Advance Ohio Higher Education Act Compliance | AOHEA Compliance

Advance Ohio Higher Education Act Compliance | AOHEA Compliance
Advance Ohio Higher Education Act Compliance
The
Advance Ohio Higher Education Act
(AOHEA) was signed into law on March 28, 2025, and took effect on June 27, 2025. Ohio University has been working across multiple work groups and committees to ensure compliance with the new law and meet the required deadlines.
Guided by our University
mission, vision and values
, Ohio University is working to fully understand, respond to, and inform our community about recent and ongoing changes to Ohio law as well as federal actions and guidance. We have created this web page to help keep our community informed, even as guidance may continue to evolve.
University-Sponsored Guest Speakers
Academic Policies
Provost Office Work Groups
University Policy 18.010: AOHEA Compliance
Ohio University's Statement of Commitment
Frequently Asked Questions
The following Q&A provides additional details. This information is not intended to be a comprehensive analysis of the law, and members of our University community are encouraged to read the bill in its entirety.
How will provisions in the law related to “diversity, equity and inclusion” scholarships impact existing scholarship programs at OHIO?
Federal law prohibits universities receiving federal funding, including federal financial aid, from using use race or sex in the awarding of scholarships.  The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has recently provided guidance reiterating these restrictions. Ohio University has already taken action to align with federal guidance, and we do not anticipate significant impacts on scholarships as a result of the Advance Ohio Higher Education Act.
Ohio University’s highly competitive Templeton Scholars Program, Appalachian Scholars and Urban Scholars Programs, and Margaret Boyd Scholars Program underwent review in 2023 to ensure selection criteria and associated processes aligned with new interpretation of federal law, and those programs will continue at Ohio University.
Will language in the law related to “controversial topics” result in the elimination of courses at OHIO or the censoring of certain classroom topics?
The law does not require changes to course or program offerings as it relates to what it defines as “controversial topics.”
Rather, the law requires that public Universities “affirm and declare” a commitment to intellectual diversity “for course approval, approval of courses to satisfy general education requirements… and student learning outcomes,” as well as remaining committed to allowing “students to reach their own conclusions about all controversial beliefs or policies.” To this end, the Office of the Provost will work with the University Curriculum Council to incorporate intellectual diversity as a criterion in the course approval process. The law encourages the development and offering of courses on a wide variety of topics that will allow for student choice.
Ohio University remains deeply committed to academic freedom, and the law itself explicitly protects the ability of faculty to exercise “professional judgment about how to accomplish intellectual diversity within an academic discipline.” No changes to course offerings are anticipated except where explicitly outlined in the Advance Ohio Higher Education Act, which includes the introduction of a new American civic literacy course and the potential sunsetting of programs with fewer than five graduates on average.
The law includes a requirement to sunset programs with low conferrals. Will this result in the elimination of any programs at Ohio University?
The Advance Ohio Higher Education Act includes a requirement for universities to “eliminate any undergraduate degree program it offers if the institution confers an average of fewer than five degrees in that program annually over any three-year period” or submit a waiver for consideration to the Chancellor of the Ohio Department of Higher Education.
Following a review by the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost, Institutional Effectiveness and Analytics and college deans to identify programs that fit this low-conferral definition, a total of 36 programs fell below the required threshold. OHIO plans to sunset 11 of those identified, and admission to those programs will be suspended following appropriate approvals. An additional 18 will merge with similar or overlapping programs if approved by the state, and OHIO has requested a waiver in order to complete those mergers prior to the fall 2026 term. OHIO has also submitted waiver requests to continue offering seven of the 36 programs due to the unique nature of the program, recent curricular adjustments or alignment with workforce needs.
To determine the list of programs to submit for waivers, mergers or suspension, OHIO Executive Vice President and Provost Donald J. Leo asked college deans to work with their chairs, directors and faculty.
It is important to note that students who have declared any of the programs planned for suspension will be able to complete the program’s requirements and will receive more information from their college during academic advising. They may also contact their academic advisor for more information. Additionally, no immediate impacts to full-time faculty are anticipated as a result of the program mergers or suspensions.
OHIO
shared additional details
with the University community on August 26.
What offices at the University will be eliminated as a result of the requirement to prohibit “the continuation of existing diversity, equity and inclusion offices or departments.”
On April 29, Ohio University announced that it would sunset its Division of Diversity and Inclusion, including the Multicultural Center, the Pride Center and the Women’s Center on or before June 23. As part of that change:
Student Affairs will provide expanded support for student organizations and University-wide programming, including Make Respect Visible.
Support for the University’s prestigious Templeton, Urban, Appalachian, and Margaret Boyd Scholars programs will move to the Honors Tutorial College, which administers the OHIO Honors Program and provides coordination for other honors and scholars programming.
OHIO’s LINKS program will move to University College, aligned with other Signature Academic Experiences.
Additionally, the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Office of Inclusion will be retired at the end of the semester, and the Heritage College office of student affairs will provide expanded support services for medical students.
For more information, read President Gonzalez’s April 29 message
How will the new required course in American civic literacy impact current students?
The recently signed Advance Ohio Higher Education Act includes requirements that each state institution of higher education “develop a course with no fewer than three credit hours in the subject area of American civic literacy,” and all students seeking a bachelor’s degree complete this course requirement.
However, the law also states that the course requirement will be applied only to students graduating in Spring 2030 or later. To that end, the large majority of OHIO’s current students will not be impacted by this requirement. In addition, students may qualify for an exemption to this future course requirement if they have completed a College Credit Plus or Advanced Placement course and exam that meets the content requirements outlined in the legislation or if they have already earned at least three credit hours in American history or American government.
The Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost is working with the College of Arts and Sciences and other academic colleges to facilitate the development of the required American civic literacy course during the 2025-26 academic year.
The law requires that a syllabus for each course be made publicly available. Will there be a template and process to guide faculty in meeting this expectation?
On March 12, 2026,
OHIO announced plans
to implement Concourse Syllabus, a syllabus management tool integrated directly within Canvas, to meet requirements outlined in the Advance Ohio Higher Education Act (
Ohio Revised Code §3345.029
).
Concourse Syllabus was selected as the University’s solution for fulfilling the State of Ohio’s public syllabus mandate for undergraduate courses following a competitive RFP process and earlier collaborations between the Provost’s Office and the appropriate administrative units to determine the technology that would support this requirement.
The state's requirement to publicly post syllabi is effective beginning in the 2026-27 academic year. The Provost's Office and the Office of Instructional Design are
committed to providing guidance
to faculty well in advance of Fall 2026 to ensure this requirement is met.
AOHEA Messages
March 16, 2026:
Following review by the state, Ohio University will sunset select academic programs graduating fewer than 5 students annually
March 12, 2026:
Ohio University to implement Concourse Syllabus in response to state requirements
January 22, 2026:
OHIO shares the latest legislative and faculty governance updates
December 11, 2025:
OHIO leaders discuss ongoing efforts to comply with new state laws and more during Dec. 3 ‘University Updates'
November 14, 2025:
AOHEA standard operating procedures open for comment
September 4, 2025:
OHIO responds to academic requirements in recent legislation
August 26, 2025:
Ohio University will suspend future entry into 11 academic programs to comply with Advance Ohio Higher Education Act standards
August 25, 2025:
OHIO posts draft policies for community review
June 23, 2025:
President Gonzalez shares latest University updates in response to the Advance Ohio Higher Education Act
April 29, 2025:
President Gonzalez shares University actions in response to the Advance Ohio Higher Education Act
April 7, 2025:
President Gonzalez responds to University questions about new state law
April 7, 2025:
Provost Leo shares an academic update regarding the Advance Ohio Higher Education Act
March 31, 2025:
OHIO shares an update regarding the "Advance Ohio Higher Education Act"
March 26, 2025:
An update regarding the "Advance Ohio Higher Education Act"
March 20, 2025:
OHIO shares an update regarding the status of the Advance Ohio Education Act
March 3, 2025:
President Gonzalez responds to student questions about potential legislative changes
February 18, 2025:
Reaffirming OHIO’s commitment to nondiscrimination: An update on federal guidance
February 14, 2025:
OHIO shares additional immigration resources
February 12, 2025:
Ohio University shares an update regarding the "Advance Ohio Higher Education Act"
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