The University of Bridgeport, located in Connecticut's most populous city, is merging with Marlboro College, a small liberal arts school in rural Vermont.
Leaders of both schools announced plans Thursday to join forces beginning next spring.
The institutions are very different from one another. The University of Bridgeport has about 5,000 students and offers degrees in engineering, business, education and the arts and sciences. Marlboro College allows students to craft a customized plan of education, culminating in a bachelor of arts degree.
Marlboro's enrollment has dropped to about 150 students.
Marlboro will now be known as the Marboro College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Bridgeport.
School officials say they believe the two schools will complement one another, academically and geographically.
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