Chamberlain University, the country's largest nursing school, cut the ribbon o n its Cincinnati campus Thursday, Aug. 20, opening its 25th location nationwide just 11 days before its first cohort of students begins classes. The school is located in Sycamore Township, filling a 32,000-square-foot floor of the Kenwood Collection that had been empty since the pandemic.
The ceremony at the Tower at Kenwood drew Hamilton County Commissioner Denise Driehaus, who declared Aug. 20 "Chamberlain University Day" and presented a proclamation. Ohio state Rep. Karen Brownlee, Ohio House Minority Leader Dani Isaacsohn, Cincinnati Regional Chamber President and CEO Brendon Cull and Chamberlain President Amelia Manning also delivered remarks, according to a Chamberlain University news release.
"We have suffered from a shortage of nurses really since COVID," Driehaus told Fox 19. "And so Chamberlain University opening up here — we're thrilled to have them coming to Cincinnati."
The opening comes as the region faces a steep healthcare workforce gap. Employers across greater Cincinnati posted nearly 50,000 healthcare job openings last year, with six open positions for every healthcare graduate in the region, according to the 2026 Covista Care Capacity Monitor.
Isaacsohn said the campus represents a long-term investment in the region's education capacity, calling Chamberlain "the largest nursing school in the country" and saying its arrival expands Cincinnati's ability to train nurses for years to come.
Executive Campus Director Priya Shastri said Chamberlain intends to complement existing programs rather than compete with them. The university is joining a city with strong nursing programs and health systems already doing the work, Shastri said, and closing the region's nursing shortage will take every program working toward the same goal.
The campus offers a three-year, year-round Bachelor of Science in Nursing program with no application fee and no prerequisite courses. It features a simulation center where students practice clinical skills in simulated patient-care settings before moving into rotations with local healthcare partners, according to the news release.
Scholarship and youth partnership
Chamberlain also used the ceremony to make two announcements.
The university teamed with social media creator Zachery Dereniowski, known as "MD Motivator," to surprise Cincinnati resident Damenika Jacobs with the inaugural Future Healthcare Hero BSN Scholarship, covering the full cost of her nursing degree. Three additional full-ride scholarships are open to Cincinnati-area residents, though no application deadline has been announced.
Separately, Chamberlain and its parent company Covista announced a three-year, $150,000 partnership with The Health Collaborative to bring year-long healthcare career exploration programs to Cincinnati-area middle and high school students through local youth centers. Deirdre Beluan, CEO of The Health Collaborative, said early hands-on exposure to healthcare professionals changes what students believe is possible for themselves and helps build the nursing workforce the region needs.
What's next
The first cohort of students begins classes Aug. 31. Manning told Fox 19 the accelerated program moves students into the workforce faster, with support built in along the way.
