The Delaware College of Art and Design is winding down operations and will no longer offer classes or confer degrees starting this fall.
"This decision was incredibly difficult, and we explored every possible avenue to avoid it,” said President Jean Dahlgren in a statement.
Dahlgren cited declining enrollment, rising operational costs, and unexpected issues surrounding the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) led to the decision to close.
Founded in 1997, DCAD was offering associate degree programs in animation, fine arts, game art, graphic design, illustration, and photography and video.
DCAD says there are about 50 rising second-year students. It is unclear how many are in the first-year class.
But Dahlgren’s statement says they are committed to helping all of them transfer to partner schools, including the Pennsylvania College of Art & Design and Moore College of Art & Design. DCAD says these schools offer comparable programs at a similar cost.
“We understand this news may cause stress and uncertainty,” said Dahlgren's statement. “We are dedicated to minimizing the impact on our students during this transition and are committed to helping our faculty and staff pursue future opportunities.”
DCAD says representatives of both schools will be on DCAD’s campus next week on May 30 and 31 to answer questions and assist with the transfer process.
