Students walk across the Krentzman Quad in between classes at Northeastern University in Boston.
Photographer: Sophie Park/BloombergA College Taps Wall Street Playbook to Rival Ivies on Admissions
For Northeastern University, navigating the brutal business of higher education means using mergers and acquisitions to build a global brand.
America’s higher education system, long the envy of the world, is reaching a breaking point. Colleges are folding at a fast clip, while a growing number of people are questioning the value of getting expensive degrees from private schools that have consistently jacked up tuition costs.
At a time when many college administrators are whistling past the graveyard, one school is charting a way forward — with all the pains that come with adapting to this new reality. And the strategy is pulled straight from the private equity industry.