Faced with rising costs and declining enrollment, Lourdes University in Sylvania, Ohio, has decided to close at the end of the 2025-26 academic year.
"Lourdes has faced mounting financial pressures driven by declining enrollment, rising costs and a funding model that is unsustainable," the university's board of trustees said in a letter to faculty and staff.
"Regrettably, it is now clear that there is no path forward for this institution, and this decision is the most responsible one for our students, our faculty and our mission."
The trustees said the Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania have overseen and supported Lourdes University for many years.
"However, the Sisters can no longer continue to subsidize the University at the level required to sustain its operations," the trustees said.
All classes and school operations will continue throughout the remainder of the academic year, the university says.
Lourdes was established in 1958 by the Sisters of St. Francis. The university had 655 students enrolled and 136 full- and part-time staff, a spokesman told USA Today.
