The public institution reports that the fall 2026 class could be as many as 246 students - up 20% over the previous year’s 207. The announcement comes on the heels of a successful fundraising campaign this spring. President James Birge – who is preparing to retire this summer after a decade leading MCLA – says the college has full coffers heading into the fall.
“We had a goal of $30 million dollars- We're closing it out at more than $33 million," he told WAMC. "So, we have the resources for scholarships, for new athletic facilities, all those kinds of things.”
The news comes as another Western Massachusetts liberal arts college – Hampshire in Amherst – shutters amid dire financial straits half a century after it was established.
