most difficult status to attain is pre-candidate. no school in the history of ACPE has failed once achieving pre-candidate.
things to look for:
1) background/pedigree of your faculty. did they get dumped here from another country? Or did they come from well known/accredited programs?
2) regional accreditation. Make sure they at least have regional accreditation from one of the major regional accrediting bodies.
3) other programs. if they have other programs that are in good standing, chances are, you're gonna be in good company. The more, the merrier.
4) other resources. do they have an affiliated university hospital? are they tied to the state as a public school?
is it worth the risk? to me, yes, so long as the school has pre-candidate + at least 2 positives with my list above. I wouldn't have considered anything less, but it's your call.