Colleges that pay for themselves fastest in Ohio
Colleges ranked by how many years of extra earnings, above a high school graduate’s, cover four years of net price.
Colleges that pay for themselves fastest in Ohio28 schools
28 schools qualify, ranked by payback years. 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 median earnings ten years after enrolling and a net price from federal data (College Scorecard), and those earnings are above a high school graduate’s ($48,360 a year: median weekly earnings of $930 for full-time workers with a high school diploma, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024).
- Each school needs a complete Compass Score, so every row shows a rating.
- Payback years = four years of net price ÷ (earnings − a high school graduate’s earnings). Ordered by payback years, fewest first. A simple estimate: it leaves out interest, taxes and earnings growth.
Updated Oct. 20, 2026. Methodology. Spot an error? Send a correction.
- 1
Mount Carmel College of Nursing
Columbus, OH · Private nonprofitTop 11% for earnings
- Pays back in about 1.6 years
- Earnings $75,103 ten years out
- 2
Ohio Northern University
Ada, OH · Private nonprofitTop 8% for earnings
- Pays back in about 3.0 years
- Earnings $80,928 ten years out
- 3Tie
Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, OH · Private nonprofitHonor Roll#2 in Ohio
- Pays back in about 4.2 years
- Earnings $87,989 ten years out
- 3Tie
Mercy College of Ohio
Toledo, OH · Private nonprofitTop 19% for earnings
- Pays back in about 4.2 years
- Earnings $65,409 ten years out
- 5
University of Dayton
Dayton, OH · Private nonprofit#6 in Ohio
- Pays back in about 4.3 years
- Earnings $75,537 ten years out
- 6
Good Samaritan College of Nursing and Health Science
Cincinnati, OH · Private nonprofit#10 in Ohio
- Pays back in about 4.4 years
- Earnings $66,111 ten years out
- 7
Kettering College
Kettering, OH · Private nonprofitTop 17% for earnings
- Pays back in about 4.5 years
- Earnings $67,492 ten years out
- 8
Ohio State University
Columbus, OH · PublicHonor Roll#5 in Ohio
- Pays back in about 5.8 years
- Earnings $60,409 ten years out
- 9
Kenyon College
Gambier, OH · Private nonprofitHonor Roll#2 in Ohio
- Pays back in about 6.6 years
- Earnings $71,830 ten years out
- 10
Ursuline College
Pepper Pike, OH · Private nonprofit#28 in Ohio
- Pays back in about 7.6 years
- Earnings $56,878 ten years out
- 11
John Carroll University
University Heights, OH · Private nonprofitTop 12% for graduation
- Pays back in about 7.9 years
- Earnings $62,860 ten years out
- 12
Xavier University
Cincinnati, OH · Private nonprofit#18 in Ohio
- Pays back in about 8.0 years
- Earnings $64,873 ten years out
- 13Tie
Denison University
Granville, OH · Private nonprofitHonor Roll#1 in Ohio
- Pays back in about 8.3 years
- Earnings $67,753 ten years out
- 13Tie
The College of Wooster
Wooster, OH · Private nonprofit#7 in Ohio
- Pays back in about 8.3 years
- Earnings $59,629 ten years out
- 15
Galen College of Nursing-Cincinnati
Cincinnati, OH · Private for-profit#17 in Ohio
- Pays back in about 8.8 years
- Earnings $61,480 ten years out
- 16
Marietta College
Marietta, OH · Private nonprofit#46 in Ohio
- Pays back in about 9.6 years
- Earnings $57,180 ten years out
- 17
Ohio Wesleyan University
Delaware, OH · Private nonprofit#26 in Ohio
- Pays back in about 11.5 years
- Earnings $55,624 ten years out
- 18
The University of Findlay
Findlay, OH · Private nonprofit#53 in Ohio
- Pays back in about 12.6 years
- Earnings $56,996 ten years out
- 19
Cedarville University
Cedarville, OH · Private nonprofit#11 in Ohio
- Pays back in about 13.8 years
- Earnings $55,443 ten years out
- 20Tie
Oberlin College
Oberlin, OH · Private nonprofitHonor Roll#4 in Ohio
- Pays back in about 15.5 years
- Earnings $58,343 ten years out
- 20Tie
Otterbein University
Westerville, OH · Private nonprofit#18 in Ohio
- Pays back in about 15.5 years
- Earnings $53,313 ten years out
- 22
Capital University
Columbus, OH · Private nonprofit#41 in Ohio
- Pays back in about 15.6 years
- Earnings $54,143 ten years out
- 23
University of Cincinnati
Cincinnati, OH · PublicTop 15% for graduation
- Pays back in about 15.9 years
- Earnings $54,810 ten years out
- 24
Miami University-Oxford
Oxford, OH · Public#8 in Ohio
- Pays back in about 16.9 years
- Earnings $55,076 ten years out
- 25
Baldwin Wallace University
Berea, OH · Private nonprofit#22 in Ohio
- Pays back in about 19.2 years
- Earnings $54,122 ten years out
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% |
| Ohio Northern University | $24,478 | $27,000 | $80,928 | 75% |
| Case Western Reserve University | $41,190 | $24,000 | $87,989 | 87% |
| Mercy College of Ohio | $17,989 | $20,834 | $65,409 | 56% |
| University of Dayton | $29,533 | $23,250 | $75,537 | 80% |
| Good Samaritan College of Nursing and Health Science | $19,622 | $20,625 | $66,111 | 73% |
| Kettering College | $21,650 | $23,500 | $67,492 | 65% |
| Ohio State University | $17,339 | $19,976 | $60,409 | 88% |
| Kenyon College | $38,512 | $18,527 | $71,830 | 82% |
| Ursuline College | $16,164 | $26,250 | $56,878 | 67% |
| John Carroll University | $28,746 | $26,000 | $62,860 | 79% |
| Xavier University | $32,997 | $23,250 | $64,873 | 69% |
| Denison University | $40,007 | $26,000 | $67,753 | 79% |
| The College of Wooster | $23,458 | $26,500 | $59,629 | 74% |
| Galen College of Nursing-Cincinnati | $28,785 | $24,166 | $61,480 | 57% |
| Marietta College | $21,083 | $27,000 | $57,180 | 61% |
| Ohio Wesleyan University | $20,897 | $27,000 | $55,624 | 59% |
| The University of Findlay | $27,221 | $25,439 | $56,996 | 58% |
| Cedarville University | $24,468 | $20,937 | $55,443 | 73% |
| Oberlin College | $38,645 | $26,000 | $58,343 | 81% |
| Otterbein University | $19,237 | $26,000 | $53,313 | 68% |
| Capital University | $22,576 | $26,889 | $54,143 | 60% |
| University of Cincinnati | $25,648 | $21,250 | $54,810 | 75% |
| Miami University-Oxford | $28,384 | $23,000 | $55,076 | 80% |
| 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 3
- Arkansas 5
- California 54
- Colorado 6
- Connecticut 13
- District of Columbia 5
- Florida 15
- Georgia 9
- Illinois 19
- Indiana 19
- Iowa 15
- Kansas 3
- Kentucky 5
- Louisiana 3
- Maine 7
- Maryland 14
- Massachusetts 38
- Michigan 19
- Minnesota 17
- Missouri 13
- Nebraska 8
- New Hampshire 4
- New Jersey 16
- New York 67
- North Carolina 15
- Oklahoma 4
- Oregon 9
- Pennsylvania 54
- Rhode Island 8
- South Carolina 6
- Tennessee 7
- Texas 17
- Utah 4
- Vermont 5
- Virginia 19
- Washington 13
- Wisconsin 13