Best value colleges in Ohio
Colleges with an Academic Excellence grade of B+ or better, ranked by Value: net price, graduation rate, earnings, and debt from federal data.
Best value colleges in Ohio32 schools
32 schools qualify, ranked by Value. The top 25 are shown.
How this list is made
- Schools in Ohio.
- Accredited four-year undergraduate colleges.
- Academic Excellence grade B+ or better (the top 35% of rated colleges).
- Has a Value score from federal data (College Scorecard).
- Each school needs a complete Compass Score, so every row shows a rating.
- Ordered by Value, highest first.
Updated Oct. 20, 2026. Methodology. Spot an error? Send a correction.
- 1
Mount Carmel College of Nursing
Columbus, OH · Private nonprofitTop 11% for earnings
- Value grade A+ · Top 3%
- Net price $10,420 a year
- 2
Mercy College of Ohio
Toledo, OH · Private nonprofitTop 19% for earnings
- Value grade A- · Top 18%
- Net price $17,989 a year
- 3
Ohio State University
Columbus, OH · PublicHonor Roll#5 in Ohio
- Value grade B+ · Top 21%
- Net price $17,339 a year
- 4
Good Samaritan College of Nursing and Health Science
Cincinnati, OH · Private nonprofit#10 in Ohio
- Value grade B+ · Top 21%
- Net price $19,622 a year
- 5
Kettering College
Kettering, OH · Private nonprofitTop 17% for earnings
- Value grade B+ · Top 33%
- Net price $21,650 a year
- 6
Ursuline College
Pepper Pike, OH · Private nonprofit#28 in Ohio
- Value grade B · Top 38%
- Net price $16,164 a year
- 7
Ohio Northern University
Ada, OH · Private nonprofitTop 8% for earnings
- Value grade B · Top 42%
- Net price $24,478 a year
- 8
University of Dayton
Dayton, OH · Private nonprofit#6 in Ohio
- Value grade B · Top 49%
- Net price $29,533 a year
- 9
- 10
Otterbein University
Westerville, OH · Private nonprofit#18 in Ohio
- Value grade B
- Net price $19,237 a year
- 11
Cedarville University
Cedarville, OH · Private nonprofit#11 in Ohio
- Value grade B
- Net price $24,468 a year
- 12
- 13
Ohio Wesleyan University
Delaware, OH · Private nonprofit#26 in Ohio
- Value grade B-
- Net price $20,897 a year
- 14
The College of Wooster
Wooster, OH · Private nonprofit#7 in Ohio
- Value grade B-
- Net price $23,458 a year
- 15
University of Cincinnati
Cincinnati, OH · PublicTop 15% for graduation
- Value grade B-
- Net price $25,648 a year
- 16
- 17
Galen College of Nursing-Cincinnati
Cincinnati, OH · Private for-profit#17 in Ohio
- Value grade B-
- Net price $28,785 a year
- 18
Franciscan University of Steubenville
Steubenville, OH · Private nonprofit#13 in Ohio
- Value grade B-
- Net price $23,589 a year
- 19
Mount Vernon Nazarene University
Mount Vernon, OH · Private nonprofitTop 24% for graduation
- Value grade B-
- Net price $22,421 a year
- 20
John Carroll University
University Heights, OH · Private nonprofitTop 12% for graduation
- Value grade B-
- Net price $28,746 a year
- 21
Kenyon College
Gambier, OH · Private nonprofitHonor Roll#2 in Ohio
- Value grade B-
- Net price $38,512 a year
- 22
The University of Findlay
Findlay, OH · Private nonprofit#53 in Ohio
- Value grade B-
- Net price $27,221 a year
- 23
- 24
Xavier University
Cincinnati, OH · Private nonprofit#18 in Ohio
- Value grade C+
- Net price $32,997 a year
- 25
Baldwin Wallace University
Berea, OH · Private nonprofit#22 in Ohio
- Value grade C+
- Net price $27,603 a year
Compare cost and outcomes
| School | Net price a year | Median debt | Earnings 10 years out | Graduation rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Carmel College of Nursing | $10,420 | $22,082 | $75,103 | 54% |
| Mercy College of Ohio | $17,989 | $20,834 | $65,409 | 56% |
| Ohio State University | $17,339 | $19,976 | $60,409 | 88% |
| Good Samaritan College of Nursing and Health Science | $19,622 | $20,625 | $66,111 | 73% |
| Kettering College | $21,650 | $23,500 | $67,492 | 65% |
| Ursuline College | $16,164 | $26,250 | $56,878 | 67% |
| Ohio Northern University | $24,478 | $27,000 | $80,928 | 75% |
| University of Dayton | $29,533 | $23,250 | $75,537 | 80% |
| Ohio University | $21,637 | $21,056 | $52,581 | 65% |
| Otterbein University | $19,237 | $26,000 | $53,313 | 68% |
| Cedarville University | $24,468 | $20,937 | $55,443 | 73% |
| Marietta College | $21,083 | $27,000 | $57,180 | 61% |
| Ohio Wesleyan University | $20,897 | $27,000 | $55,624 | 59% |
| The College of Wooster | $23,458 | $26,500 | $59,629 | 74% |
| University of Cincinnati | $25,648 | $21,250 | $54,810 | 75% |
| Capital University | $22,576 | $26,889 | $54,143 | 60% |
| Galen College of Nursing-Cincinnati | $28,785 | $24,166 | $61,480 | 57% |
| Franciscan University of Steubenville | $23,589 | $23,384 | $50,030 | 75% |
| Mount Vernon Nazarene University | $22,421 | $25,000 | $49,555 | 68% |
| John Carroll University | $28,746 | $26,000 | $62,860 | 79% |
| Kenyon College | $38,512 | $18,527 | $71,830 | 82% |
| The University of Findlay | $27,221 | $25,439 | $56,996 | 58% |
| Miami University-Oxford | $28,384 | $23,000 | $55,076 | 80% |
| Xavier University | $32,997 | $23,250 | $64,873 | 69% |
| Baldwin Wallace University | $27,603 | $27,000 | $54,122 | 67% |
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 5
- Arizona 4
- Arkansas 5
- California 59
- Colorado 6
- Connecticut 13
- District of Columbia 5
- Florida 21
- Georgia 9
- Illinois 21
- Indiana 21
- Iowa 16
- Kansas 4
- Kentucky 7
- Louisiana 3
- Maine 9
- Maryland 15
- Massachusetts 46
- Michigan 20
- Minnesota 19
- Missouri 17
- Nebraska 8
- New Hampshire 5
- New Jersey 16
- New York 75
- North Carolina 16
- Oklahoma 4
- Oregon 10
- Pennsylvania 60
- Rhode Island 9
- South Carolina 9
- Tennessee 10
- Texas 20
- Utah 4
- Vermont 6
- Virginia 20
- Washington 13
- Wisconsin 15