Why More And More Colleges Are Closing Down Across America

[deucetz]

Just wondering how does this effect SMU? The two main issues for colleges closing are finances and enrollment. Is SMU healthy in terms of finances and enrollment?

From CNBC's Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBENl0GVxzA

The mid-2010's saw an uptick in U.S. college closures—particularly in the private nonprofit space.
Since 2016, 91 U.S. private colleges have either closed, merged with another school, or announced plans to close according to a CNBC analysis of data from Higher Ed Dive. This trend is affecting tens of thousands of college students across the country, with almost half of those schools closing after the onset of the pandemic in 2020. For many struggling schools the pandemic was the final straw—but two major themes showed up consistently throughout the closures: finances and enrollment.

"There are two significant issues affecting higher education right now," said The Princeton Review's Editor-in-Chief Robert Franek. "Specifically, through the admission and enrollment offices. Number one, it is the admission cliff, and that is the impending decline. We'll be graduating our lowest high school classes by population in 2025. And most enrollment professionals have been wringing their hands about this date of 2025, but many schools have seen those enrollment declines already."
About 95% of U.S. colleges rely on tuition, according to Franek, meaning they rely on money from students to operate. Dwindling enrollment numbers mean less money, fewer student offerings, and eventually a shuttered institution.

"It's a reflection of, I think, an unsustainable operating platform, meaning a heavy reliance on tuition, which can't always keep up with inflation," said Fitch Ratings Senior Director Emily Wadhwani.
"It can't always keep up with erosion in enrollment. We can't keep hiking tuition sticker price in the hopes that the net residual once you account for scholarship and discounting and the like is gonna be enough to sort of offset your growing expense base."

[AusTxPony]

I was looking at the enrollment at Texas Univ. and Colleges. Most have ticked down a bit in the last couple of years except for the bigger schools. SMU so well endowed can't believe it would have a problem. I would like to see us grow our undergraduates. though.

[AfricanMustang]

Just wondering how does this effect SMU? The two main issues for colleges closing are finances and enrollment. Is SMU healthy in terms of finances and enrollment?

From CNBC's Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBENl0GVxzA

The mid-2010's saw an uptick in U.S. college closures—particularly in the private nonprofit space.
Since 2016, 91 U.S. private colleges have either closed, merged with another school, or announced plans to close according to a CNBC analysis of data from Higher Ed Dive. This trend is affecting tens of thousands of college students across the country, with almost half of those schools closing after the onset of the pandemic in 2020. For many struggling schools the pandemic was the final straw—but two major themes showed up consistently throughout the closures: finances and enrollment.

"There are two significant issues affecting higher education right now," said The Princeton Review's Editor-in-Chief Robert Franek. "Specifically, through the admission and enrollment offices. Number one, it is the admission cliff, and that is the impending decline. We'll be graduating our lowest high school classes by population in 2025. And most enrollment professionals have been wringing their hands about this date of 2025, but many schools have seen those enrollment declines already."
About 95% of U.S. colleges rely on tuition, according to Franek, meaning they rely on money from students to operate. Dwindling enrollment numbers mean less money, fewer student offerings, and eventually a shuttered institution.

"It's a reflection of, I think, an unsustainable operating platform, meaning a heavy reliance on tuition, which can't always keep up with inflation," said Fitch Ratings Senior Director Emily Wadhwani.
"It can't always keep up with erosion in enrollment. We can't keep hiking tuition sticker price in the hopes that the net residual once you account for scholarship and discounting and the like is gonna be enough to sort of offset your growing expense base."

Located in Texas where the population is booming, SMU does not have this problem.

[gostangs]

Just wondering how does this effect SMU? The two main issues for colleges closing are finances and enrollment. Is SMU healthy in terms of finances and enrollment?

From CNBC's Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBENl0GVxzA

The mid-2010's saw an uptick in U.S. college closures—particularly in the private nonprofit space.
Since 2016, 91 U.S. private colleges have either closed, merged with another school, or announced plans to close according to a CNBC analysis of data from Higher Ed Dive. This trend is affecting tens of thousands of college students across the country, with almost half of those schools closing after the onset of the pandemic in 2020. For many struggling schools the pandemic was the final straw—but two major themes showed up consistently throughout the closures: finances and enrollment.

"There are two significant issues affecting higher education right now," said The Princeton Review's Editor-in-Chief Robert Franek. "Specifically, through the admission and enrollment offices. Number one, it is the admission cliff, and that is the impending decline. We'll be graduating our lowest high school classes by population in 2025. And most enrollment professionals have been wringing their hands about this date of 2025, but many schools have seen those enrollment declines already."
About 95% of U.S. colleges rely on tuition, according to Franek, meaning they rely on money from students to operate. Dwindling enrollment numbers mean less money, fewer student offerings, and eventually a shuttered institution.

"It's a reflection of, I think, an unsustainable operating platform, meaning a heavy reliance on tuition, which can't always keep up with inflation," said Fitch Ratings Senior Director Emily Wadhwani.
"It can't always keep up with erosion in enrollment. We can't keep hiking tuition sticker price in the hopes that the net residual once you account for scholarship and discounting and the like is gonna be enough to sort of offset your growing expense base."

Located in Texas where the population is booming, SMU does not have this problem.

its also a reflection of smallish liberal arts schools that really only trained future lawyers. There are fewer lawyers every year so the demand for liberal arts degrees is shrinking.

[tristatecoog]

The top 100 national universities are doing well. The regional universities, like SFA, Angelo State, Midwestern State, West TX A&M, not so well.