PHILADELPHIA (AP) — An accreditation warning issued to Penn State is serious and necessary given the issues raised by a recent child sex-abuse scandal, but the school is unlikely to lose the all-important designation, experts said Tuesday.

They also expect the university to comply quickly with demands to show that its governance, finances and integrity meet standards set by its accreditation agency, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

"This is an entirely appropriate and anticipated action by Middle States given the strategic importance of voluntary peer review," said American Council on Education president Molly Corbett Broad. "It's really the basis on which public accountability is achieved in American higher education."