Document Type

Report

Publication Date

6-2026

Research Center

Center for Economic Development

Abstract

In 2024, Notre Dame College in South Euclid, Ohio, announced its permanent closure. Notre Dame College was founded by the Sisters of Notre Dame in 1922 as a teaching and nursing college for local women. Over the course of more than a century of operation, more than 6,000 students graduated from the small private catholic college. NDC was not only important to their alumni, but served as South Euclid’s largest employer, with an $82.5 million loss of GDP for the Cleveland-Euclid MSA1. Alumni raised funds for the struggling college; however, their efforts failed, and at its 100thgraduation ceremony in May 2024, Notre Dame College closed its doors. College closure is a common trend spreading throughout the United States. With 48 colleges closing since 20202, the trend is growing. Ohio alone has lost six (6) private colleges since 2020, with the most recent announcement of Lourdes University in the northwestern region of Ohio. Lourdes University has a similar story of NDC, founded in 1958 by the Sisters of St Francis of Sylvania to educate novices to their order, the university transformed into educating women in liberal arts. On February 11th, 2026, the board of trustees of Lourdes University announced its closure at the end of the spring term.  NDC is in the Cleveland-Euclid MSA, which comprises a variety of both public and private universities; however, the Toledo MSA only offers four (4) 4-year colleges or universities, including Lourdes University. This study examines and compares the economic impact of college closure in Ohio through EIA (economic impact analysis) utilizing IMPLAN software, as well as discussing the policy implications of college closure in two different regions.

1 https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2844&context=urban_facpub

2 https://www.bestcolleges.com/research/closed-colleges-list-statistics-major-closures/

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