Martin University announced it has officially closed and begun selling assets, according to a letter published by the Board of Trustees in the Indianapolis Recorder.
The board cited increased costs, declining enrollment and rising debt for its announcement, which have become common pain points for small private colleges that have struggled and closed.
This story is part of University Business’ running article on college closures, mergers and acquisitions. Click here for previous developments.
“Many of our students cannot afford to pay full tuition,” the letter read. “As a result, Martin has had to rely heavily on grants, government support and philanthropy. Without an endowment and given today’s political climate around higher education funding, this financial model is simply not sustainable.”
The Trump administration withdrew $350 million in grants for all minority-serving institutions last September. Martin University was the sole predominantly Black institution in Indiana.
Founded in 1977, it enrolled 223 students in the fall of 2023, 122 of whom were full-time.
One graduate student set to finish in the spring semester said she has been unable to reach anyone about graduation or accessing her transcripts to potentially transfer, WTHR reports.
“I pretty much begged Martin for like three months to transfer my transcripts. They never got sent. The university that I was trying to go to never received anything. They reached out to Martin, they didn’t get anything. I reached out, I never got anything from Martin.”
Rocky final month for Martin University
On Dec. 9, the university announced that it would pause operations and discontinue classes after the fall semester. Sean L. Huddleston, the former president of Martin, stepped down about two weeks before.
Unable to pay university staff, the university terminated all positions the following week, Mirror Indy reports.
On Dec. 31, Martin’s accreditor, the Higher Learning Commission, “directed the university to cease operations,” according to the board’s letter.
“Combined with the lack of sufficient operating revenue, Martin has had no choice but to move toward closure.”
A Martin spokesperson told Mirror Indy on Jan. 6 that the university is not permanently closing. However, the spokesperson did not provide details on how or when Martin might reopen.
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