More than 1,400 students pondered whether to stay in the school after Life lost its accreditation appeal Sunday. The Marietta university reapplied Monday for accreditation through the Council on Chiropractic Education, starting a process that could take between six months and 2 1/2 years.

Students pay $16,480 in tuition a year to attend the university, once the largest chiropractic school in the country. But some students have grown weary of the months-long crisis at the school.

The Council on Chiropractic Education revoked the university's accreditation in June. Since then, more than 1,000 students have left Life University. About 20 more students withdrew Monday, recovering $4,120 each in quarterly tuition.

The council cited academic deficiencies, including inadequate faculty supervision of students in the public clinics.

Tuition from the chiropractic program is critical to the school's survival because it accounts for 80 percent of its revenues.

The university still has enough cash in reserve to keep operating for another year, said interim President Michael Schmidt.

The financial strain of declining enrollment has been addressed, in part, through $10 million in budget cuts from the university's $38 million operating budget, Schmidt said.

The university also plans to sell several properties beyond the immediate campus near Cobb Parkway, including a public clinic in north Marietta.

The university has hired a financial consultant to recommend deeper cuts, the result of the university falling "out of compliance" with an agreement to repay a $36 million bond issue for campus improvements, Schmidt said.

The debt is being repaid on time, he said. But the loss of tuition revenue has put the debt-to-income ratio "out-of-whack," Schmidt said.

Beyond its cash assets, the university has a 125-acre campus worth $56 million, Schmidt said.

Its annual impact on the Cobb County economy is estimated at $100 million by Kennesaw State University.

Lou Hilliard, a chiropractic student from New York, said he would remain at the school for another six months and complete his undergraduate degree. Then, he'll reassess.

"It's a devastating blow, really," he said. "My biggest worry is the length of time it takes to get the accreditation back."

Schmidt said the school will hold off on graduations until it regains its accreditation.

This strategy will put the lives of advanced chiropractic students on hold, but it means they will graduate with the ability to apply for licenses in all states, Schmidt said.

"I'm trying to give them some basis to have confidence," he said. "Their best option is to stay here. If they transfer to another college, they'll [lose] another year. If we were able to get re-accredited in July, that's less than one year."

In the meantime, the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners said Life students can take national board exams as long as the university retains its degree-granting authority. It has this through accreditation with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

And despite unaccredited status, students still have the option of transferring credits for courses they complete.

The new school decides whether, or how much, credit to grant, said Paul Walker, executive vice president of the Arizona-based Council on Chiropractic Education.

Nesley Clerge, a third-year student, isn't waiting for the end of the semester.

Fed up with the stress of the accreditation saga, he plans to transfer to a school in Missouri.

"I just want to go somewhere and study and not worry about it," he said.

"We've been going through this roller coaster," he said. "A lot of students are tired of it. It's not our battle. It should not be our battle."