Closures & Mergers: Page


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    Wells College to close at the end of the spring term

    The New York private nonprofit cited financial distress, demographic challenges and "an overall negative sentiment towards higher education.”

    By April 29, 2024
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    For-profit North Coast College plans to shutter in August

    The Ohio institution’s move to close comes around the same time that Mountain State College, another proprietary institution, shut down permanently. 

    By April 26, 2024
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    Courtesy of Findlay Bluffton Future
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    HLC 2024

    Waiting too long can doom a college merger, experts say

    The best window for consolidation is usually gone by the time colleges are deeply distressed, panelists at Higher Learning Commission’s conference said. 

    By April 19, 2024
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    HLC 2024

    ‘We are not hospice’: The race to get faster in predicting college shutdowns

    The Higher Learning Commission has been studying institutional closures under its purview to understand the signs of distress, officials with the accreditor said at its annual conference.

    By April 18, 2024
  • Ohio’s Sinclair Community College to shutter 2 locations

    Although the two sites together enrolled around 5,500 students at their peak, they hosted just one class between them this semester. 

    By April 11, 2024
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    Goddard College in Vermont to close

    With insolvency looming, the institution opted to shutter permanently and struck a teach-out partnership with Prescott College in Arizona.

    By April 10, 2024
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    Northland College misses fundraising target, but will stay open — for now

    The Wisconsin institution declared financial exigency to revamp its model and budget in a bid for survival.

    By April 5, 2024
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    Northland College raises $1M on its last-ditch $12M goal

    The college is trying to avoid closure with the fundraising blitz while also exploring partnerships and other financial options.

    By April 2, 2024
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    Healthcare-focused Oak Point University to close abruptly in April

    The private nonprofit has faced dramatic enrollment declines and accreditation challenges in recent years.

    By March 29, 2024
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    Birmingham-Southern to shutter May 31

    The beleaguered Alabama college said it lost its last shot at staying open when the state's treasurer denied it a $30 million bridge loan.

    By March 26, 2024
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    Bluffton U to merge with University of Findlay

    The Christian institutions in Ohio expect the process to be complete by next fall, pending regulatory approval, according to a Monday announcement.

    By March 21, 2024
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    Fontbonne University to close in 2025

    The president of the Roman Catholic institution pointed to more than 15 years of enrollment declines and a looming demographic cliff. 

    By March 12, 2024
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    Northland College needs $12M to stay open, officials say

    The environmentally focused Wisconsin institution lacks the resources to operate beyond the current academic year without an infusion of funding.

    By March 12, 2024
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    Massachusetts ramps up financial oversight for 2 faith-based colleges

    The state's higher education department said it couldn't confirm that Boston Baptist College and Northpoint Bible College will be able to stay open.

    By March 6, 2024
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    Legal threat over University of Phoenix deal gains momentum

    An Idaho legislative committee advanced a resolution that would allow the Legislature's leaders to file a lawsuit over the transaction.

    By March 4, 2024
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    Notre Dame College to close after spring semester

    The Roman Catholic college cited declining enrollment and fewer traditional-aged students as factors in its decision to close.

    By Lilah Burke • March 1, 2024
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    Column // Merger Watch

    How can governors oversee successful higher education mergers?

    Several factors influence the outcomes of consolidation efforts, including whether public systems have healthy relationships with state leaders.

    By Ricardo Azziz • Feb. 29, 2024
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    Idaho lawmakers could put University of Phoenix deal at ‘grave risk,’ official says

    A member of the state’s education board told legislators that taking legal action — as threatened in a pending resolution — could imperil the transaction. 

    By Feb. 29, 2024
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    Bay Path University to acquire Cambridge College

    The deal will bring together two Massachusetts-based institutions focused on career education and adult learners.

    By Feb. 28, 2024
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    Jamestown Business College ceases enrollment of new students, plans to close

    The New York for-profit blamed "the college’s size and the expanding government regulations" for its impending closure.

    By Feb. 2, 2024
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    Column

    How many people actually need a four-year diploma?

    Recent analysis on workforce trends suggests colleges with enrollment declines should not expect demand to surge, argues Ricardo Azziz. 

    By Ricardo Azziz • Jan. 30, 2024
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    Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts to end degree programs

    The 218-year-old institution has struggled with declining enrollment and rising costs, trends that are affecting small colleges across the country.

    By Jan. 12, 2024
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    Opinion

    Colleges that can’t survive owe their employees dignified closures

    The library director of a small Pennsylvania college lays out what leaders should consider when their institutions are struggling to stay open.

    By Mari Flynn • Dec. 11, 2023
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    Column // Merger Watch

    Labor Department’s overtime proposal should spur more colleges to consider a merger

    The proposed rule, which would raise the threshold for overtime pay eligibility to around $55,000, could financially stress many higher education institutions.

    By Ricardo Azziz • Updated Dec. 4, 2023
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    The College of Saint Rose will close at the end of the academic year

    The Roman Catholic institution in New York said it suffered from years of declining enrollment and pandemic-induced financial turbulence.

    By Dec. 1, 2023