AMHERST, MA (WGGB/WSHM) -- Hampshire College announced this week it will officially close after the fall 2026 semester.

Hampshire has been a staple of the Pioneer Valley since 1965, but it joins more than two dozen other Massachusetts colleges that have closed in just the last decade.

The announcement came Tuesday. Hampshire College said they simply couldn’t overcome “Herculean” financial pressures, despite years of trying to sell land and boost enrollment. The school is currently facing more than $20 million in debt.

For the 750 students currently enrolled, the focus now shifts to the future. Hampshire College says it has deals with nearby schools, including UMass Amherst and Smith College, to help students finish their degrees. “The school is setting up...so there are two pathways. There’s a...like a finishing pathway for Division III students who are finishing their thesis project and besides that, there’s... they’re trying to set up kind of a smooth plan for transfers,” said Joan Priester, a Hampshire College student.

UMass Amherst said they are in the process of launching a website for Hampshire students who are exploring a transfer. The university will waive application fees. Additionally, the university has agreed to serve as the custodian of Hampshire’s student records.

Students looking for a smaller school experience have an option in Vermont. Bennington College has announced a direct transfer partnership with Hampshire College and posted on their website: “Both colleges are known as pioneers in self-directed, progressive, and creative education, with similar institutional cultures that focus on student-designed curricula rather than traditional grades.”

Hampshire College says all deposits for newly admitted students will be refunded. They plan to wind down operations over the next year and a half.

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