I recently attended the New Jersey Association for College Admission Counseling (NJACAC) program on “Admissions Trends”. One trend is that a growing number of small liberal arts colleges are having financial difficulties. A panelist suggested that potential students and their parents be on the look for signs of poor financial health including:
- Significant deferred maintenance
- Faculty and staff layoffs
- Closed programs
- Dropping of varsity or extra-curricular activities
- Closed residence halls
- Downgraded bond ratings.