Brandeis University president Arthur Levine warned that as many as one in four U.S. colleges could close in coming years amid enrollment shifts, rising costs and structural financial strain. The projection echoes broader sector concerns about small and regional institutions’ viability. Analysts and college leaders point to reduced state support, demographic headwinds and policy turbulence as compounding the problem. Institutions are examining mergers, program consolidation and online pivot strategies to preserve operations; trustees and state policymakers face pressure to act quickly to avert campus closures that would disrupt students and communities.