Overview

• Limestone University, founded in 1845, will shut down at the end of the semester after raising only $2.1 million of its $6 million goal during a two-week campaign.
• The Board of Trustees voted to close both on-campus and online programs, citing insurmountable financial challenges, including $30 million in debt.
• All donations from the fundraising effort will be returned, and the university is assisting students with transfer plans to continue their education.
• The closure will result in job losses for several hundred faculty and staff in Gaffney, South Carolina, a town of 12,500 residents.
• The shutdown reflects a broader trend of private college closures attributed to declining enrollment, demographic shifts, and pandemic-related impacts, with nearby St. Andrews University also closing this semester.