July 30, 2026
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The University of Valley Forge in Chester County will cease academic operations following the conclusion of the summer semester. It has been under financial duress for years.
The University of Valley Forge is shutting down its academic operations at the conclusion of the summer semester, having undertaken a "careful assessment" of its "financial realities," the university's board of trustees said Wednesday. The private, Christian school in Chester County had been under financial distress for years.
The decision to close comes after the Middle States Commission on Higher Education threatened to rescind its accreditation of the University of Valley Forge if the school did not provide a plan to improve its fiscal and governance management by Sept. 1.
After the University of Valley Forge received notice from the commission on June 29, university officials said they began pursuing strategic partnerships and fundraising efforts, and instructed staffers to develop "teach-out plans" that would provide students with paths to complete their education at other institutions.
But the board of trustees concluded that the university could not responsibly sustain itself beyond its summer term, which ends Aug. 14. Essential personnel will remain available to support the school's 589 undergraduate students through the transition.
"To our students, we are deeply sorry," the board said in a statement. "We understand that this announcement disrupts your lives, your plans and your sense of stability and we are grieving for you and with you. Please know that until the very last moment, we had significant reason to believe there was a sustainable path forward. However, that path did not materialize in time."
The university's website provides information on how students can transfer to Eastern University, Messiah University and Southeastern University. These schools are waiving application fees and offering discounted tuition to UVF students.
The University of Valley Forge was established in 1939 as a small Bible college in Green Lane, Montgomery County as part of an international network of Assemblies of God colleges. It moved to its current home on the site of the former Valley Forge General Hospital in Phoenixville, Chester County, in 1974.
In 2014, the university changed its name from Valley Forge Christian College to the University of Valley Forge. The school has been under financial stress for decades. In 2021, it reported $20.2 million of expenses and operated with a $1.9 million loss, the Inquirer reported, citing information from the school's most recently filed Form 990.
"This is a painful moment for our community, but it is not one without hope," the board of trustees said. "... While this chapter is drawing to a close, we trust that the Lord will continue His work through the lives of those who have been part of this mission in ways we cannot yet see."
