Stratford University to close with little warning. It blames the Education Department for its end.

• A for-profit university gave its 2,000 students little notice it will close – and it blames the Education Department for its decision.
• The Virginia-based university's accreditor was stripped of its power..
• Students may face losing their money, time and difficulty transferring credits to another institution.

When a for-profit university told its 2,000 students last week it will close in a matter of days, it blamed the Education Department for its decision. 

Virginia-based Stratford University offered courses in business administration, culinary arts and nursing and was one of roughly two dozen schools approved to receive federal money by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools. The Education Department, however, stripped ACICS of its power to accredit universities in August because it didn't meet government standards.