Hampshire College Secures Loan to Partially Open for Fall Term

Hampshire College President Jennifer Chrisler announced in an email to the Hampshire community dated June 8, 2026, that the college has secured a loan from a philanthropic partner that will enable it to partially open for the fall term to accommodate students who have not transferred and who are attempting to complete their Division III projects, the final capstone stage of a Hampshire education, typically completed in a student’s fourth year.

Chrisler said the school has reached an “agreement in principle” with a philanthropic partner to provide a loan. The funds are intended to support the wind-down process of campus operations and to allow time for the college to plan for land sales to help meet its financial obligations, while considering its institutional legacy and mission, she wrote. Chrisler did not disclose the amount or terms of the loan, or the philanthropic organization that had offered it. Nor was she able to say precisely what the arrangements for the Fall term would look like or when that information would be available, though she said it would be posted soon on the college’s Division III webpage.

When Chrisler announced on April 14 that the college would close permanently at the end of the calendar year, she outlined a completion pathway for Division III students to finish their degrees on campus. This pathway included housing, classes, and support services for the fall 2026 semester.

Chrisler subsequently announced on May 30 that the school might not have sufficient funds to complete its teach-out plan and accommodate the needs of all of its students. According to the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education, colleges at risk of closure must have a contingency or teach-out plan, which includes transfer options for students so they can finish their degrees with minimal disruption. Hampshire’s plan includes facilitating the transfer of its students to several other regional colleges and universities, including the other four colleges in the Five College Consortium to which Hampshire belongs, or providing opportunities to complete graduation requirements on the Hampshire campus in the fall term of 2026.

But in her May 30 communication, Chrisler said college might not have the funds to complete it’s teach-out plan, saying, “From the outset, the board and I understood that successfully implementing the teach-out would require careful financial planning, additional fundraising, and close collaboration with our financial partners to ensure we had the resources necessary to fulfill our commitments. While we continue to move forward on all these efforts, several developments have introduced enough uncertainty that it is important to share that information with our community.”

The loan will allow the college to proceed with its original plans to complete the teach-out. Chrisler said in her email, “We expect the loan will be finalized next month following a short period of due diligence, at which point the College projects having adequate financial resources to complete the teach-out of academic programs through December 31, 2026.”

She added that college leaders are still finalizing a faculty cohort with the Hampshire College Faculty Union and the staffing necessary to complete the teach-out process.

According to the Boston Globe, as of June 8, the University of Massachusetts Amherst had admitted 188 transfer students from Hampshire, and Amherst College had admitted 13 Hampshire students. Smith and Mount Holyoke colleges both declined to provide a number. Other Hampshire students have applied to or already plan to transfer to the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, and Bennington College in Vermont.

Chrisler also emphasized that the loan does not change the college’s plans to sell the campus expeditiously in order to retire Hampshire’s outstanding debt obligations, saying, “While we cannot let up on moving towards successful land sales to fulfill our financial obligations and facilitate an orderly operational wind-down, this new loan agreement enables us to proceed with greater confidence in our plans. In the long-term, the loan also affords the opportunity to create future uses of the campus for purposes in line with the values of Hampshire College.”

Jennifer Chrisler’s Memo to the Hampshire Community

To the Hampshire College Community:

I am pleased to share that Hampshire College has reached agreement in principle with a philanthropic partner to provide a loan that will support the wind-down of campus operations and supplies time and resources for the College to strategically plan for land sales that maximally meet our financial obligations, and to consider legacy and mission throughout that process.

This agreement provides a level of financial confidence that was not previously available. With this new information, the board of trustees voted over the weekend to continue with the summer and fall teach-out as planned. We expect the loan will be finalized next month following a short period of due diligence, at which point the College projects having adequate financial resources to complete the teach-out of academic programs through December 31, 2026.

While we cannot let up on moving towards successful land sales to fulfill our financial obligations and facilitate an orderly operational wind-down, this new loan agreement enables us to proceed with greater confidence in our plans. In the long-term, the loan also affords the opportunity to create future uses of the campus for purposes in line with the values of Hampshire College.

I also want to be clear that this loan does not guard against all potential challenges to teach-out operations. We are working diligently to secure needed insurance, and College leadership is actively finalizing a faculty cohort with the Hampshire College Faculty Union. We are pleased to have had constructive conversations with the faculty on a framework to ensure that we have the expertise, advising capacity, and mentorship necessary to support the students remaining at Hampshire through the teach-out.

An important component of mitigating these risks and supporting students through the teach-out will be philanthropic support from alumni and friends of the College. I am deeply grateful for the donor support we have received during this turbulent time, and I will be reaching out directly to the wider Hampshire community with opportunities for support in the coming days.

To our students, I am sorry for the uncertainty you have been managing. A summary of the teach-out plan (both Div III completion and Div I/II continuation pathways) will be added to the Hampshire website soon to provide clarity and as much detail as is available. Students should reach out to the Center for Academic Support and Advising or the Office of Accessibility Resources and Services for further assistance.

As we continue to prepare for the teach-out period, I want to express appreciation and admiration for the College’s faculty and staff – this talented, creative, and caring community that I have been fortunate to be part of for the past seven years. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for everything you have given to our students, our mission, and your colleagues. While I am sharing positive developments today, the good news sits within the wider context of loss and transition as we say goodbye to colleagues and friends. This week, we will finalize the small contingent of staff required for teach-out and wind-down, and we will ensure that employees have as much clarity on their roles and timelines as feasible.

The board, senior leadership team, and I know this process has been taxing, and we remain committed to updating you as this work continues. Thank you for your continued patience, support, and commitment to Hampshire.

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