Following the demise of another conventional institution due to devastating financial mismanagement and progressive education practices, a historic 180-year-old Christian university in South Carolina is permanently closing. Despite having a long history of providing faith-based education dating back to 1845, Limestone University in Gaffney could not raise the $6 million required to stay open.
Christian Heritage Institution Falls to Financial Crisis
The Board of Trustees voted to permanently close Limestone University following the current academic semester after failing to meet its fundraising goals. Declining enrollment, which dropped from 3,200 students in 2014 to just 1,600 today, combined with $30 million in debt, created an insurmountable financial situation for the Christian institution.
Limestone University started in 1845 but can't survive in the current climate. Expect an apocalypse of college closings in the next decade because too many institutes charge huge tuition, and students can't find a job afterward. pic.twitter.com/3OAfytrANn
— Xeriland (@Xeriland) April 27, 2025
This closure represents yet another blow to traditional education as faith-based institutions struggle to compete in an increasingly hostile environment. Nearly 500 faculty and staff members will lose their jobs when the university shuts down after commencement ceremonies on May 3rd.
Failed Fundraising Despite Community Support
The “Together for Limestone” campaign raised only $2.143 million from nearly 200 supporters, far short of the $6 million needed to continue operations. The Fullerton Foundation had pledged $1 million, while local donors contributed another $1 million, desperately attempting to save the historic institution.
With deep sadness, Limestone University will close at the end of this semester. The Board has voted to discontinue all on-campus and online programs.
Full release: https://t.co/KzPNEA0HzJ pic.twitter.com/pTa7IfPclu
— Limestone University (@followLimestone) April 30, 2025
Current students will be assisted in transferring to other institutions to complete their degrees. As the university begins its closure procedures, all donations received during the fundraising campaign will be returned to contributors.
Questions About Financial Management Emerge
Students and faculty have raised concerns about why university leadership didn’t address the financial issues sooner. Student Emma Knapp questioned the economic decisions: “Why didn’t we do anything sooner? We kept spending money when we shouldn’t have been.”
“The problems didn’t happen overnight, and they probably could have been addressed sooner,” said Paul LeFrancois, highlighting potential mismanagement of resources.
Randall Richardson, representing the university, attempted to put a positive spin on the devastating closure: “Our Limestone spirit will endure through the lives of our students and alumni who carry it forward into the world. Though our doors may close, the impact of Limestone University will live on.”
The institution’s financial struggles reflect broader challenges facing traditional Christian universities across the United States, which contend with declining enrollments and rising operational costs. Limestone’s closure marks the end of nearly two centuries of educational service and Christian influence in South Carolina, becoming another casualty in the changing landscape of American higher education.