Vivek Ramaswamy said Ohio’s colleges and universities need to be consolidated: ‘We have too many of them’

Republican candidate for Ohio governor, Vivek Ramaswamy, has said he wants to consolidate Ohio’s colleges and universities.

In recent video posted on Ramaswamy’s Threads accountis asked whether eliminating the state income tax is possible.

“This is possible because it highlights certain areas of overspending where we can not only cut costs but also improve efficiency,” Ramaswamy said in the less than a minute-long video clip.

“Look at the number of universities in our state. I love the universities in Ohio. I want us to have the best universities. We have too many of them. They need to be consolidated. And when you consolidate them, they can actually be centers of excellence that are actually the best in their fields, rather than trying to create replicas and clones of each other across the state.”

Preliminary data shows that more than 313,000 undergraduate students were enrolled at Ohio’s public universities last fall semester. Ohio Department of Higher Education.

Ohio has 36 public two-year and four-year colleges and universities, 74 independent institutions and 49 technical schools, by department.

“Vivek obviously does not intend to eliminate Ohio’s great universities, but he will reduce the bureaucracy burdening them,” Ramaswamy campaign spokesman Evan Machan said in an email.

“College tuition costs are more unaffordable than ever, and Vivek will make no apologies for providing solutions to this problem for Ohio families.”

Ramaswamy, who is from the Cincinnati area, He graduated from Harvard University and Yale Law School.

Ohio Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton quickly responded to Ramaswamy’s comments in several X posts.

“In Ohio, we are proud of our world-class colleges and universities, which are centers of our communities, our economy, create jobs and produce world-class athletes,” Acton said. in one of his postsS. “It’s March Madness and I’m rooting for our Ohio colleges while my opponent wants to eliminate teams from your bracket.”

In Ohio, we are proud of our world-class colleges and universities, which are centers of our communities, our economy, create jobs and produce world-class athletes.

It’s March Madness and I’m rooting for our Ohio colleges while my opponent wants to eliminate teams from your bracket. https://t.co/2oPKXGC9ai

— Dr. Amy Acton (@amyactonoh) March 16, 2026

Acton holds degrees from Youngstown State University, Northeast Ohio Medical University and The Ohio State University.

“I paid my way through Youngstown State and started teaching at OSU,” Acton said her second post. “Ohio has the best universities in the country and Vivek Ramaswamy plans to get rid of them.”

“Vivek Ramaswamy’s plan to eliminate countless colleges and universities in Ohio will devastate local communities across the state who depend on them for jobs, health care and quality of life,” said Acton campaign spokeswoman Addie Bullock.

Former Republican Ohio Gov. Jim Rhodes said that when running for office, he wanted a public college or university within 30 miles of every Ohioan.

Rhodes became governor in 1963, Cleveland State University opened in 1964, Wright State University opened in 1967, Northeast Ohio Medical University opened in 1972, and Shawnee State University opened in 1986.

After Rhodes took office, several affiliated colleges, regional university branches, and technical colleges were also established.

However, colleges and universities are feeling it effects of dwindling birth ratesrising tuition costs and student loan debt.

National birth rate dropped by almost 23% From 2007 to 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which means the school-age population started dwindling last year until 2037, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. data from the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education.

Both Ohio University’s main and regional campuses and community colleges saw growth of 12% enrollment decline from fall 2012 to fall 2022– according to the Ohio Department of Higher Education.

During this time, the number of public higher education institutions in Ohio overall declined 12% from 527,190 to 462,949.

Follow Ohio Capital Journal reporter Megan Henry on X Or on Bluesky.