At the same time, #universities regarded as #elite & prominent public #schools receive way more applications than they could ever accept.

“It’s a bifurcated market between the haves & have-nots,” Selingo said. “The question is, how many of the have-nots will follow #Hampshire?”

#education #HigherEducation #LiberalArts #academia #colleges #economy #funding

“There is a migration away from the small #LiberalArts #schools toward the big public or private #research institutions” with more student activities & academic offerings, particularly in #business & #technology, Selingo said.

As students become harder to enroll, he said, troubled schools compete by discounting #tuition through increased #aid. That reduces overall revenue while costs continue to rise, creating a “doom loop” of financial pressures.

#HigherEducation #colleges #economy #funding

Jeffrey Selingo, an author of several books on #HigherEducation, says many small #schools in the Northeast & Midwest are facing enrollment problems, as shrinking states produce fewer young people. And since most people go to #college within 50 miles of home, schools in shrinking communities often lack a big pool of possible students to draw from, or have to share the pool with other #colleges.

#education #academia #knowledge #universities #QualityOfLife #economy #funding

Part of #Hampshire College’s downfall may also relate to “public discussion in this country about the value of a #LiberalArts #education,” Chrisler said.

“Some of it is a persistent & ill informed, I think, belief at the #federal level that the only value of an education is what you #earn four years after your graduation,” she said.

#HigherEducation #academia #knowledge #colleges #universities #QualityOfLife #worth #value #economy #funding