Dive Brief:
- Pittsburgh Technical College plans to close permanently, citing declining enrollment, market pressures and inflation, as well as what it described as “orchestrated attacks against the institution,” the college said in a release Monday night.
- The private nonprofit college is set to end instruction after the spring semester, effective Aug. 9. It has teach-out agreements with “multiple colleges and universities” to help students finish their studies, Pittsburgh Technical said.
- The college joins others in the trade and career education space to announce shutdowns recently, including the nearby Triangle Tech, as well as North Coast College in Ohio and Mountain State College in West Virginia.
Dive Insight:
Less than a week ago, the accrediting agency Middle States Commission on Higher Education, warned that Pittsburgh Technical was at risk of “imminent closure.”
Along with the danger of a looming shutdown, the accreditor asked the college to show it could comply with standards around several areas, including governance, resources and ethics. The institution faced a June 28 deadline to do so or face the potential loss of its accreditation.
Now, the college has announced it will fold.
“Despite continued efforts to raise revenues and address the school’s long standing financial challenges, the nonprofit’s Board determined that long-term fiscal stability was no longer possible,” the college said.
In a statement, Pittsburgh Technical’s board elaborated on the efforts it and the administration made to set the institution on stronger footing, including reducing its debt by $10 million, forging new partnerships and working to improve enrollment and retention.
Moreover, the board said it considered various operating models, including mergers and partnerships, to fend off closure. But "despite our strategic, creative, and aggressive efforts, our results proved insufficient,” it said.
Pittsburgh Technical’s enrollment woes have been profound in recent years. Fall headcount fell nearly 40% to 1,066 students between 2017 and 2022, per federal data. With tuition accounting for most of its revenue, the college logged a $6.7 million operating deficit as of June 30, 2023, according to its latest financials.
As for the “orchestrated attacks” mentioned in the closure announcement, the college didn’t elaborate in the release. A spokesperson for Pittsburgh Technical did not immediately provide more details on the statement..
The institution said it is working with federal education regulators and its accreditor, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, to “ensure all students have a smooth and successful transition to our teach-out partners.”
Just last week, MSCHE rejected a teach-out plan from Pittsburgh Tech that the accreditor had requested previously as the college’s closure risk and accreditation issues mounted.
The college’s shutdown announcement follows closely that of its for-profit peer in the region, Triangle Tech. The institution said last week it planned to close all of its U.S. campuses, which are located in Pennsylvania.
Triangle Tech college enrolls around 260 students, who are set to receive $1,500 scholarships from a local educational nonprofit to help them finish their degrees.
