Bauder College, a for-profit institution based in Atlanta, plans to close next year after years of declining enrollment.
Enrollment at the college has dropped from a high of about 1,200 students five years ago to 420 students currently, said spokesman Stephen White, much of it due to weakening local employment opportunities for graduates of the college’s programs.
Most of Bauder’s students will be able to complete their course work by the December 2015 closing, White said. The remaining 75 or so students will be able to transfer to Kaplan Higher Education to complete their studies at no additional cost.
Bauder has stopped enrolling new students and visitors to the college’s website are directed to the Kaplan site for information on those educational programs. With the closing announcement, ten of Bauder’s 60 full-time staff, mostly administrative employees, were immediately laid off.
Bauder was founded in 1964 as a fashion and etiquette school. Since then a variety of programs, including criminal justice, business and medical programs have been added to its course offerings. The college is regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
The school’s closing is not prompted by any federal or state investigations that have plagued other for-profit institutions, White said. In addition to the enrollment declines, Bauder’s current lease was coming to an end.
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