Springfield liberal arts Wittenberg University put on probation due to financial issues
Top headlines of the week, Nov. 14 2025
Here are some stories you may have missed this week in central Ohio.
- Wittenberg University has been placed on probation for up to two years by its accrediting body.
- The Higher Learning Commission cited the university’s failure to meet financial sustainability standards.
- Despite the probation, the university remains accredited and students can still attend and transfer credits.
A small liberal arts university in Springfield with a history of financial problems is now on probation for up to two years.
Wittenberg University’s accreditation status was changed to “accredited on probation” effective Nov. 6 because the school failed to meet one criterion in the formal review process that determines whether an institution meets certain standards of quality.
The Higher Learning Commission found that Wittenberg did not meet the “Resource Base and Sustainability” criterion for accreditation, according to a public disclosure notice. This provision requires that financial and personnel resources support the university’s operations and that financial management “balances short-term needs with long-term commitments” to ensure ongoing sustainability, as defined by HLC’s criteria for accreditation.
The university will remain accredited throughout its time on probation, which HLC said will last up to two years. During this time, students can still attend Wittenberg or transfer their credits to another university.
Karen Gerboth, the university’s vice president of marketing and communications, said in a statement that this status change is “neither surprising nor unexpected.”
“What this means for Wittenberg University at the moment is what we have known for some time: our financial challenges are real, but they are not insurmountable,” Gerboth’s statement continued. “We are still an accredited institution, and this decision reflects where we have been, not where we are going under our new president’s inspiring leadership and direction.”
HLC outlined several reasons why its Board of Trustees found Wittenberg in violation of the financial criterion, according to a Nov. 11 letter to university President Christian M. M. Brady, who stepped into the role in June. Here are a few.
- Wittenberg’s Board of Trustees approved a budget for FY2026 that projected spending roughly $10.8 million more than it would take in. The university avoided that by tapping into endowment money that had previously been restricted to other purposes, and HLC says Wittenberg has almost entirely run out of restricted endowment funds that could be used in the future.
- Wittenberg’s line of credit could be exhausted by March 2026, but its campus needs urgent repairs costing roughly $5 million.
- The university’s plan for restructuring debt hasn’t been finalized.
- Early data shows there’s potential for higher enrollment for fall 2026, but it’s unclear whether that will actually happen.
Wittenberg’s current enrollment is 1,039 students. Gerboth said the university has worked over the past six months to develop over $11 million in unrestricted funds, allowing Wittenberg to meet financial obligations and strengthen its operations.
She added that recommendations from faculty and the provost about “an exciting academic restructuring” should help support the university’s growth.
“Additionally, our enrollment numbers are trending in the right direction, and our fundraising efforts are bearing fruit,” Gerboth’s statement continued.
This is not the first time Wittenberg has been the subject of financial scrutiny by the HLC.
In February, the accreditor gave the university a “financial distress” designation after a U.S. Department of Education audit raised “substantial doubt” about the university’s ability to continue, according to a Springfield News-Sun report.
Wittenberg will host a “comprehensive evaluation” for probation no later than April 2027, during which a team of peer reviewers will decide whether the university has fixed the issues that prompted the probation, and whether it more broadly meets HLC’s overall criteria for accreditation.
HLC’s Board of Trustees will then meet in November 2027 to review the peer evaluation. There, the Board will decide whether to remove Wittenberg’s probationary status or take even stronger action, such as withdrawing accreditation entirely.
“We are confident in our future, and we are fully prepared to work closely with the commission in resolving the issue identified as expeditiously as possible,” Gerboth’s statement concluded.
Reporter Emma Wozniak can be reached at [email protected] or @emma_wozniak_ on X, formerly known as Twitter.
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