Which US Colleges Have Closed in 2026: A Running List for Students

Colleges Closing in 2026

At least nine US colleges have announced they will shut down in 2026, and two more are merging their programs into larger schools. This list covers confirmed closures reported through early August 2026. Enrollment declines, rising operating costs, and thinning donor support drove most of these decisions.

Hampshire College in Amherst holds its last semester in fall 2026 after years of enrollment shortfalls and accreditation warnings. Anna Maria College in Paxton closes at the end of spring 2026, cutting close to 350 jobs between the two Massachusetts schools.

Sterling College in Vermont holds its final commencement on May 16, 2026, after enrollment fell more than 38 percent between 2021 and 2023. Lourdes University in Ohio enrolled 964 students in fall 2024, down from nearly 2,800 in 2011, and closes after spring 2026 with students transferring to the University of Toledo under a teach-out agreement.

Trinity Christian College in Illinois holds its final commencement May 8, 2026, after operating at a loss in 8 of its last 10 fiscal years. Providence Christian College in Pasadena closes after this school year with an endowment of about $25,300 and roughly 168 students enrolled.

Martin University , Indiana's only predominantly Black university, voted to close on December 30, 2025, and gave up its accreditation the next day. Aviator College of Aeronautical Science , a for-profit flight school in Fort Pierce, Florida, shut its main campus abruptly in April 2026 after losing accreditation.

Colleges Merging Into Other Schools

• Labouré College of Healthcare in Massachusetts ends academic operations August 1, 2026. Its nursing programs and most staff move to Curry College.

• California College of the Arts winds down through the 2026-27 academic year. Vanderbilt University is buying its San Francisco and Oakland campuses for a new West Coast site opening in 2027.

In Financial Distress, Not Closed

Saint Augustine's University in North Carolina filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on April 28, 2026, owing between $50 million and $100 million. The university plans to keep operating while it reorganizes its debt.

Northland College in Wisconsin appears on some closure trackers, but it closed in May 2025, a year before this list.

What This Means for Your Application List

Check every school's financial standing before you apply, especially small private colleges with under 1,500 students. Ask admissions directly whether the school is under any accreditation review or state financial monitoring, and confirm the answer against public records rather than taking it at face value.

Sources

• Boston.com, Hampshire College closure
• Boston.com, Massachusetts college closures
• VTDigger, Sterling College
• Higher Ed Dive, Lourdes University
• CBS Chicago, Trinity Christian College
• Inside Higher Ed, Providence Christian College
• Higher Ed Dive, Martin University
• Higher Ed Dive, Aviator College
• Boston Globe, Labouré College
• Higher Ed Dive, California College of the Arts
• WRAL, Saint Augustine's University