PAXTON, MA — Anna Maria College will cease academic operations at the end of the Spring 2026 semester.
The decision comes after months of evaluation and years of financial strain, President Sean F. Ryan and the Board of Trustees said in a message to the campus community on Thursday.
“This conclusion was not reached quickly or easily,” the statement read. “We tried to find a way. We are grateful to everyone who tried alongside us. And we are deeply, genuinely sorry we found no viable path forward.”
Founded in 1946 by the Sisters of Saint Anne, Anna Maria College described the decision as the end of a mission rooted in expanding access to education, particularly for students of modest means.
College leaders emphasized that current students will receive support through the transition. Seniors will still participate in Commencement, which the school confirmed will proceed as planned.
“You have earned your degrees. You will walk. That is a promise,” the statement said.
For students unable to finish their programs by spring 2026, the college said it is finalizing transfer agreements with partner institutions and will provide individualized advising to help students continue their education elsewhere. Additional partner schools are expected to be added in the coming weeks.
Students who planned to begin at Anna Maria this fall will receive full deposit refunds, according to the announcement.
More information and transition resources are available here.
The college also addressed faculty and staff, acknowledging the impact on employees as operations wind down.
“You have carried this institution through circumstances that would have broken a lesser community,” the statement read. “We are committed to treating every employee with the transparency, respect, and care you have earned.”
Human Resources officials will remain available to assist employees during the closure process.
Anna Maria leaders reflected on the school’s legacy, tracing its origins to the Sisters of Saint Anne and their founding mission in 1946 in Marlborough.
“What was built here over nearly 80 years belongs to this community and cannot be undone,” the statement said. “The education our graduates received, the character that was formed, the lives that were changed, those are permanent.”
The college noted that its values of service, faith and reason, and student-centered education, will live on through alumni and the communities they serve.
College officials said additional details regarding teach-out plans, staffing transitions, and donor commitments will be shared in the coming weeks.
“We know this news will bring grief, anger,and questions we cannot yet fully answer,” the statement concluded. “All of that is right and deserved.”
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