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Bowling Green State University: BG Campus from Library 8th Floor
Photo: Mbrickn, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

National university

#25 Colleges with the highest graduation rates in Ohio

Bowling Green State University

Bowling Green, OH · Public · 4-year

Your real cost

Average price after aid $24,022 a year

Median debt at graduation: $25,000 (all students)

Estimate your own price · the college’s net price calculator

Rankings

Where this college places on our top lists. Lists are worked out from official data and our own research; places in the top quarter of each list are shown. See every list

In Ohio

Academic Excellence

BAcademic Excellence: Good (grade B): 70 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data.
Good · Top 36%
From federal data, on fixed published scales.

Each measure counts for the share shown.

  • Graduation rate 35% of scoreThis measure counts for 35% of the Academic Excellence score.64%
  • First-year retention 20% of scoreThis measure counts for 20% of the Academic Excellence score.82%
  • Entering students' test scores 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.SAT 1,117 · ACT 22.5
  • Student-to-faculty ratio 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.17 to 1
  • Instructional spending per student 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.$11,814

Bars show points on each measure’s scale. How Academic Excellence is computed.

Source: College Scorecard (College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026))

What families pay, by income

Average yearly price after grants and scholarships, for students who receive federal aid.

Average net price by family income
Family incomePrice after aid
Up to $30,000$18,396
$30,001–$48,000$18,547
$48,001–$75,000$21,820
$75,001–$110,000$25,741
Over $110,000$27,414

Full cost of attendance before aid: $33,007 a year.

Use the college’s net price calculator for your own estimate.

Cost and value

Federal data: what families pay after aid, what graduates earn, and what they owe.

Value and outcomes
Undergraduate students
Fall enrollment (IPEDS)
14,014
Men and women
College Scorecard, fall 2023
Men 43% · Women 57%
First-generation students
College Scorecard
30%
First-year students from another state
IPEDS, fall 2023
12%
Total students17,027
Average net price (per year)
After grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid
$24,022
Cost of attendance (per year)$33,007
Median federal debt at graduation$25,000
Graduation rate
First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time
64%
Graduation rate for Pell grant recipients
College Scorecard, within 6 years
50%
Graduation rate for first-generation students
College Scorecard, within 6 years
51%
Borrowers paying down their loans within 3 years
College Scorecard, within 3 years
53%
First-year retention82%
Median earnings 10 years after entry$47,896
Admission rate81%
Application fee
IPEDS, 2023–24
$45
Typical rent
HUD fair market rent, FY2026
About $820 a month for a one-bedroom
Students receiving Pell grants23%
Admitted students’ middle range:SAT 1000–1210ACT 19–26
Admission test scores (middle 50% of admitted students who submitted scores)
Average SAT1117
SAT reading & writing500–610
SAT math500–600
ACT composite19–26
Test policyConsidered but not required

Value: Solid (how it’s computed)

Sources: College Scorecard · IPEDS College Navigator · Net price calculator
College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026); IPEDS 2024-25 directory and institutional characteristics; fall 2023 enrollment.

Earnings by major

Median earnings of bachelor’s graduates a few years after finishing, by major (College Scorecard).

Median earnings by major
MajorMedian earnings
Computer engineering$93,626
Engineering-Related Fields$89,514
General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations$86,245
Management information systems$84,838
Information science$84,273
Construction Engineering$82,365
Business administration$79,291
Nursing$78,798
Accounting$77,880
Finance$76,659
Air Transportation$75,845
Other engineering/engineering-related technologies/technicians$75,677
Economics$74,844
Mathematics$74,705
International business$74,183
Clinical laboratory science$73,290
Public relations$70,583
Computing and information science$70,493
Other business, management, marketing, and related support services$69,239
Other health professions and related clinical sciences$66,280
Marketing$65,926
Health administration$61,483
Chemistry$60,065
Environmental Design$59,873
Business (general)$59,221
Political science$58,254
Speech-language pathology$57,196
Public health$56,114
Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services$54,796
Health sciences$54,424
Design$54,274
Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies$53,809
Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy$53,620
Interior Architecture$53,592
Kinesiology and exercise science$52,818
Graphic communications$52,388
Criminal justice$52,068
Broadcasting$51,758
Allied health$51,385
Social work$51,267
History$50,693
Writing and rhetoric$50,120
Gerontology$50,070
Global studies$49,925
Journalism$48,803
Secondary education$47,937
Biology$47,131
Visual and performing arts$46,944
Psychology$46,481
Interdisciplinary studies$46,341
Special education$45,224
Teacher education$45,168
Other education$45,147
Music$44,037
Family and human development$43,468
Liberal arts$42,463
English$41,578
Film and video$39,707
Sociology$38,346
Theatre$37,094
Fine arts$36,036

Also offered (no earnings published yet): Area studies, Classics, Dance, Ethnic and gender studies, Fire science, Geography, Geology and earth science, German, Microbiological Sciences and Immunology, Natural resources and conservation, Neuroscience, Nutrition Sciences, Philosophy, Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, Physics, Romance languages, Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Statistics.

What students study most

Share of bachelor’s degrees by field, first majors in 2023–24 (IPEDS).

Most common bachelor’s fields
FieldShare of degrees
Education16%
Business15%
Health professions9%
Visual and performing arts7%
Parks, recreation and fitness6%

Campus life

School colors
SettingTown
Part-time undergraduates5%
Undergraduates aged 25 and older6%
On-campus room and board (per year)$14,508
SportsNCAA Division I · Mid-American Conference
ROTCArmy · Air Force
Study abroadOffered
Students per faculty member17 to 1
Undergraduates registered with the disability officeAbout 7%IPEDS, 2023–24
Disability servicesVisit the office’s pageThe college’s own page
Faculty who are full-time71%College Scorecard, fall 2023
Endowment per student$14,855IPEDS, 2023, per student
Dorm spaceFor about 37% of studentsBeds per undergraduate; not who lives on campus
Nearest airport with airline serviceEugene F. Kranz Toledo Express Airport (TOL)About 17 miles away · about 45 minutes by car
Nearest major airportDetroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW)About 60 miles away
Town population29,983Census, 2020–2024
Nearest city of 250,000 people or moreToledoAbout 20 miles away · about 35 minutes by car
Typical weather26°F in January · 74°F in JulyNOAA, 1991–2020, from Bowling Green Wwtp, OH

Federal data (IPEDS and College Scorecard), except school colors.

Campus safety reports

On-campus crimes reported in 2024, per 1,000 students.

On-campus crimes per 1,000 students
CategoryThis campusU.S. rate
Rape0.450.07
Robbery0.060.01
Aggravated assault0.000.04
Burglary0.060.08
Motor vehicle theft0.280.15

Numbers reflect what each campus reported. They differ with campus size and how reporting is done, so compare with care. U.S. rate: total reported offenses divided by total students at every institution in the report.

Source: Official data: U.S. Department of Education

Questions families ask

What is Bowling Green State University’s Compass Score?
Good (grade B). It ranks in the top 44% of rated colleges. The grade comes from outcomes (40%: graduation, retention and earnings), entering students (40%: test scores and selectivity), cost (15%: debt and price after aid) and teaching (5%: class size), all from federal data.
How much does Bowling Green State University cost after financial aid?
The average net price is $24,022 a year for students who receive federal aid, after grants and scholarships. What your family pays depends on income; the college’s net price calculator gives your own estimate.
How hard is it to get into Bowling Green State University?
Bowling Green State University admitted 81% of applicants in the most recent federal data.
How do Bowling Green State University’s graduates do?
64% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years; the median earnings of former students ten years after entry are $47,896; the median federal debt at graduation is $25,000.

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