The school is now 39th on the “U.S. News & World Report” ranking of historically Black colleges and universities.

VUU’s next review will occur in December.