• An Atlanta-based HBCU received full accreditation after 20 years, the school announced.
  • Morris Brown College accreditation was taken away in 2002, CNN reported. 
  • Now, the historically Black institution founded in 1881 can receive federal funding. 

An Atlanta-based HBCU has regained full accreditation after two decades.

Morris Brown College, a historically Black college founded in 1881, made the announcement earlier this week. 

"Morris Brown College earning full accreditation is a significant achievement demonstrating that it holds quality standards and is engaged in continuous improvement. Furthermore, the college has been reinstated to participate in the Federal Financial Aid Program," the college said in a statement on Wednesday. 

Now with reaccreditation, which was received following a vote from the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools, the institution will be able to get federal education funding, CBS4 reported.

In addition, students who attend will be able to walk away after graduation with accredited degrees, according to the report. 

The win for the institution is a result of the alumni and the community working to address the school's tremendous debt, over $30 million, according to CBS.

CNN reported that throughout the years, the school's student population ranged between 30 and 50 students. Despite this and other challenges, the school never closed its doors. The outlet reported that it was the push for a "hard reset" from the college's current President Kevin James that helped it get accreditation. 

"I am honored to lead this great institution. Many thought that this feat was impossible, but due to our strong faith in God, our hardworking and wonderful faculty and staff, the support of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, our dedicated alumni, and our resilient spirit, we were able to achieve full accreditation," President Kevin James said in the statement. "This was truly The Hard Reset. This is just the beginning!"

Civil rights activist Hosea Williams, writer James Alan McPherson and Alberta Williams King, the mother of Martin Luter King Jr., are among the notable alumni who attended the college. 

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