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Ohio ranking · College Scorecard · Mar-Jul 2026 retrievals

Best Colleges in Ohio

Using U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard data retrieved March-July 2026, these operating Ohio colleges (undergraduate enrollment 1,000+) rank highest on value: median earnings ten years after enrollment minus average net price. That single gap is the sort key - not prestige, selectivity, or a composite score.

$56,450
Top earnings-price gap
72
Ohio colleges ranked
$24,478
#1 avg net price

The list in one line

Among Ohio colleges with enrollment of 1,000+, every school on this list clears a $7,005 earnings-minus-net-price gap. Ohio Northern University leads at $56,450.

According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.

$56,450
#1 - Ohio Northern University
$80,928
#1 ten-year median earnings
$7,005
#72 cutoff gap
1,000+
undergraduate enrollment floor

Value = 10-year median earnings - average net price for federal-aid students. See methodology for cohort and lag details.

Top 15 Ohio colleges by earnings-price gap

Higher gap = more earnings relative to average net price

earnings - net price

What this shows Specialized health and career schools can rank highly when program mix lifts earnings; compare completion rates and debt on each school profile before reading value as overall quality.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard As of Mar-Jul 2026 retrievals

The full Ohio list

# School Name Median Earnings (10yr)Avg Net PriceEarnings - PriceEnrollment
1 Ohio Northern University $80,928 $24,478 $56,450 2,489
2 Case Western Reserve University $87,989 $41,190 $46,799 6,437
3 University of Dayton $75,537 $29,533 $46,004 7,682
4 Ohio State University-Newark Campus $60,409 $14,767 $45,642 2,396
5 Miami University-Hamilton $55,076 $11,286 $43,790 2,043
6 Ohio State University-Main Campus $60,409 $17,339 $43,070 45,638
7 University of Cincinnati-Clermont College $54,810 $13,803 $41,007 3,019
8 Walsh University $59,764 $20,493 $39,271 1,390
9 University of Cincinnati-Blue Ash College $54,810 $16,508 $38,302 4,354
10 Cleveland State University $52,131 $14,764 $37,367 8,969
11 Wittenberg University $54,947 $18,649 $36,298 1,215
12 The College of Wooster $59,629 $23,458 $36,171 1,730
13 Cincinnati State Technical and Community College $40,137 $4,968 $35,169 5,667
14 Mount St. Joseph University $51,509 $16,530 $34,979 1,129
15 Lorain County Community College $38,837 $3,967 $34,870 5,373
16 Ohio Wesleyan University $55,624 $20,897 $34,727 1,516
17 Kent State University at Stark $45,388 $10,897 $34,491 2,692
18 Kent State University at Trumbull $45,388 $11,135 $34,253 1,629
19 Edison State Community College $41,360 $7,142 $34,218 1,302
20 John Carroll University $62,860 $28,746 $34,114 2,274
21 Wright State University-Main Campus $49,500 $15,415 $34,085 6,762
22 Marion Technical College $41,495 $7,417 $34,078 1,475
23 Otterbein University $53,313 $19,237 $34,076 2,157
24 North Central State College $38,158 $4,687 $33,471 1,273
25 University of Toledo $50,632 $17,249 $33,383 9,770
26 Kent State University at Geauga $45,388 $12,044 $33,344 1,601
27 Kenyon College $71,830 $38,512 $33,318 1,732
28 Kent State University at Ashtabula $45,388 $12,205 $33,183 1,290
29 James A. Rhodes State College $41,855 $8,757 $33,098 1,590
30 Kent State University at Tuscarawas $45,388 $12,542 $32,846 1,654
31 University of Akron Main Campus $46,600 $13,946 $32,654 9,052
32 Hondros College of Nursing $58,636 $26,014 $32,622 3,857
33 Lakeland Community College $39,612 $7,606 $32,006 2,773
34 Xavier University $64,873 $32,997 $31,876 4,207
35 Kent State University at Salem $45,388 $13,799 $31,589 1,164
36 Capital University $54,143 $22,576 $31,567 1,585
37 Sinclair Community College $37,558 $5,992 $31,566 13,308
38 Cuyahoga Community College District $35,654 $4,266 $31,388 13,382
39 Columbus State Community College $39,435 $8,400 $31,035 17,549
40 Cedarville University $55,443 $24,468 $30,975 4,024
41 Ohio University-Main Campus $52,581 $21,637 $30,944 19,633
42 Ashland University $52,928 $21,988 $30,940 2,199
43 Bowling Green State University-Firelands $47,896 $17,480 $30,416 1,251
44 Washington State College of Ohio $37,988 $7,714 $30,274 1,484
45 University of Mount Union $53,217 $23,280 $29,937 1,995
46 The University of Findlay $56,996 $27,221 $29,775 2,223
47 Central Ohio Technical College $39,168 $9,948 $29,220 1,941
48 University of Cincinnati-Main Campus $54,810 $25,648 $29,162 29,882
49 University of Northwestern Ohio $50,968 $21,807 $29,161 2,494
50 Muskingum University $48,440 $19,532 $28,908 1,376
51 Youngstown State University $41,544 $12,767 $28,777 7,961
52 Stark State College $34,661 $5,986 $28,675 5,749
53 Denison University $67,753 $40,007 $27,746 2,380
54 Clark State College $39,584 $12,135 $27,449 3,456
55 Mount Vernon Nazarene University $49,555 $22,421 $27,134 1,358
56 Owens Community College $37,275 $10,369 $26,906 4,361
57 Miami University-Oxford $55,076 $28,384 $26,692 16,656
58 Franklin University $51,892 $25,243 $26,649 5,562
59 Baldwin Wallace University $54,122 $27,603 $26,519 2,842
60 Northwest State Community College $40,004 $13,555 $26,449 1,115
61 Franciscan University of Steubenville $50,030 $23,589 $26,441 2,901
62 Shawnee State University $39,596 $14,381 $25,215 2,247
63 Kent State University at Kent $45,388 $20,787 $24,601 19,320
64 Wilmington College $48,491 $24,153 $24,338 1,006
65 Hocking College $37,791 $13,704 $24,087 1,311
66 Bowling Green State University-Main Campus $47,896 $24,022 $23,874 12,812
67 Central State University $33,267 $13,096 $20,171 2,620
68 Oberlin College $58,343 $38,645 $19,698 2,887
69 Terra State Community College $36,612 $17,345 $19,267 1,028
70 University of Rio Grande $41,478 $23,686 $17,792 1,400
71 Tiffin University $35,942 $26,500 $9,442 2,051
72 Ross College-Sylvania $29,898 $22,893 $7,005 1,714

About This Ranking

Schools in Ohio are ranked by the same value metric as the national best-value list: 10-year median earnings minus average net price. Only operating schools with at least 1,000 undergraduates and both figures published are included. Ties break toward larger enrollment. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. See methodology.

Caveats and limitations

"Best" here means the largest earnings-minus-price gap among eligible Ohio schools - not teaching quality, campus life, or the right fit for any applicant. Program mix (for example nursing or engineering) can lift institution-level earnings without proving a stronger undergraduate experience.

Earnings cover federally aided students only and describe a lagged cohort. Net price averages aided students and will not match every family's bill. Always open the school profile for completion, debt, and program detail.

This ranking is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or admissions advice.

Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Rankings are computed directly from College Scorecard and IPEDS data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar-Jul 2026 retrievals.