This post was originally published on this site.
It is the end of the school year at most colleges and universities. Having spent many, many years as a student and as a professor, I know that this is an exciting time on campus. But not everywhere.
We already know the doors of at least eight schools are closing permanently, while six others are merging. This continues a trend which has already seen more than 130 private non-profit institutions closed or merged between 2020 and 2025.
This course is certain to continue since the number of Americans graduating from high school is expected to decrease 13% in the next fifteen years according to one analysis. Huron Consulting Group projects that this plunge puts over 25% of private non-profit four-year colleges and universities at risk of closing or merging in the next ten years. Nearly one-third of these schools already posted deficits in 2024.
This probably brings a slight bit of glee to some, who may think college is a waste, or perhaps don’t like what has been happening on some campuses in recent years. While I may understand these feelings, they may wish to reconsider for a number of reasons.
First, the importance of a college degree is not about to go away.
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