The frightening epidemic of college closures
Photo courtesy of Vasily Koloda on Unsplash
Treasure Hardwick, Staff Writer
On a fateful day in June, Lydia Jarrard received a notification from Clarks Summit University stating that it was permanently closing due to financial instability. This abrupt turn of events left Jarrard and every student at the university devastated and scrambling to figure out their next steps.
“When I first read the email, it was almost like everything froze,” Jarrard said. “It felt like the world stopped, and I didn’t know what to do. And honestly, I didn’t even cry about it to tell you the truth. I just questioned everything.”
After she checked out several small universities and communicated her dilemma with them, Jarrard finally landed on NGU. She quickly enrolled. So far, she has absolutely loved her time as a mathematics major. She feels blessed to have found a place that feels like home at such short notice.
Jarrard is not the only student with this story. Over the past several years, countless universities have closed, leading students wondering what to do and where to go. This issue leaves many worried about the lack of motivation these students may feel to find a different university.
With less higher-ed institutions, questions arise such as who will be the next doctors, educators and communicators in generations to come.
Joel Mathis, a journalist for The Week, explained that many small colleges began closing in 2017, but federal funding during the COVID-19 pandemic slowed these closures. The government poured $77 billion of the COVID relief into the upkeep of the universities, but many colleges spent it too soon.
An article on college closures posted by The Washington Times explained that the main issue is economics. The increase in cost of tuition leads to a decrease in enrollment. There are too many seats to fill and not enough students motivated to fill them.
Johnson University in Florida, Cabrini University in Pennsylvania, Wells College in New York, Notre Dame College in Ohio, Birmingham-Southern College in Alabama, and University of Saint Katherine in California are just a few of the higher-ed institutions that have closed thus far in 2024.
This article by CNN’s Athena Jones details the story of Cabrini University’s closure.
Not only is there a sharp incline in colleges closing, but there is also a high rate of small universities merging with others to stay afloat.
Best Colleges, a college information site, said, Lincoln Christian University in Illinois, Woodbury University in California, St. Augustine College in Illinois and Pennsylvania College of Health and Science are some of the universities that have merged with another higher-ed institution as of 2024.
The article on college closures posted by The Washington Times also noted that roughly 45,860 students have been impacted by these closures, and 52.9% did not re-enroll at a different university.
These statistics show just how devastating this college closure crisis really is. Seven out of ten of these students were abruptly notified of the closure. This economic issue does not only have financial repercussions, but it also turns the futures and dreams of college students upside down.
