Examining a College's Financial Health

Parents Forum
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We’ve got a thread on colleges that have closed and some folks consider schools that are potentially on the brink, and ask some opinions.

Kiplingers just wrote an article on what to look for (not paywalled).

  1. Enrollment trends. Beware of a shrinking first year class (check multiple years of CDS)

  2. Search for news stories about the college’s finances. If they have issues, it’ll be in the press.

  3. Review College Finance Watch List linked below. It gets updated.

  4. Check the college’s bond rating - Fitch, S&P, Moody’s (I’m a fan of this)

  5. Notice campus condition - are they mowing the lawn?

  6. Ask the business office for a candid appraisal (not sure they’d give)

  7. Are they cutting majors?

Why You Should Check Your College’s Financial Health | Kiplinger

Unprecedented College Closures: Students Advised to Investigate School Finances - The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis

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As an additional resource, it would seem that colleges assigned high financial grades by Forbes will be more likely to thrive in future years in comparison to colleges assigned substantially lower grades: Forbes 2024 Financial Grades - #4 by randommom1.

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Enrollment trends and cutting majors are strong indicators.

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Another resource (others great) though my be soon getting out of date?