Original data findings · Updated September 2, 2026

Where colleges
are changing.

Patterns from the College Closure Watch database, presented with the definitions and source boundaries needed to interpret them responsibly.

Three findings

The records show different kinds of change, not one measure of institutional distress.

  • California has the largest matched closure count: 97 degree-granting records since 1990.
  • For-profit institutions dominate the matched closure history: 369 of 617 records.
  • Published workforce reports include at least 17,061 affected positions where sources supplied a count. Missing counts are never estimated.
Historical closures

States with the most matched degree-granting closure records

Federal primary-location records matched to historical degree-granting institutions, dated since 1990.

CA97PA51NY46FL40OH29TX26IL24VA19
Program actions

States with the most named program records

Program closures, approval changes, teach-outs, pauses, and related actions remain separately classified.

IN382NY222GA185OH164MN157MO138TX130AR105
Workforce

States with the most sourced workforce reports

These are reports, not a complete census of higher-education employment reductions.

PA14CA14MA13IL13NY9TX9MO8OH8