Real Estate Distress on College Campuses: Case Study on Liquidity through Public Private Partnerships and Portfolio Right-Sizing

Abstract

The impact of COVID-19 will have a long-run effect on our institutions and academic facilities. How universities adjust their portfolios of real estate assets is a major determinant of their longterm success. This thesis seeks to establish an overview of the financial distress faced by colleges and universities in light of the pandemic, and a review of the hardest hit universities. In light of expected closures in the near future, this thesis uses the potential acquisition of a campus closure in the Philadelphia CBD market as a feasibility test to an investment thesis on forced seller distress.