Overview
- Trustees and the Sisters of St. Francis concluded the university had no sustainable path forward due to financial pressures tied to enrollment decline, rising costs, and a funding model judged untenable.
- Lourdes will remain fully operational and accredited through May 2026, with all classes, student services, Lifelong Learning Programs, and Franciscan Center events continuing and a final commencement in May.
- The University of Toledo committed to admit Lourdes students in good standing as part of an organized teach-out, and Walsh University announced an automatic acceptance pathway, with additional transfer options being developed.
- Federal data show enrollment fell to 964 in fall 2024 from roughly 2,500 in the early 2010s, a stretch marked by operating losses and a largely restricted endowment of about $13.6 million.
- Following the closure announcement, President William J. Bisset stepped down and Sister Nancy Linenkugel was named the final president, with student and parent meetings scheduled next week and advisors mapping individual transfer plans.