San Diego-based National University announced Monday plans to merge with another local online college, expanding the institution’s sizable footprint amid pandemic-heightened demand for remote learning.
The University of Southern California is the only larger private college in the state, serving about 49,500 students in the last academic year. “As our country continues to grapple with rapidly changing workforce needs and a new round of economic uncertainty, colleges and universities face a new imperative to deliver educational offerings that are affordable, accessible and tightly aligned with the needs of the labor market,” Michael Cunningham, interim president of National University, said in a press statement.About 70 percent of National’s students take most of their classes online, according to a press statement.