For-profit universities have for years offered in-person classes at campus locations to supplement their online curricula. But with in-person enrollments dwindling, some are rethinking the role these places play.
With free-flowing coffee and sleek modern furnishings in an open-concept space, Strayer University’s new location in Killeen, Tex., looks more like a high-end co-working space than a typical university outpost.
That’s because in many ways it is. The space is the 20th “hybrid campus” Strayer has opened in the past two years, with more locations like it on the way.
Strayer, an online for-profit institution with more than 50,000 students, has long offered physical locations where students can take in-person classes. The university currently has more than 70 campuses nationwide.
But in recent years, the number of students opting to study face-to-face has diminished and more students are choosing to study exclusively online, prompting Strayer’s administration to rethink how these spaces might best be used, said Cale Holman, university chief academic officer and provost.