Closed Colleges: List, Statistics, and Major Closures

The number of public and nonprofit college closures keeps ticking higher. Here are the notable closures and statistics about closed colleges.

By and

Updated on April 9, 2024

Edited by

•

Fact-checked by Marley Rose

Learn more about our editorial process

By and

Edited by

•

Fact-checked by Marley Rose

Updated on April 9, 2024

Learn more about our editorial process

Image Credit: Image Source / Getty Images

Data Summary

At least 54 public or nonprofit colleges have closed, merged, or announced closures or mergers since March 2020.
We estimate that roughly 41,446 students have been impacted by private nonprofit college closures since 2020.
Campus closures peaked in the years leading up to the pandemic, driven by private for-profit college closures.^[1]
Nearly 80% of colleges closed between 2004-2020 were for-profit schools.^[2]
Just over half of students who experienced a college closure did not re-enroll (52.9%).^{Note Reference [2]}
7 in 10 students impacted by a college closure experienced an abrupt closure.^{Note Reference [2]}
For-profit colleges are far more likely to close abruptly than public and nonprofit colleges.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought economic challenges to nearly every industry, including higher education. Campuses temporarily shut down to help contain the virus, and some struggled to re-open when lockdowns lifted.

But higher education was experiencing financial challenges before the pandemic, from dwindling enrollment to rising tuition to doubts about the value of a degree.

When a college closes, it affects students' likelihood to re-enroll in a program — especially if a school closes abruptly, leaving students in the lurch.

This report lists major college closures since the start of the pandemic. It also covers college closure trends in the past decade and discusses what happens to students when colleges close.

List of Notable School Closures Since March 2020
College Closures Over Time
What Happens After a College Closes
References

List of Notable College Closures and Mergers Since March 2020

Here are some noteworthy college closures and mergers that have happened or were announced since March 15, 2020.

33 public or private nonprofit schools or campuses on our list have closed or announced planned closures.
21 public or private nonprofit schools on our list have merged with other universities.

As we'll explore later, for-profit colleges tend to close at much higher rates than public and nonprofit schools. To keep our list succinct, we mainly focus on public and nonprofit colleges and only include larger for-profit schools that have sparked particular controversy.

Fall - Bluffton University, Ohio

School Type: Private nonprofit
Enrollment: 745
Primary Reason: Mutual benefit; merging with University of Findlay

Summer - Fontbonne University, Missouri

School Type: Private nonprofit
Enrollment: 944
Primary Reason: Enrollment, Financial

Summer - Salus University, Pennsylvania

School Type: Private nonprofit
Enrollment: 1,100
Primary Reason: Mutual Benefit; merging with Drexel University

Summer - Lincoln Christian University, Illinois

School Type: Private nonprofit
Enrollment: 593
Primary Reason: Financial, merging with Ozark Christian College

July - Goddard College, Vermont

School Type: Private nonprofit
Enrollment: 220
Primary Reason: Enrollment, Financial

June - Woodbury University, California

School Type: Private nonprofit
Enrollment: 943
Primary Reason: Mutual Benefit, Financial, merging with the University of Redlands

June - Johnson University Florida, Florida

School Type: Private nonprofit
Enrollment: 142
Primary Reason: Enrollment, Financial

June - Cabrini University, Pennsylvania

School Type: Private nonprofit
Enrollment: 2,267
Primary Reason: Financial

May - Birmingham-Southern College, Alabama

School Type: Private nonprofit
Enrollment: 975
Primary Reason: Financial

May - The College of Saint Rose, New York

School Type: Private nonprofit
Enrollment: 2,786
Primary Reason: Financial

May - Notre Dame College, Ohio

School Type: Private nonprofit
Enrollment: 1,444
Primary Reason: Enrollment, Financial

May - Magdalen College, New Hampshire

School Type: Private nonprofit
Enrollment: 59
Primary Reason: Enrollment

April - Oak Point University, Illinois

School Type: Private nonprofit
Enrollment: 429
Primary Reason: Enrollment, Pandemic

April - Hodges University, Florida

School Type: Private nonprofit
Enrollment: 443
Primary Reason: Financial

Spring - St. John's University, Staten Island, New York

School Type: Private nonprofit
Enrollment: 861
Primary Reason: Enrollment

Spring - St. Augustine College, Illinois

School Type: Private nonprofit
Enrollment: 1,163
Primary Reason: Mutual Benefit; merging with Lewis University

Spring - Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indiana

School Type: Public nonprofit
Enrollment: 27,690
Primary Reason: Mutual Benefit; separating into different institutions

January - Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences, Pennsylvania

School Type: Private nonprofit
Enrollment: 1,816
Primary Reason: Mutual Benefit; merging with Saint Joseph's University

December - Alderson Broaddus University, West Virginia

School Type: Private nonprofit
Enrollment: 767
Primary Reason: Financial

December - Alliance University (Formerly Nyack College), New York

School Type: Private nonprofit
Enrollment: 2,479
Primary Reason: Accreditation Issues

December - American University of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico

School Type: Private nonprofit
Enrollment: 398
Primary Reason: Financial

November - Multnomah University, Oregon

School Type: Private nonprofit
Enrollment: 655
Primary Reason: Financial; merging with Jessup University

September - The Art Institutes, Multiple campuses

School Type: Private for-profit
Enrollment: 1,385
Primary Reason: Financial, Pandemic

Fall - Compass College of Film and Media, Michigan

School Type: Private nonprofit
Enrollment: 74
Primary Reason: Mutual Benefit; merging with Calvin University

August - Medaille University, New York

School Type: Private nonprofit
Enrollment: 2,937
Primary Reason: Enrollment, Financial

August - Presentation College, South Dakota

School Type: Private nonprofit
Enrollment: 577
Primary Reason: Financial

August - Hussian College, Multiple campuses including ones in Tennessee and Pennsylvania

School Type: Private for-profit
Enrollment: 829
Primary Reason: Financial

June - Bloomfield College, New Jersey

School Type: Private nonprofit
Enrollment: 1,300
Primary Reason: Financial

June - Presidio Graduate School, California

School Type: Private nonprofit, graduate school
Enrollment: 152
Primary Reason: Financial; merging with the University of Redlands

May - Cardinal Stritch University, Wisconsin

School Type: Private nonprofit
Enrollment: 1,365
Primary Reason: Enrollment, Financial, Pandemic

May - Holy Names University, California

School Type: Private nonprofit
Enrollment: 1,015
Primary Reason: Enrollment, Financial

May - Iowa Wesleyan University, Iowa

School Type: Private nonprofit
Enrollment: 921
Primary Reason: Financial

Spring - Finlandia University, Michigan

School Type: Private nonprofit
Enrollment: 424
Primary Reason: Enrollment, Financial

Spring - Cazenovia College, New York

School Type: Private nonprofit
Enrollment: 746
Primary Reason: Enrollment, Financial, Pandemic

February - ASA College, New York

School Type: Private for-profit
Enrollment: 2,745
Primary Reason: Accreditation issues

January - Chatfield College, Ohio

School Type: Private nonprofit, two-year
Enrollment: 152
Primary Reason: Enrollment, Pandemic; closing to become Chatfield Edge nonprofit agency

December - Quest College, Texas

School Type: For-profit, two-year
Enrollment: 299
Primary Reason: Financial

Fall - Stratford University, Virginia

School Type: Private for-profit
Enrollment: 1,397
Primary Reason: Accreditation issues

August - Marymount California University, California

School Type: Private nonprofit
Enrollment: 514
Primary Reason: Enrollment, Financial, Pandemic; failed merger with Saint Leo University in Florida^[3]

July - San Francisco Art Institute, California

School Type: Private nonprofit
Enrollment: 70
Primary Reason: Financial

July - Mills College, California

School Type: Private nonprofit
Enrollment: 817
Primary Reason: Financial; merged with Northeastern University

July - Sierra Nevada University, Nevada

School Type: Private nonprofit
Enrollment: 631
Primary Reason: Enrollment, Pandemic; merged with University of Nevada, Reno^[4]

June - DeVry University, Several campuses nationwide

School Type: Private for-profit
Primary Reason: Unclear; DeVry closed 22 campuses between 2020-2022, including 15 in June 2022, after ED approved $71.7 million in borrower defense discharges for misled students.^[5]

June - Wave Leadership College, Virginia

School Type: Private nonprofit
Enrollment: 33
Primary Reason: Enrollment, Pandemic

June - University of the Sciences, Pennsylvania

School Type: Private nonprofit
Enrollment: 2,420
Primary Reason: Mutual Benefit; merged with Saint Joseph's University

May - St. Louis Christian College, Missouri

School Type: Private nonprofit
Enrollment: 62
Primary Reason: Enrollment; merged with Central Christian College of the Bible

May - Lincoln College, Illinois

School Type: Private nonprofit
Enrollment: 888
Primary Reason: Pandemic, Enrollment, Financial

December - Ohio Valley University, West Virginia

School Type: Private nonprofit
Enrollment: 273
Primary Reason: Financial

October - Vista College, Texas

School Type: Private for-profit, two-year
Enrollment: 2,945
Primary Reason: Financial

August - Becker College, Massachusetts

School Type: Private nonprofit
Enrollment: 1,675
Primary Reason: Pandemic, Enrollment^[6]

August - Concordia College, New York

School Type: Private nonprofit
Enrollment: 1,129
Primary Reason: Financial, Pandemic; merged with Iona College in New Rochelle

August - Independence University, Utah

School Type: Private nonprofit
Enrollment: 11,578
Primary Reason: Unclear; sudden closure

July - Judson College, Alabama

School Type: Private nonprofit
Enrollment: Roughly 80, per school website
Primary Reason: Financial

July - Ancilla College, Indiana

School Type: Private nonprofit, two-year
Enrollment: 344
Primary Reason: Mutual Benefit; merged with Marian University

July - Martin Methodist College, Tennessee

School Type: Private, nonprofit
Enrollment: 885
Primary Reason: Mutual Benefit; merged with public University of Tennessee to become UT Southern

July - Wesley College, Delaware

School Type: Private nonprofit
Enrollment: 1,066
Primary Reason: Enrollment, Financial; merged with Delaware State University

June - Pacific Northwest College of Art, Oregon

School Type: Private nonprofit
Enrollment: 481
Primary Reason: Mutual Benefit; merged with Willamette University

August - Holy Family College, Wisconsin

School Type: Private nonprofit
Enrollment: 440
Primary Reason: Enrollment, Financial, Pandemic

July - Marlboro College, Vermont

School Type: Private nonprofit
Enrollment: 154
Primary Reason: Enrollment; merged with Emerson College^[7]

June - Pine Manor College, Massachusetts

School Type: Private nonprofit
Enrollment: 249
Primary Reason: Financial; merged with Boston College

May - Nebraska Christian College, Nebraska

School Type: Private nonprofit
Enrollment: 85, per college website
Primary Reason: Enrollment, Financial

Spring - MacMurray College, Illinois

School Type: Private nonprofit
Enrollment: 588
Primary Reason: Financial

Spring - Urbana University, Ohio

School Type: Private nonprofit
Enrollment: 1,254
Primary Reason: Financial, Pandemic

About This List

We found schools' most recently reported fall enrollment in the National Center for Education Statistics' College Navigator Database.^[8] If no data were available, we used figures from the school's website or linked news release.

We also include a reason for each closure or merger. Here's what each means:

Accreditation Issues: A college lost accreditation, preventing it from enrolling new students.
Financial: A college closed due to financial struggle (e.g., lack of funding).
Enrollment: A declining number of students over the years strained the institution's feasibility.
Mutual Benefit: Two or more institutions mutually benefited from merging (e.g., schools shared complementary programs)
Pandemic: The college closed due to strain primarily caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

College Closures Over Time

The State Higher Education Executive Office (SHEEO) and the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center (NSCRC) analyzed college campus closures from July 2004-June 2020. Out of the nearly 12,000 college campuses that closed in this period, the researchers looked at a sample of 467 schools. They found:^{Note Reference [2]}

78% of closed colleges were for-profit schools.
21% were private nonprofit schools.
Less than 1% were public, and most of these were online programs.
About 53% of closed colleges were two-year, and 47% were four-year.

The SHEEO/NSCRC report cites loss of accreditation and financial challenges as the primary reasons for-profit colleges close.^{Note Reference [2]}

We plotted the data the researchers collected over time below.

Campus closures started ticking up after 2012 and peaked in 2018.
In the years with the most closures, for-profit campus closures overwhelmed those of nonprofit and public schools.

Behind the Numbers

The numbers in the graph above represent a sample of all college closures. So, this graph is useful for finding trends in college closures, not for counting the total number of college closures.

Abrupt College Closures

Closing colleges may create written transition plans for students. Unfortunately, many closures are abrupt, meaning a school closes without warning or a transfer plan for students.

Among the 467 school closures SHEEO and NSCRC analyzed:^{Note Reference [2]}

Almost one-third of college closures (31.5%) happened abruptly.
For-profit colleges are far more likely to close abruptly than public and nonprofit colleges.
Schools that closed abruptly served larger student bodies than those that closed in an orderly manner, on average (682 vs. 134 in average total enrollment).
7 in 10 students impacted by a college closure experienced an abrupt closure.

What Happens After a College Closes

In the SHEEO/NSCRC study:^{Note Reference [2]}

Most students who experienced a college closure did not re-enroll in another program (52.9%).
Students who experienced an abrupt closure had lower re-enrollment and completion rates than students who experienced an orderly closure.

Not completing a college degree could affect the likelihood of defaulting on a student loan. Closed colleges are more likely to enroll larger proportions of students of color, women, and Pell Grant recipients^{Note Reference [2]} — groups that carry more student loan debt on average.

If you're a student, there are steps you can take if your college closes, like finishing your program at another school or possibly getting a discharge for federal student loans.

References

BestColleges Analysis of Burns, R., Brown, L., Heckert, K., & Weeden, D., Kim, H., Randolph, B., Pevitz, A., Karamarkovich, S., & Causey, J. Additional Context for College Closures (Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet, 165 bytes). Boulder, CO: State Higher Education Executive Officers Association & Herndon, VA: National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. November 2022. (back to content ⤶)
Burns, R., Brown, L., Heckert, K., & Weeden, D., Kim, H., Randolph, B., Pevitz, A., Karamarkovich, S., & Causey, J. A dream derailed? Investigating the impact of college closures on student outcomes. Boulder, CO: State Higher Education Executive Officers Association & Herndon, VA: National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. November 2022. (back to content ⤶)
Symon, E. Struggling Marymount California University Announces Permanent Closure in August. California Globe. April 2022. (back to content ⤶)
McAndrew, Breaking: UNR passes first round of approvals for taking over Sierra Nevada University. S. Reno Gazette Journal. July 2021. (back to content ⤶)
Education Department Approves $415 Million in Borrower Defense Claims Including for Former DeVry University Students. U.S. Department of Education. February 2022. (back to content ⤶)
Turner, C. One year later: Similar, but different experience for former Becker College Students. Spectrum News 1. February 2022. (back to content ⤶)
Weiss-Tisman, H. 'A Really Beautiful Community': Marlboro College Prepares to Close Its Doors. Vermont Public. November 2019. (back to content ⤶)
National Center for Education Statistics' College Navigator Database. (back to content ⤶)

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