Dive snapshot:
- Northpoint Bible Collegeis moving away from degree programsafter losing its accreditation earlier this year.
- Beginning in September, the Massachusetts Pentecostal institution will operate under the name Northpoint School of the Bible and offer three-year nondegree programsfocused on ministerial preparation,President Tiff Shuttlesworth said late last week in a video message.
- According to Shuttlesworth, students will have a “seamless path forward” into several accredited, degree-granting religious colleges that will accept all of Northpoint’s credits if students choose to continue their education.
Background: In April, Northpoint lost its appeal with theAssociation for Biblical Higher Education to maintain the college’s accreditation. ABHE cited numerous compliance violations related to institutional instability,insufficient financial resources and operational issues.The college’s accreditation ended in May, though ABHE extended itfor a handful of students completing coursework until August.
Higher ed context:Northpoint is one of several Christian and religious colleges to close in recent years as enrollment and financial pressures mount. Those include Anna Maria College,Lourdes Universityand Providence Christian College — all of which announced this year that they would shutter.
By the numbers
122
Northpoint’s headcount in fall 2024, down nearly 65% from 347 students five years prior, according to federal data.
$7,700
That will be Northpoint’s new yearly tuition once it transitions to its new model, according to Shuttlesworth. That figure is down from roughly $28,000 and is meant to help make the program affordable and accessible.
$2.6 million
Northpoint’s fiscal 2025 revenue, which declined by 17.1% from the previous year, ABHE noted. Meanwhile, the college’s cash holdings dropped by 68.5%, and it reported a net operating loss of $2.5 million.
Quote: “We do have significant investment in making this happen. We need to slay a Goliath of somewhere between $2 million to $3 million to get us to a place of being sustainable.” –Tiff Shuttlesworth, president of Northpoint.
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What we’re watching: It remains to be seen whether students will buy into the institution’s new model and whether it can lower costs sufficiently to support the lower tuition. And maintaining articulation agreements with degree-granting institutions over the long-term could be critical to maintaining student interest.