Concordia University School of Law will remain open after finding a new parent institution, ending a week and a half of uncertainty about its future.

Officials with Concordia University, St. Paul announced Thursday that their institution will take over the Boise, Idaho, law school from Concordia University in Portland, Oregon. (Both universities are affiliated with the Lutheran church, but operate separately.) The Portland-based Concordia is slated to close at the end of the semester amid declining enrollment and financial shortfalls, which left the 8-year-old law school scrambling to stave off closure.

"We are delighted to join forces with an institution that enjoys such a stellar reputation and remain part of the Concordia System," said Interim Concordia Law Dean Latonia Haney Keith in an announcement of the acquisition. "Concordia University, St. Paul is an excellent fit with the law school's mission and values and our commitment to providing affordable, high-quality legal education for the next generation of servant leaders."

Keith said that multiple institutions were interested in acquiring the law school, and that those discussions may yield future partnerships, such a so-called 3+3 agreements. Under those programs, law schools partner with an undergraduate institution to allow students to obtain an undergraduate degree and a Juris Doctor in six years as opposed to the traditional seven.

The American Bar Association still must approve the law school's transfer, but the officials said that the transition should be seamless for students, who will be able to continue their studies uninterrupted.

Concordia Law is now the second law school in six months to avert closure amid problems with its parent institution. Western State College of Law, in Orange County, California, was purchased in August for $1 by the Westcliff University—a for-profit institution based in Irvine, California. That deal allowed the law school to stay open even after its former owner, Argosy University, was placed under a federal receivership. Because of the timing of the ownership change, however, Western State was unable to bring in a new class of students last fall. That shouldn't be an issue for Concordia, if all goes according to plan.

"We are committed to the existing program of legal education and to Concordia Law continuing with business as usual, particularly with respect to staffing, tuition and fees, scholarships, and the 2020-21 academic calendar," said Eric LaMott, provost of Concordia University, St. Paul. "We are, of course, still saddened for the family, students and alumni at Concordia University, Portland. But this transfer of control ensures a thriving legacy that will endure for decades to come."