CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Students are still waiting for clarity a month after Sentara College of Health Sciences (SCOHS) announced it was discontinuing its degree-granting programs and evaluating its certificate programs.
The school made the announcement in April. At that time, a spokesperson for the school said the shift reflects a common model in healthcare where health systems partner with external academic institutions rather than operate degree programs.
That spokesperson stated, "All current students will be able to complete their programs, either at SCOHS or through a designated partner. However, we are pausing new admissions into degree-granting programs while final decisions are made," and promised that additional details on the transition would be shared when available.
News 3 spoke with nursing students after the announcement. They said they don't want to transfer to schools that may not accept all credits, have lesser reputations, or be less flexible. Many students worried about undue hardships if academic timelines were extended.
Roughly a month later, students told News 3 they have been asked to pay fall tuition, but haven't heard if they'll stay at Sentara and have had no guarantee of credits transferring if they move schools.
"So, the last update we got was that there are no updates," said Nathan Ortez, a class of 2026 student at Sentara College of Health Sciences.
Ortez wants to know what to plan for, especially since he's using the GI Bill for his education.
"With the GI Bill, what happens if you can't complete your degree in the time you expected?" asked News 3 reporter Erika Craven.
"Well, I'll just have to pay out of pocket, but it's not something I planned on," replied Ortez.
Craven asked Sentara's spokesperson if Sentara will administer a fall semester, whether any efforts have been made to graduate the class of 2026 at Sentara, and if a partnership is made with another institution whether the degree be from Sentara or that partner school.
The spokesperson responded with this statement:
“At this time, there are no new updates to share regarding the transition plans for Sentara College. We are moving as quickly and thoughtfully as possible, and we remain committed to a careful and strategic process. We continue to communicate regularly with our students, faculty, and staff to ensure they are informed and supported every step of the way. Until we are able to share specific details about future partnerships, operations at the college remain business as usual. We appreciate your continued interest and will provide further information as soon as it becomes available.”
In the meantime, the students started a change.org petition that has nearly 3,000 signatures. They want clarity soon.
"I feel like as students we deserve direct communication from Sentara's leadership, the decision-makers. We as a cohort —we're not asking for any special treatment— we're just asking for fairness, clarity, and a chance to finish what we started," said Ortez.
Of the 460 enrolled students at the college, 385 are in degree-seeking programs.
