The registry, as a dataset
Every structured fact in the registry — 175 records, one per documented closure — as a downloadable dataset. The narrative dossiers stay on-site; this is the data behind them. Licensed CC BY 4.0: reuse it freely, with attribution to defunctu.com.
registry-v1.csv registry-v1.json 175 records · updated Jul 24, 2026
Columns
Column reference (v1 — names are stable; new columns may be appended)
| Column | Meaning |
|---|---|
| id | Registry case-file code (FB/SG/BD/AB-###) — stable primary key |
| name | Institution name |
| slug / url | Permalink of the full dossier |
| closure_year | Year the closure completed (or is announced for, when pending=1) |
| founded / closed | Lifespan endpoints as documented ("1870s" = decade-approximate). Merged and absorbed entries trace predecessor lineage |
| city / state / location | Campus location; state is USPS. Blank city/state = statewide or multi-state operation |
| control | IPEDS control: public · private-nonprofit · religious · for-profit (religious broken out) |
| cause | Primary documented cause: enrollment · insolvency · fraud · accreditation · merger |
| fate | closed · merged · absorbed · acquired · saved · revived |
| era | Decade of closure |
| pending / pending_expected | 1 = announced but not yet completed; expected completion (YYYY-MM) where stated |
| peak_enrollment | Parsed integer from the documented peak (first figure ≥ 50); blank when not reliably recorded — always check peak_enrollment_raw |
| peak_enrollment_raw | The documented peak-enrollment statement, verbatim |
| affiliation | Control / denomination, as documented |
| campus_today | What occupies the campus now, as documented |
| campus_bucket | campus_today classified: another-school · housing · redevelopment · civic-park · religious · demolished-vacant · unresolved |
| successor | The institution this college was merged into / absorbed by / acquired by; blank when the succession is ambiguous or not applicable |
Scope & method
This is a curated register, not a census: it contains the closures defunctU has documented as full case files, each web-verified against the closure record and named higher-education journalism. Counts computed from this dataset describe the registry, not the entire population of American college closures. Every record links to its dossier, which carries the sources.
Cite the dataset
defunctU. defunctU registry of closed American colleges and universities (v1). https://defunctu.com/data/. CC BY 4.0.