Hampshire College to Close After Fall 2024 Semester

The Board of Trustees of Hampshire College announced the institution will cease operations after the fall 2024 semester. The board stated that financial pressures and low enrollment led to the decision.

Hampshire College, a liberal arts institution in Amherst, Massachusetts, will close permanently following the fall 2024 semester. The college's Board of Trustees cited persistent financial pressures and low enrollment as the reasons for the decision.

Final-year students will be able to complete their degrees on campus this fall, while other students have been offered transfer pathways to several partner institutions.

Announcement and Rationale

According to the board, efforts to stabilize the college's finances—including initiatives to increase enrollment, refinance existing debt, and generate revenue through land sales—did not achieve the necessary progress. The board stated that low enrollment had required significant cuts to operating budgets.

The board further explained, "We are faced with the clear, heartbreaking reality that progress on each of these three key factors has fallen far short of what we had hoped."

Arrangements for Students

The college has outlined specific plans for current students:

• Final-Year Students (Division III): Students in their final year will be permitted to complete their degrees at Hampshire College during the fall 2024 semester. They will have access to campus housing and student support services.
• First- through Third-Year Students (Divisions I and II): These students will be offered pathways to transfer to partner institutions. The listed partners are Amherst College, Bennington College, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Massachusetts College of the Liberal Arts, Mount Holyoke College, Prescott College, Smith College, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
• Commencement and Deposits: Commencement ceremonies for graduating students will be held in May 2024. A separate, streamlined ceremony is planned for winter 2024 for students completing degrees in December. The college will refund deposits for all students who had been accepted for future terms.

Context and Reaction

Founded in 1965, Hampshire College is closing amid a period of consolidation in U.S. higher education. A report from The Hechinger Report notes that nearly 300 higher education institutions in the United States closed between 2008 and 2023.

Student Joan Priester told Western Mass News that the closure reflects these broader trends, referencing the report on institutional closures.

Alumnus and filmmaker Ken Burns stated that Hampshire College was "woven into the very fabric of who I am" and called its closure "an incalculable loss."