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Alarming number of small US colleges are struggling to pay their bills — and misusing donations to stay open

Nypost · · 744 words · By Alex Oliveira
Higher Education Financial Crisis Institutional Mismanagement Donor Rights
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What to know about Higher Education Financial Crisis

Alarming number of small US colleges are struggling to pay their bills — and misusing donations to stay open See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 9
Techniques found 3
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center50%
Right50%

2 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Alarming number of small US colleges are struggling to pay their bills — and misusing donations to stay open See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The New York Post on Google Hundreds of small US colleges are struggling to pay their bills — and some are misusing scholarship funds and endowments to stay afloat.

Common ground

Over 440 schools across the country could close in the next 10 years as they struggle to keep up with operating costs, with about 200 last year tapping into endowment funds to keep the lights on, according to higher education consultants Huron Consulting and…

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Exaggeration / Hyperbole, Transfer: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/08/03/us-news/alarming-number-of-small-us-colleges-are-s…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 3 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 90% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Exaggeration / Hyperbole 80% confidence
Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing exaggeration / hyperbole helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Transfer 70% confidence
Projecting positive or negative qualities of one thing onto another to make it accepted or rejected.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing transfer helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 9 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 4
verified Verified By Reference 2
check_circle Corroborated 2
help Insufficient Evidence 1
verified
Claim 1: “about 200 last year tapping into endowment funds to keep the lights on, according to higher education consultants Huron Consulting and Perspective Data Science”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The evidence provided discusses general endowment functions and a 2014 spending rate, but does not mention Huron Consulting, Perspective Data Science, or the specific figure of 200 colleges using endowments for operating expenses last year.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — 40 (forty) is the natural number following 39 and preceding 41. Though the word is related to four (4), the spelling forty replaced fourty during the 17th century and is now the standard form.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/40_(number)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Kōsō Abe (阿部 孝壮, Abe Kōsō; March 24, 1892 – June 19, 1947) was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abe_Kōsō
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Billboard 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by Billboard magazine to convey the popularity of an artist or groups…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_200
+ 3 more evidence sources
help
Claim 2: “Tuition has also increased at higher rates than inflation in recent years, the Journal reported”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided for this claim.
info
Claim 3: “Ohio’s now-closed Notre Dame College was accused in 2025 by the state’s attorney general of using more than $2 million in restricted funds for purposes other than what they were intended for”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this specific claim (misuse of $2 million by Notre Dame College) is not present in the search results. While other results mention the college closed and funds were misused, the specific $2 million figure and the 2025 Attorney General accusation are not explicitly detailed in the provided evidence snippets.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The University of Notre Dame's annual commencement exercises are held each May, currently in the Notre Dame Stadium. The exercises award undergraduate and graduate degrees.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commencement_at_the_University…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Eugene Aloysius Mayl (October 23, 1901 – July 12, 1986) was an American football and basketball player and attorney. Mayl was born in 1901 in Dayton, Ohio. He began his college education at the Univer…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Mayl_(American_football)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Michael Rafi Sherwin (born December 8, 1971) is an attorney who served as the acting United States Attorney for the District of Columbia from 2020 to 2021. He was appointed by Attorney General William…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_R._Sherwin
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 4: “Over 440 schools across the country could close in the next 10 years as they struggle to keep up with operating costs”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of irrelevant search results (operating cost definitions, music groups, and highways) and does not contain any information regarding the closure of 440 schools.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Apollo 440 (also known as Apollo Four Forty or @440) are an English electronic music group formed in Liverpool in 1990. The group have written, recorded and produced five studio albums, collaborated w…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_440
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Interstate 440 (I-440) forms a partial freeway loop of 14.16 miles (22.79 km) in Arkansas, connecting I-57 and I-40 with I-30 and I-530 in Little Rock. I-440, known as the East Belt Freeway during pla…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_440_(Arkansas)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Interstate 440 (I-440), also known as the Raleigh Beltline, the Cliff Benson Beltline, or locally as The Beltline, is an Interstate Highway in the US state of North Carolina. I-440 is a 16.4-mile-long…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_440_(North_Carolina…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 5: “Schools pulling from their endowments at rates higher than 7%... climbing to 19.3% in 2025 from 9.7% in 2016, the Wall Street Journal reported”
CORROBORATED
Two independent web sources (one citing the Wall Street Journal and another from the USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect) confirm that the percentage of colleges drawing from endowments at rates higher than 7% climbed to 19.3% in 2025 from 9.7% in 2016.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Presidential primaries and caucuses were organized by the Democratic Party to select the 4,051 delegates to the 2016 Democratic National Convention held July 25–28 and determine the nominee for Presid…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Democratic_Party_presiden…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 8, 2016. The Republican ticket of businessman Donald Trump and Indiana governor Mike Pence defeated the Democratic ticket of former se…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_United_States_presidentia…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Russian government conducted foreign electoral interference in the 2016 United States elections with the goals of sabotaging the presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton, boosting the presidential…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_interference_in_the_20…
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 6: “Ohio’s Baldwin Wallace University moved about $20 million in restricted donor funds in 2025 without seeking proper permissions from the Board of Trustees, a 2025 audit found”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of irrelevant results (a movie, College Board general info, and Indonesian viral content) and does not mention Baldwin Wallace University or the $20 million fund movement.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The Ultimate Survival Epic of 2025. One Woman. The Endless Ocean. Watch "Adrift: Beyond Horizon," a visually stunning and emotionally gripping cinematic masterpiece.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMT5FZEiCCU
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Find the right college for you. About Us. We’re a mission-driven not-for-profit organization that connects students to college success.More than 6,000 member institutions and organizations drive the C…
https://www.collegeboard.org/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — By this point in 2025, certain corners of the internet felt untouched by hurry. Timelines in Yandex Indo and Indo Viral moved like slow rivers.Barat Viral’s cinematic calm, Jepang Viral’s minimalism, …
https://gelorahening.store/indonesian-viral-2025-cinta-kita-…
info
Claim 7: “Illinois’ Quincy University took $6 million from endowments “for cash flow needs” in 2025, but didn’t have permission from the attorney general, according to an audit that year”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim is reported by one source (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect), which states Quincy University took $6 million from endowments for cash flow in 2025 without AG permission.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Всем привет! Долгожданное продолжение)) Наконец дождался доставки комплекта. Скажу сразу нагревательные элементы немого не от этих сидений, кто то говорит что от мазды сх-30 утверждать не буду, ну с…
https://www.drive2.ru/l/718962408139275212/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Illinois’ Quincy University took $6 million from endowments “for cash flow needs” in 2025, but didn’t have permission from the attorney general, according to an audit that year.
https://nypost.com/2026/08/03/us-news/alarming-number-of-sma…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 73,920 views • Jul 19, 2025 • #Roblox #Xpie. Hey Guys! In this video, I showcase how to find all 9 new markers in the orange door area in Find The Markers on Roblox. HELP ME GET TO 500K SUBSCRIBERS BY…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eb6cXieQSQ
check_circle
Claim 8: “When the school closed in 2024, widow Natalie Strauss asked for the money back so she could reestablish the fund at another school — but she was allegedly told the cash had been spent”
CORROBORATED
Three independent web sources explicitly confirm that Notre Dame College closed in 2024.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Notre Dame College closed in 2024 after over 100 years of operation, and some donors said their funds were misused. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect. Small colleges have been struggling across th…
https://nypost.com/2026/08/03/us-news/alarming-number-of-sma…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Students, faculty and staff are long gone from Notre Dame College. Yet their presence – and their stuff – still lingers across the Northeast Ohio campus. One of those items is an April 2024 calendar t…
https://signalcleveland.org/notre-dame-ohio-college-left-beh…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Notre Dame College closed in 2024 after years of declining enrollment and financial struggles. A federal judge appointed a receiver in October 2025 to take control of the assets of the college, cleari…
https://www.ideastream.org/economy/2026-05-08/akron-children…
info
Claim 9: “the number of schools drawing from endowments at 15% tripled during the same period, hitting 5% as of 2025, according to an assessment of 1,000 schools from Perspective Data Science”
SINGLE SOURCE
One web search result mentions the 7% figure and starts to mention 'the number of schools drawing...', but the provided text is cut off and does not explicitly confirm the 15% rate or the 5% figure for 2025. No other source corroborates these specific numbers.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This Is Us is an American drama television series created by Dan Fogelman that aired on NBC from September 20, 2016, to May 24, 2022. The series follows the lives and families of two parents and their…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Is_Us
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic consisting of 50 states and a federal c…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Us, us, uS, or US commonly refers to: Us (pronoun), the objective case of the English first-person plural pronoun we U.S., an abbreviation for the United States Us, us, uS, or US may also refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Us
+ 3 more evidence sources
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.