Black Voices: Money and Employment News from Across the Nation
- Martin University will close after nearly 50 years due to unsustainable financial challenges and declining enrollment.
- Loss of expected state funding and cuts to DEI-related programs worsened the university’s already fragile financial model.
- The school’s mission served low-income, first-generation, and nontraditional learners but lacked sufficient community and institutional support.
- Martin’s closure reflects broader trends: dozens of college closures and disproportionate harm to Black-serving institutions.
The only predominantly Black university in Indiana is shutting down, as of early January.
Martin University — which is a historically Black institution and Black-founded, but technically not classified as a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) since it was founded after the cutoff date — will close after almost 50 years in operation. The main reason? Financial issues. In recent years, enrollment not only decreased, but funding tanked.
“Without an endowment and given today’s political climate around higher education funding, this financial model is simply not sustainable,” the Board of Trustees said when announcing the decision. The Higher Learning Commission recommended closure by late December 2025, and Martin adhered.
The school heavily relied on outside funding to support students’ financial aid needs, many of whom weren’t able to pay full tuition, but it struggled. For example, when Republican Indiana Governor Mike Braun proposed higher education cuts of DEI-support programs in his budget and didn’t include Martin, the university lost millions in anticipated funds that were important to remaining operational, per Complex.
Founded by Boniface Hardin and Jane Edward Schilling in 1977, the school was born out of a need for educational opportunities and a chance to overcome polarization brought about by racism and injustice in Indianapolis. It was also dedicated to serving low-income, first-gen, and non-traditional learners across its undergraduate and graduate programs.
“Martin University’s primary focus has always been on providing its students with an outstanding education and hiring the most qualified and talented faculty and staff possible,” Board of Trustees Chairman Joseph Perkins told The Edu Ledger in December 2025. “A primary need of Martin’s is for more community support,” he continued, including funding for first-gen students. This never came through. Some mid-program Martin students are in limbo, though nearby schools like University of Indianapolis and Marian University announced options for students to transfer credits.
Higher education struggles have become more frequent in recent years. More than 100 colleges have merged or closed since 2016 due to declining enrollment and financial pressure. HBCUs have been hit disproportionately hard by recent challenges. Not only are the schools historically underfunded, but overall, the president has been attacking higher ed and has “set his sights on defunding colleges,” per the Times.
“The closing of our doors does not erase the impact of this institution, nor the community that built it,” the Board added on Martin’s closure. “We recognize the passion, grief, and even anger being expressed within the community.”
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