Best colleges in Ohio
Every accredited four-year college ranked by the Compass Score: outcomes, entering students, cost and teaching, from federal data.
Best colleges in Ohio99 schools
99 schools qualify, ranked by the Compass Score. The top 25 are shown.
How this list is made
- Schools in Ohio.
- Accredited four-year undergraduate colleges.
- Each school needs a complete Compass Score, so every row shows a rating.
- Ordered by Compass Score, highest first. Schools with the same score share a rank.
Updated Oct. 20, 2026. Methodology. Spot an error? Send a correction.
- 1
- 2Tie
Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, OH · Private nonprofitHonor Roll#2 in Ohio
- Value grade C+
- 87% graduate
- 2Tie
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
Good Samaritan College of Nursing and Health Science
Cincinnati, OH · Private nonprofit#10 in Ohio
- Value grade B+ · Top 21%
- 73% graduate
- 11
- 12
- 13
Franciscan University of Steubenville
Steubenville, OH · Private nonprofit#13 in Ohio
- Value grade B-
- 75% graduate
- 14
John Carroll University
University Heights, OH · Private nonprofitTop 12% for graduation
- Value grade B-
- 79% graduate
- 15
Ohio Northern University
Ada, OH · Private nonprofitTop 8% for earnings
- Value grade B · Top 42%
- 75% graduate
- 16
- 17
Galen College of Nursing-Cincinnati
Cincinnati, OH · Private for-profit#17 in Ohio
- Value grade B-
- 57% graduate
- 18Tie
- 18Tie
- 20
- 21
Central Ohio Technical College
Newark, OH · PublicTop 12% for low debt
- Value grade A- · Top 19%
- 30% graduate
- 22
- 23
- 24
The Modern College of Design
Kettering, OH · Private for-profitTop 11% for low debt
- Value grade C+
- 69% graduate
- 25
Compare cost and outcomes
| School | Net price a year | Median debt | Earnings 10 years out | Graduation rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denison University | About $40,000 | $26,000 | $67,753 | 79% |
| Case Western Reserve University | About $41,000 | $24,000 | $87,989 | 87% |
| Kenyon College | About $39,000 | $18,527 | $71,830 | 82% |
| Oberlin College | About $39,000 | $26,000 | $58,343 | 81% |
| Ohio State University | About $17,000 | $19,976 | $60,409 | 88% |
| University of Dayton | About $30,000 | $23,250 | $75,537 | 80% |
| The College of Wooster | About $23,000 | $26,500 | $59,629 | 74% |
| Miami University-Oxford | About $28,000 | $23,000 | $55,076 | 80% |
| Felbry College | About $58,000 | $17,000 | — | 91% |
| Good Samaritan College of Nursing and Health Science | About $20,000 | $20,625 | $66,111 | 73% |
| Cedarville University | About $24,000 | $20,937 | $55,443 | 73% |
| Cleveland Institute of Music | About $28,000 | $24,968 | $32,641 | 72% |
| Franciscan University of Steubenville | About $24,000 | $23,384 | $50,030 | 75% |
| John Carroll University | About $29,000 | $26,000 | $62,860 | 79% |
| Ohio Northern University | About $24,000 | $27,000 | $80,928 | 75% |
| University of Cincinnati | About $26,000 | $21,250 | $54,810 | 75% |
| Galen College of Nursing-Cincinnati | About $29,000 | $24,166 | $61,480 | 57% |
| Otterbein University | About $19,000 | $26,000 | $53,313 | 68% |
| Xavier University | About $33,000 | $23,250 | $64,873 | 69% |
| Ohio University | About $22,000 | $21,056 | $52,581 | 65% |
| Central Ohio Technical College | About $10,000 | $12,072 | $39,168 | 30% |
| Baldwin Wallace University | About $28,000 | $27,000 | $54,122 | 67% |
| Clark State College | About $12,000 | $14,490 | $39,584 | 22% |
| The Modern College of Design | About $39,000 | $12,000 | $42,187 | 69% |
| Cleveland Institute of Art | About $29,000 | $27,000 | $42,509 | 58% |
Net price is the average yearly cost after grants. Federal data (College Scorecard). “—” means the school reports no figure.
This list in other states
- Alabama 26
- Alaska 5
- Arizona 16
- Arkansas 23
- California 128
- Colorado 26
- Connecticut 26
- Delaware 4
- District of Columbia 9
- Florida 61
- Georgia 60
- Hawaii 6
- Idaho 9
- Illinois 57
- Indiana 45
- Iowa 30
- Kansas 27
- Kentucky 29
- Louisiana 24
- Maine 19
- Maryland 26
- Massachusetts 67
- Michigan 44
- Minnesota 40
- Mississippi 16
- Missouri 53
- Montana 10
- Nebraska 19
- Nevada 6
- New Hampshire 13
- New Jersey 36
- New Mexico 11
- New York 135
- North Carolina 55
- North Dakota 9
- Oklahoma 23
- Oregon 21
- Pennsylvania 118
- Puerto Rico 52
- Rhode Island 11
- South Carolina 35
- South Dakota 11
- Tennessee 43
- Texas 85
- Utah 16
- Vermont 9
- Virginia 51
- Washington 24
- West Virginia 19
- Wisconsin 36
- Wyoming 3