Virginia College campuses across the country shut down Wednesday after schools with the Education Corporation of America lost their accreditation Tuesday night. [Sarah LeBlanc/The Augusta Chronicle] ▲ Monique Moore of the the Georgia Department of Labor talks to Virginia College students during a a campus career fair in 2017. [FILE/THE AUGUSTA CHRONICLE] ▲ ▲

Schools with Education Corporation of America lost their accreditation Tuesday night, resulting in campuses being immediately shut down.

Virginia College abruptly shut its doors Wednesday, leaving faculty and students in Augusta unsure of their futures.

Landrum Dewalt was in class when he was told the school was shutting down. He said the scene inside was chaotic.

"It was crazy. I saw teachers walking out crying, students throwing their books everywhere," Dewalt said.

The Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools suspended accreditation to Education Corporation of America schools Tuesday night, with intent to withdraw. That includes the over 20 Virginia College locations across the country.

In an email sent to Virginia College faculty, Stu Reed, the CEO of the for-profit college chain, said the decision to close the college came after the Department of Education added restrictions on how often the schools could pull Title IV funds. Those funds include loans and federal grants.

The uncertainty surrounding the college has been building for months, and that lack of stability left the business unable "to acquire additional capital," the email states.

Dewalt has been studying business administration at Virginia College for two years. He said he is looking into Paine College or Augusta Technical College if they will accept his credits.

On Friday, the Augusta location on Wylds Road gave students a copy of their unofficial transcript, along with information on how to apply for loan forgiveness.

According to a statement from spokeswoman Diane Worthington, all career colleges with the Education Corporation of America are closing.

"This is not the outcome that we envisioned and is one that we recognize will have a dramatic effect on our students, employees, and many partners," the statement reads.

For teachers and staff, the abrupt notice comes with no severance pay.

Shannan Wood found out she was out of a job the same day her doctor told her she was cancer-free.

Wood received her education as a medical assistant at Virginia College in 2011, and she returned four years ago to teach. A single mom, she lost her insurance and her paycheck with her job and is filing for unemployment.

"It really is a bittersweet day because I do know how much Virginia College has impacted me and how much it just helped me and helped students believe they can do anything," Wood said.

Wood said she appreciated how other schools are working to help the students. Paine is accepting credits and business students who want to transfer from Virginia College, and Augusta Tech is also assisting the students with advisement.

Kimberly Holden, Augusta Tech's director of community engagement and public affairs, said students are encouraged to bring their transcripts so advisers can review their information on a case-by-case basis.

Veteran Kwashenda Gillispie said she was one month from graduating and isn't sure she'll be accepted at another school without having to complete additional courses.

Gillispie, who was studying to be a medical assistant, was on her externship site at Augusta Pain Center when her boss told her the college was shutting down. An externship is a temporary training program in a workplace, usually for students as part of a course of study.

"Externship is supposed to place you for a new job anyway, so normally when you get an externship if they like you they hire you right on, and if they don't they help you get to another one," Gillispie said.

But if Gillispie can't get a certificate from Virginia College showing she completed the externship, she won't be able to be hired.

"We pray that we can get it to corporate and say, 'Look, we finished it out, can we at least get our certificate or diploma or whatever else you want to give us,'" Gillispie said. "That's what we're praying for, but there's no guarantee."

The Education Corporation of America website says its campuses, which also include Brightwood College, Brightwood Career Institute, Ecotech Institute, and Golf Academy, will discontinue operations in December. Information on transcripts, recommendations on where to transfer and contact lists will be available around Dec. 17.