Marygrove College, which has been facing a steep enrollment decline over the last three years, announced today that beginning in January of 2018, it will offer Master’s degree programs and close their undergraduate programs.
According to the college, Marygrove enrollment peaked in 2013 with more than 1,850 graduate and undergraduate students. In Fall 2016, total enrollment had fallen to 966.
The move will result in reduced faculty and staff and will begin in the Winter 2018 semester. The move is intended to keep the college viable.
“Regrettably, Marygrove has experienced the same enrollment and financial issues as many liberal arts colleges across the country and the state. Vigorous marketing and recruitment efforts have failed to provide sufficient revenue from our undergraduate programs to continue operations as usual,” said Marygrove President Elizabeth Burns, MD in a statement. “A recent analysis found that Marygrove is not sustainable in its current business model. And undergraduate enrollment is projected to be lower than last fall.”
Marygrove says they have notified incoming and returning students of the change and will they receive assistance from counselors to identify alternative colleges and universities that offer their program.
The Higher Learning Commission, who accredits the college, is in the process of re-evaluating the institution given its changed circumstances.
Marygrove has roots back to 1845. It became a college in 1905 and their Detroit campus in the Fitzgerald neighborhood opened in 1927.
OF NOTE: According to the college, this is the first transition to a graduate-only model of its kind in the country.
