University of Toledo Suspends Nine Undergraduate Programs in Response to New Ohio Law
The University of Toledo announced Monday that it will suspend admission to nine undergraduate programs beginning with the 2025-26 school year in compliance with Senate Bill 1 (S.B. 1), a sweeping and controversial new Ohio law affecting public higher education.
The suspended programs include:
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Africana Studies
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Asian Studies
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Data Analytics
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Disability Studies
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Middle East Studies
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Philosophy
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Religious Studies
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Spanish
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Women’s and Gender Studies
Although majors will be phased out, students currently enrolled can finish their degrees, and the university will continue offering minors in all nine disciplines.
“I also want to be clear that these disciplines remain an important part of UToledo,” Dr. Scott Molitor, Toledo’s interim provost and executive vice president of academic affairs, said in a written statement. “Faculty will continue to teach courses that are part of minors, certificates, or concentrations, as well as significant components of our core curriculum.”
S.B. 1, signed into law by Gov. Mike DeWine on March 28, bans diversity efforts, regulates classroom discussions, restricts faculty strikes, mandates post-tenure reviews, and threatens diversity scholarships. The law also requires the elimination of undergraduate programs that confer fewer than five degrees annually over any three-year period.
The nine suspended programs at UToledo had a combined 57 students enrolled this spring and 15 graduates in the 2023-24 academic year.
In addition, UToledo is cutting 12 other programs unrelated to S.B. 1 as part of a broader academic portfolio review. These include several graduate degrees across fields such as business, education, philosophy, sociology, music, and geology.
“This is now our third year of an annual process to evaluate our programs, said Molitor. “We need to ensure we’re allocating resources to areas in high demand.”
Meanwhile, faculty at Youngstown State University are working to get a referendum on the November ballot to try and block S.B. 1 before it takes effect in late June.
