Tomorrow will be the last official day of operation for the University of the Arts — just a week after it was announced that the school would be closing for good.
While the way everything went down was abnormal and shocking, UArts’ closure is far from the first shift in the Philadelphia area’s education landscape over the past few years. Mergers, acquisitions, and closures have been trending recently both in Philly and nationwide, and they continue to alter our region’s higher ed scene.
Many of these moves have been prompted by financial and enrollment struggles, while a desire for expanded academic offerings has been the stated reason for others. To help you keep track, here’s a timeline of how things have changed ⬇️
2017: Philadelphia University Merges With Jefferson
Following a preliminary agreement in 2015, Thomas Jefferson University, the Center City-based institution known for its health care programs, officially combined forces in 2017 with Philadelphia University — a small, private college in East Falls known for its health sciences, fashion, and engineering programs — to create a single 7,500-student institution with two main campuses.
That year, both Philly campuses became known as Jefferson University, and the university started fielding NCAA sports teams.
Some signage in East Falls still points toward “Philadelphia University,” even though the campus hasn’t been called that since 2017. (Asha Prihar/City Cast Philly)
2019: Rowan College of South Jersey is Formed
Two community colleges in South Jersey located 27 miles apart from each other — Rowan College at Gloucester County and Cumberland County College — became one entity with two campuses and approximately 10,000 students, called Rowan College of South Jersey.
2022: USciences Merges with St. Joe’s
The University of the Sciences in West Philly, which had been experiencing financial difficulties, worked out an agreement to merge with St. Joseph’s University, a Catholic school in Northwest Philly.
The merger generated some big concerns from USciences students, multiple outlets reported, especially after it came to light that the college’s health center would no longer offer birth control services. St. Joe’s started exploring the sale of the former USciences campus shortly after the merger, and it was still on the market as of early 2024. Last year, the school dropped four doctoral programs it acquired from USciences, per the Philadelphia Inquirer.
2023: Hussain College Closes Suddenly
Due to financial issues, Hussain College — a for-profit college system with a Philly campus at 15th and Spring Garden — abruptly laid off its staff and shuttered all its locations. According to the Philadelphia Business Journal, the Philly campus enrolled 80 students and employed 23 people.
2023: Salus and Drexel Agree To Merge
Following their formal agreement last June, Drexel University in West Philly and Salus University — a 1,100-student graduate health sciences school in Elkins Park — are working toward merging over the next several years. The idea, according to Drexel’s website, is to combine “Salus’ strengths in top health science professions” with “Drexel’s strengths as an R1 research institution.”
2024: PAFA Starts Phasing Out Degree Programs
In January, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts pointed to enrollment and financial troubles as reasons for getting rid of its BFA and MFA programs. Students set to graduate in spring 2025 or earlier will still be able to finish their course of study at PAFA, while the other 37 enrolled students will need to continue their education elsewhere. The school said it’s worked with them to plan transfers to other area institutions.
2024: St. Joe’s Acquires Lancaster-Based College
As of January, the Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences — a 1,700-student campus located an hour and a half from Philly — is now the Lancaster campus of St. Joseph’s University. The acquisition meant that St. Joe’s could add an accredited nursing program to its portfolio of offerings.
2024: Cabrini University Closes
Financial problems and declining enrollment led the Radnor-based Catholic liberal arts college to decide last year that the 2023-24 school year would be its last. Villanova University, located just two miles away, will acquire the physical campus this July. Cabrini partnered with seven Philly-area schools to help facilitate its students transferring to other institutions.
2024: Delaware College of Art & Design Closes Suddenly
The Wilmington-based art school announced its permanent, nearly immediate closure just a couple weeks ago, citing declining enrollment. The college will not be open for the 2024-25 academic year, so its approximately 100 current and incoming students will have to transfer to other institutions if they want to continue their education. The Moore College of Art and Design in Center City and the Pennsylvania College of Art and Design in Lancaster have agreed to accept transfer students from DCAD.
2024: UArts Closes Suddenly
Last Friday, it came to light that the University of the Arts — a Center City college that enrolled about 1,200 students and employed around 700 faculty and staff — would be closing in a week, due to unexpected money troubles.
The UArts community has protested the decision, and some former employees have filed a class-action lawsuit. Several Philly universities — Drexel, Temple, Moore, St. Joe’s, La Salle, and Jefferson — are offering pathways for UArts students to enroll at their schools in the fall.
Tomorrow is scheduled to be the university’s last official day. However, Temple is reportedly exploring the possibility of acquiring the school.
