Another Entry in the 'Death of the Liberal Arts College'

One of New England's most unconventional colleges is preparing to shut down for good. Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, will close after the fall 2026 semester, citing dwindling enrollment and mounting financial strain that board leaders say they were unable to reverse despite "aggressive" efforts to boost student numbers, restructure debt, and sell land, per the Guardian. Current seniors will be able to finish their degrees on campus this fall, with housing and student services in place; other undergraduates are being steered toward transfer agreements with nearby schools, including Amherst, Smith, Mount Holyoke, UMass Amherst, and several others.

Deposits for newly accepted students will be refunded, and commencement will go forward in May, with a smaller ceremony planned in December for all remaining graduates. The shutdown adds Hampshire to a growing list of hundreds of US colleges that have closed in the last 15 years or so. Sophomore Joan Priester tells WGGB that the move is emblematic of the "death of the liberal arts college," while filmmaker and alum Ken Burns labeled the closure "an incalculable loss" whose impact, he warned, will echo beyond an emptied campus. Jennifer Chrisler, the school's president, conceded on social media that this is an "incredibly painful moment" for the Hampshire College community, per the AP. The Chronicle of Higher Education wants to know if other smaller schools will soon follow suit.