On Thursday, April 23, Anna Maria College announced that it will cease academic operations at the conclusion of the spring 2026 semester. In a statement, Anna Maria said, “After an exhaustive review of the college’s current financial situation and the industry-wide trends in higher education, the Board of Trustees determined that the College can no longer project sufficient financial resources to sustain its academic operations and meet the needs of enrolled and admitted students for a period that is consistent with the College’s regulatory obligations.”
In the statement, the College said that despite spring enrollment being up 7.5% from last year and Fall 2026 deposit activity “trending ahead of prior years,” the College’s FY2025 audit “carries a going concern qualification, an opinion of substantial doubt about the institution’s ability to continue as an operating entity, which resulted in new restrictions on the college’s administration of federal financial aid.” Together with the structural financial challenges, a public Financial Assessment and Risk Monitoring (FARM) notice from the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education, and additional reviews by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE), this left no viable path forward for the College…