Montclair State and Bloomfield College Merge

Inside Higher Ed

Josh Moody

October 27, 2022

Bloomfield College will become part of Montclair State University, the institutions announced Wednesday, formalizing a merger that had been in the works for months since Montclair State stepped up to help the financially struggling Bloomfield.

Going forward, Bloomfield will be known as Bloomfield College of Montclair State University.

Bloomfield—a small private liberal arts college in Bloomfield, N.J., that primarily serves Black and Hispanic students—made a public plea for help last fall as it faced threats of closure. Montclair State, a medium-size public research university in Montclair, about 10 miles away, intervened at the time, providing a financial lifeline for Bloomfield that has now materialized into a merger.

The two campuses will soon move forward as one institution. Bloomfield will remain independent in the 2022–23 academic year, with the merger becoming official next June.

A Plea for Help

Like many small liberal arts colleges, Bloomfield has dealt with dwindling enrollment for years. In fall 2012, 2,044 students were enrolled, according to the college’s website. Fast-forward a decade, and just 1,153 students enrolled this fall.

Even as Bloomfield experienced enrollment challenges, another crisis hit in 2020: the coronavirus pandemic, which sent enrollment numbers tumbling and disproportionately affected minority communities. As Black and Hispanic populations struggled with the fallout of COVID-19, so, too, did the college

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