In this episode, I discuss the growing financial pressures facing colleges and universities across the country, highlighting another week filled with layoffs, hiring freezes, budget cuts, and program reductions. I examine institutions including LSU, UCLA, Rutgers, Temple, the University of Texas at Tyler, Albertus Magnus College, the University of Vermont, Defiance College, and Albright College, arguing that these stories are no longer isolated incidents but evidence of a higher education sector facing long-term structural decline.

I also explain why accreditation warnings—particularly those related to financial stability—should be viewed seriously by students and families, even if colleges insist they have turnaround plans in place. Throughout the episode, I encourage listeners to look beyond institutional messaging and focus instead on publicly available financial data, graduation rates, endowment strength, and long-term financial sustainability when evaluating colleges.

I also explore several broader trends that I believe will shape the future of higher education. I discuss a new U.S. Department of Education rule requiring specialized accreditors to justify degree inflation in fields such as pharmacy, physical therapy, and occupational therapy by proving additional educational requirements provide meaningful public benefit.

I close by reinforcing one of my core messages: too many colleges are enrolling students they know are unlikely to graduate simply to generate tuition revenue. I argue that colleges with persistently low four-year graduation rates are failing both students and families, and I preview two upcoming initiatives—My College Decision Lens and The College Outlook Letter—which are designed to help students, families, and higher education stakeholders make more informed, data-driven decisions about the future of colleges.

As a tie-in to the World Cup, if you want to appeal anything in today’s podcast show, send me 2 red cards and a yellow card.

+ Mary Baldwin University on probation for allegedly not meeting financial responsibility standards

+ Professional associations may be driving accreditation requirements too far.

+ Finally, Threats of more closings have colleges and students worrying about how to save themselves

+ Lead with price. Just like Walmart, Target, Costco and use car salesmen

+ Plus stories added just this morning.

Show notes and App links
College Viability Inspection Report

2026 College Viability Majors Completion App

Mary Baldwin University on probation for allegedly not meeting financial responsibility standards

U.S. Department of Education Issues Final Rule to Hold All Colleges and Universities Accountable for Low-Earning Programs

Trump Aims to Limit Outside Influence on College Accreditors

Threats of more closings have colleges and students worrying about how to save themselves

Virginia and Ohio join effort to design 3-year bachelor’s degrees

Can Price-First Admissions Improve College Access?

This episode of This Week in College Viability features a conversation between Gary Stocker and college admissions consultant Beth Wilner, founder of Rose Cliff College Consulting, about how families can make more informed college decisions in an increasingly uncertain higher education environment.

Wilner explains that her consulting process centers on three questions: What matters to the student and family? What information do they need to gather? And how should they respond? She emphasizes that successful college planning isn't about gaming admissions but about identifying a student's priorities, gathering meaningful information, and making decisions that align with both personal goals and long-term outcomes. Throughout the discussion, she argues that colleges are living, evolving organizations rather than static institutions, making it essential for families to look beyond brochures, rankings, and campus appearances when evaluating schools.

A major focus of the interview is the growing importance of college financial health as part of the admissions process. Stocker and Wilner discuss warning signs such as declining enrollment, deferred campus maintenance, aggressive tuition discounting, and heavy marketing campaigns that may indicate institutional financial stress.

They encourage parents to ask more probing questions during campus visits, including what has changed most dramatically at the college over the past year, while recognizing that many first-generation families may need guidance navigating those conversations. The interview also examines the confusion surrounding financial aid offers, the limitations of college rankings, and the idea that families should evaluate a college's financial stability before considering other factors.

Wilner concludes by encouraging families to focus first on what truly matters to them, recognize that colleges are businesses operating in a changing market, and seek information that helps them choose a college that will remain financially healthy throughout a student's education

This week on ‘This week’.

+ Johns Hopkins University laying off 110 workers

+ Massachusetts higher education is a mess. Same story different year.

+ Someone new to the College Viability party: Today’s college search requires a new kind of due diligence James Birge pres at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts

+ Brooke Hauser at Boston Globe: Back-to-back college closures prompt demand for stronger consumer protection

Show links and notes:
College Viability Inspection Report

Johns Hopkins University laying off 110 workers as it deals with loss of federal funding

Unpaid stipends, missing state scholarships: Questions mount as Anna Maria College closes

NAU developing 2027 budget to respond to big decreases in enrollment and revenue

La Salle eyes largest capital campaign yet after record fundraising year

Today’s college search requires a new kind of due diligence

Back-to-back college closures prompt demand for stronger consumer protection

How Bad Is American Higher Education?

This Week:

A small college all but closes

What’s the matter with chemistry degrees?

Wheeling U sends out board chair to spin

Another college complains about its Forbes grade

Show notes and links:

College Viability Inspection Report

Podcast: Kitchen Table College Chat

Podcast: Beyond the College Brochure

This week:

+ University of Denver to close departments, merge schools as part of academic restructuring. (This is a good story. I will tell you why.)

+ A Regional College Laid Off All Its Librarians in 2024. Now It Has to Hire Them Back.

+ A couple of colleges in today’s show are whining about their Forbes grades. One sent two trustees out to respond.

+ Mass. passed a law to stop abrupt college closures. It’s not working. I will tell you what will work

Show notes and links:

Kitchen Table College Chats podcast
Beyond the College Brochure podcast

University of Denver to close departments, merge schools as part of academic restructuring

(Syracuse) U chancellor: School won't meet enrollment target for next fiscal year

A Regional College Laid Off All Its Librarians in 2024. Now It Has to Hire Them Back.

Iowa colleges say Forbes report misses full story

Dr. Joe Pizzorno Outlines What’s Next for Bastyr University and Clinics

Faculty group lashes out at University of Denver’s major restructuring

Columbia College’s finances raise red flags for higher education experts

Voices: We’re the trustees of Westminster University. Here’s the real story of the school’s financial health.

Mass. passed a law to stop abrupt college closures. So why are two schools shutting down?

In this episode of This Week in College Viability, He highlights a growing wave of layoffs, academic cuts, hiring freezes, and financial distress across higher education, arguing that these developments confirm the industry is in long-term decline. Gary cites recent budget reductions and workforce cuts at institutions including Kent State, Colorado State, Portland State, the University of Oregon, and the University of Maryland.

He also chats about some colleges that publicly challenge poor financial ratings from the new Forbes college financial grades. Stocker focuses heavily on Westminster University and La Salle University, arguing that their public reassurances conflict with enrollment declines, shrinking revenues, and reduced endowment values shown in federal and audited financial data. Throughout the podcast, he stresses that graduation rates and accreditation alone are not reliable indicators of institutional stability, especially when colleges face persistent enrollment losses and financial strain.

Stocker introduces his related podcasts, Kitchen Table College Chat and Beyond the College Brochure, both aimed at challenging traditional college marketing narratives and encouraging greater transparency. In the final segment, he discusses a Forbes article by Ryan Craig about “healthcare donut degrees,” criticizing colleges that offer healthcare-related majors without guaranteed clinical placements required for graduation and licensure. Using his own medical laboratory science background as an example, Stocker argues that too many institutions create revenue-generating degree programs without providing the full educational pathway students need to complete them successfully. He closes by urging families to seek independent financial and academic data rather than relying solely on college marketing materials or sponsored college-ranking websites.

Show Notes:
+ College Viability Inspection Report
+ 2026 College Majors Completion App
+ Kitchen Table College Chat podcast
+ Beyond the College Brochure podcast

Story links:

‘It’s Just Been Agony’: Facing a Big Deficit, the New School Begins Layoffs

Kent State, Colorado State and other universities turn to budget cuts

Westminster University (UT) disputes Forbes' assessment after receiving failing financial grade

Pa. college’s (Albright) touted $10M surplus was less than half that: audit

La Salle University’s accreditation reaffirmed by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Despite Headwinds, College Enrollment Increases Nationwide Once Again

Universities Are Selling Healthcare Donut Degrees

In this special episode of This Week in College Viability, Gary Stocker interviews NILnomics founder Greg Chick about the rapidly changing financial landscape of college athletics. Greg explains how difficult it is to obtain transparent financial data from college athletic departments, despite many schools being public institutions. He argues that one of the biggest misconceptions about college sports finances is that paying athletes is causing financial instability, when in reality enormous portions of athletic budgets already go toward coaches, administrators, and support staff.

The conversation also explores the widening financial gap between major Power Four athletic programs and smaller colleges, the growing “pay-to-play” culture in youth and college sports, and the future of Olympic and non-revenue sports programs. Greg predicts that some sports cuts may occur but does not believe widespread elimination of Olympic sports is likely because athletics are deeply embedded in American culture and college enrollment strategies. The discussion also covers NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness), congressional efforts to reshape NCAA rules, collective bargaining for athletes, and how financially challenged colleges increasingly use athletics as an enrollment tool. Overall, the episode presents college athletics as a massive business ecosystem where financial transparency, institutional priorities, and athlete compensation are becoming impossible to ignore.