Newbury College shut down in 2019 but former students are still facing tuition recovery lawsuits. (Photo: Facebook)
Newbury College in Massachusetts shut its doors in 2019 and ceased operating as a nonprofit organisation in 2022. In the summer of 2025, former student Cesarina Barros was sued for $28,000 in unpaid tuition and interest, raising questions about who collects outstanding fees when a college ceases to exist. At the time, she owed approximately $10,000 in tuition but continued making payments towards the outstanding amount. Cesarina Barros left Newbury College in 2009 owing approximately $10,000 in tuition. (Photo: Facebook) In 2022, Massachusetts’ highest court and the state attorney general’s office designated Wheaton College as the legal recipient of Newbury College’s assets and funds.
Barros left Newbury College in 2009 because she could no longer afford her education, according to a report by WGBH.
However, Wheaton spokesperson Suzi Robinson told WGBH that the institution did not acquire Newbury’s student accounts or outstanding balances. However, its closure did not bring an end to its financial dealings with former students. When the institution eventually closed, she believed she would no longer have to worry about the debt. The case has raised an unusual question: if a college has shut down, who is legally entitled to collect the money former students owe, and where does that money ultimately go? During a court hearing, Barros asked Judge Steven Kim where the money collected from former students would go. However, neither the judge nor the lawyer representing Newbury College could provide an answer. The judge subsequently postponed the case until January. Anderson also explained that whether tuition owed directly to a closed college must be repaid depends on how the institution’s affairs are wound down and whether its debts are transferred to another entity. Separate discharge provisions apply to federal and private student loans.
