A small liberal arts college in New England announced it will close its doors amid declining enrollment and increased financial strain.
Colleges in America have struggled in recent years as cultural attitudes toward the necessity of a Bachelor’s Degree have changed, as the public became increasingly wary of federally-backed student loans, and as more American families struggle under rising inflation.
Goddard College announced on April 9 that it will shut down after 83 years in operation.
“The closure of Goddard College is a significant loss for students in search of an alternative, progressive higher education,” said Mark Jones, the chair of the school's Board of Trustees, in a press release. “The decision to close Goddard College was not made easily or quickly. With declining enrollment and financial insolvency looming, the Board was left with no other option. Our hearts are broken.”
In the 1970s, enrollment surpassed 1,900. Today, just 220 students attend the college. It will close at the end of the current semester.
The Vermont college said it was unable to “beat the trends of inflationary pressures, demographic shifts and changing educational preferences.”
“The closure of Goddard College mirrors a trend seen in numerous higher education institutions across Vermont and the nation, all grappling with similar challenges,” the school said. “Despite this closure, the legacy of Goddard College will endure through its alumnx, current students, faculty, and staff. In partnership with Prescott College, Goddard students will have the opportunity to continue Goddard’s legacy of progressive education and experimental pedagogy and complete their degrees at the same tuition rate. A Goddard College Scholarship Fund will be established to assist current students in transitioning to Prescott College and potentially other partner institutions to be announced in the coming months.”
College enrollment has declined nationally as young Americans opt for an alternative to a four-year degree. According to Newsweek, “community colleges with a focus on vocational programs saw registrations climb 16 percent, an increase of 112,000 students, substantially higher than the rate seen before COVID, when it rose 3.7 percent” while enrollment in “associate degree programs jumped more than 2.2 percent, to 96,000 students.”
CBS News reported in February that more than half of Americans with bachelor’s degrees are working jobs that do not require a college degree.
Ultimately, many young Americans are not enrolling in college, reducing the pool of tuition payers. In 2022, 1 million fewer college students enrolled in college or university – twice as many than the year before.
"The phenomenon of students sitting out of college seems to be more widespread,” Doug Shapiro, a researcher at the National Student Clearinghouse, told NPR. “That could be the beginning of a whole generation of students rethinking the value of college itself. I think if that were the case, this is much more serious than just a temporary pandemic-related disruption."
Goddard College now joins a list of more than 80 colleges that have closed since 2021.
