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.

Compiled by PlainCollege , College outcomes data analysis

$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.

Ohio Northern University

$56,450
Case Western Reserve Uni…

$46,799
University of Dayton

$46,004
Ohio State University-Ne…

$45,642
Miami University-Hamilton

$43,790
Ohio State University-Ma…

$43,070
University of Cincinnati…

$41,007
Walsh University

$39,271
University of Cincinnati…

$38,302
Cleveland State University

$37,367
Wittenberg University

$36,298
The College of Wooster

$36,171
Cincinnati State Technic…

$35,169
Mount St. Joseph Univers…

$34,979
Lorain County Community …

$34,870

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.

The full Ohio list

#	School Name	Median Earnings (10yr)	Avg Net Price	Earnings - Price	Enrollment
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.