Urban College of Boston Facing a Financial Crisis

The Urban College of Boston, a two-year college in downtown Boston which opened in 1993, enrolls about 600 students. More than 90 percent of the students at the Urban College of Boston are women. More than three-quarters of the students are Black or Hispanic. Almost all work in addition to attending school. A majority of the students graduated from high school more than a decade ago. The college states that many of its students are working mothers, many of whom have been on welfare.

The college has announced that it may be forced to cancel classes this fall if it cannot eliminate a $250,000 deficit. The college had been receiving a $750,000 annual grant from the federal government, but that grant was not renewed.

To alleviate its financial problems, the college had hoped to merge with Endicott College in Beverly, Massachusetts. But that prospect no longer exists. The Urban College of Boston hopes to find private donors to close the budget shortfall or to form a partnership arrangement with another educational institution or nonprofit organization.

Update: On July 30, the college announced that it had received enough financial backing to remain open this fall