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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]We're compiling a college list now with our junior. Some colleges we've come across and researched have significant budget deficits. We are trying to figure out which ones to worry about.

We know that a college budget deficit can be a significant red flag, particularly if the uni is a small, private, or regional college with a low endowment. And a structural, long-term deficit often leads to reduced academic quality, fewer student services, etc.

Here are the colleges with budget deficits that we are aware of (see below). Are we missing any others we should know about? Which ones to truly worry about (I'm assuming some big ones will figure it out with its endowment but not sure if that's smart thinking)?

Colleges with Budget Deficits (rough amounts reported from the past year):

USC: $200 million
UChicago: $160 million
Stanford $140 million
Penn State: $140 million
Harvard: $113 million
American U: $80 million
GW: $76 million
NYU: $71 million
Boston U: $30 million
Middlebury: $14 million
WashU (St. Louis): $7 million
Brandeis: $2 million
Pitzer: $1.3 million
[/quote]

I have appended the 2024 Forbes Financial Health Rankings next to the school. Most of these schools are very wealthy and will adjust tie spending if the nonsense form the administration continues. None of these schools are in long term danger though the experience at R1s will change if they have to start funding more of their own infrastructure costs. Of the 2 SLACs on this list Middlebury will have no issues at all, it is extremely wealthy and the main source of the budget drag has been addressed and the deficit is already down. Pitzer has a relatively small endowment and is tuition dependent. But with an under 25% acceptance rate they should not have any issues sourcing the students needed to keep budget intact and this is reflected in their Forbes grade. Penn State is not graded by Forbes since it is a public institution.

USC: $200 million A+
UChicago: $160 million A+
Stanford $140 million A+
Penn State: $140 million
Harvard: $113 million A+
American U: $80 million B
GW: $76 million B+
NYU: $71 million B
Boston U: $30 million B
Middlebury: $14 million A+
WashU (St. Louis): $7 million A+
Brandeis: $2 million A-
Pitzer: $1.3 million A[/quote]

I don’t think long-term health is the concern here.

For example, Middlebury had to cut benefits (including 401k contributions) for staff and wind down the Monterey institute (which undergrads had the opportunity to attend) to get their issues under control. That has a real impact on the experience even if the financial situation never spirals.[/quote]

Here you go again.

Middlebury didn't have to do anything and didn't do anything that negatively affected student experience. They have been very open about the struggles of MIIS and are now winding it down. The cuts to benefits were insignificant though any cut is significant to those impacted.

Their debt load is smaller than that of Colby which is smaller and has a considerably smaller endowment (both total and per student) and [b]it spends more money on student instruction than any of the NESCAC schools except Amherst, Bowdoin, and Williams.[/b] [/quote]
Nonetheless, by a quality defined as Faculty Resources, Middlebury placed after Wesleyan, Williams, Amherst, Colby, Trinity, Hamilton and Bowdoin in this analysis:

https://wallethub.com/edu/e/college-rankings/40750[/quote]

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