The bigger picture:
Hampshire College’s closure is just the latest in a steady stream of college closures that have been taking place due to mounting financial pressures since the pandemic. And it won’t be the last. According to The Hechinger Report, among the 1,700 private, nonprofit four-year colleges and universities throughout the nation, 442 are at risk of closing or being forced to merge within the next decade. Many of those closures – like with Hampshire College – have or will take place in New England states.
The college closures have been tied to declining birthrates in the U.S. and widespread skepticism about the value of a college degree. For instance, NPR reports that there were 710,000 fewer babies born in the U.S. in 2025 compared to two decades ago. And Pew Research Center found that only 22% of U.S. adults say the cost of getting a four-year college degree is worth it even if the only way to get one is to take out a loan.
The College Board reports that the national population of high school graduates peaked in 2025 and is expected to decline by 13% by 2041, causing “major challenges for colleges and universities trying to recruit from a dwindling pool.”
