Nebraska Christian College to Close

Just yesterday I commented on the passing of Cincinnati Christian University, and now I have another. Nebraska Christian College will be closing at the end of the Spring 2020 semester.


This isn't as surprising as CCU was, either for me or, mostly likely, even the staff and students at NCC. The 2016 'merger' with Hope International University wasn't a bad idea at all. It extended regional accreditation to the degree programs, which had formerly only received recognition by the Association for Biblical Higher Education. The problem was simply a lack of students. As I noted in my post concerning CCU, this has already been the reality of many small, private colleges and universities even before COVID-19. At least in the case of NCC the students at the Nebraska campus are still HIU students, and can complete their degrees either on-campus in California or online.

via Phil on Ed Tech

via LISTedTECH

The trends were already there, as you can see in the charts above. Now with the disruption of in-person classes together with a new financial uncertainty for prospective online students, particularly those going for business degrees that generally help subsidize the undergraduate mission of private non-profit colleges, what happens next should be obvious.

Going back to the example of NCC, the fact that it had already been brought into the HIU fold helps the students that remained. It also points to the path ahead, with closures but also consolidations, leaving potentially larger institutions that are better positioned to continue into the future.