Economists Slam Vivek Ramaswamy’s College Closure Scam

Economists Slam Vivek Ramaswamy's College Closure Scam

July 29, 2026

Columbus, Ohio- Independent economists slammed Vivek Ramaswamy's extreme proposal to close Ohio public colleges and universities in the Ohio Capital Journal. The economists surveyed largely agreed that Ramaswamy's college closure scam would slash economic output and drive college graduates away from Ohio.

Their analysis comes after numerous Republicans including Gov. Mike DeWine and Sen. Jerry Cirino also panned the plan. DeWine said he was "not in favor" of the plan, while Cirino slammed Ramaswamy, saying: "I don't know how much he knows about how higher ed works."

READ: Ohio governor candidate suggested consolidating universities. Economists think it's a bad idea.

• Republican nominee for governor Vivek Ramaswamy in March said that consolidating Ohio's public universities would make higher education better and more affordable.

• The strong consensus of economists surveyed on the topic this month said such a move would reduce the number of graduates in Ohio and reduce economic output. They split on whether it would even save any money.

• A panel of Ohio economists surveyed by Scioto Analysis wasn't sold on the argument. None believed it would help the Ohio economy in the long run.

• Asked whether they agreed that, "Reducing the number of universities in Ohio would reduce long-term economic output in the state of Ohio," 11 agreed and 4 were uncertain.

• None said they thought cutting the number of public universities would increase economic output.

• The Ohio economists overwhelmingly agreed that getting rid of public universities would cut the portion of Ohioans who get college degrees. 12 said it would and 2 were uncertain.

• While Ramaswamy said his college-consolidation plan would save Ohioans money, the economists didn't seem to believe the matter was so clear-cut.

• Six said it would save money, six said it wouldn't and two were uncertain.

• Even some of the economists who said consolidation would save money questioned the wisdom of doing so.

• "It would save money for the state in the short run but would be penny wise and pound foolish in the long run," said Bob Gitter of Ohio Wesleyan University. "Education is one of the primary functions of government."

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