GAFFNEY, S.C. - Limestone University is officially shutting its doors at the end of this academic semester. The decision was made by the university's Board of Trustees late Tuesday evening. 

The school originally announced that it was in danger of closing earlier this month, citing a six-million dollar deficit. While in its last two weeks, the school was able to raise over two-million dollars, but it was too little too late. 

“Despite exhaustive efforts to secure the funding necessary to continue our operations, we have come to the difficult conclusion that Limestone University has not been able to secure the necessary funding to sustain its operations,” said Randall Richardson, Chair of Limestone’s Board of Trustees. “We want to thank the almost 200 recent supporters in the last two weeks who committed a collective $2.143 million.  We had hoped that would be enough to sustain our institution. But in the final analysis, we could not continue operations on-campus or online without a greater amount of funding.”

The school was originally founded in 1985 and has been a mainstay of the Gaffney community for generations. The school's enrollment was highly composed of student-athletes. The number increased just over a decade ago when the Saints fielded their first ever football team in 2014.

“Words cannot fully express the sorrow we feel in having to share this news,” said Dr. Nathan Copeland, President of Limestone University. “Our students, alumni, faculty, staff, and supporters fought tirelessly to save this historic institution. While the outcome is not what we hoped for, we are forever grateful for the passion, loyalty, and prayers of our Saints family.”

The school will hold its final graduation ceremonies on Saturday. School leaders say they are working with students to coordinate their next steps.