Dozens of schools are picking up vacant office buildings, making the most of the sector’s pain by increasing the size of their campuses and real estate portfolios at a low price. 
The group of schools snagging properties since 2018 includes 49 four-year private institutions and 16 four-year public universities, according to The New York Times. The acquired buildings often need renovations, but these improvements are typically less expensive and time-consuming than constructing new buildings from scratch, per the NYT.