Why Northeastern Keeps Acquiring Colleges

You’ve heard of a chain of restaurants. Now, a chain of accredited colleges?  In May, Northeastern University in Boston agreed to merge with Marymount Manhattan College. The deal allows Northeastern to essentially absorb the tiny school on New York City’s Upper East Side, which was operating at a loss. No cash will change hands, Northeastern will inherit all assets and liabilities (including teaching space and two dormitories), and the school will be renamed and function like a satellite campus. Northeastern’s acquisition is the latest in a string of deals snapping up smaller schools and rebranding them. If approved by regulators, it would become Northeastern’s 14th campus, joining a small empire with outposts in places such as London, Miami and Silicon Valley.