College Compass GuideTrue north for every college search.

Every accredited U.S. college

Colleges

Every accredited four-year college, rated on Academic Excellence and Value (what families pay after aid, what graduates earn, and student debt), all from federal data.

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Compass Score sorts by outcomes, students and cost together. The other sorts order every college by a different measure.
Ratings
Compass ScoreCompass Score: a letter grade set by rank among rated colleges from federal data: outcomes (40%), entering students (40%), cost (15%) and teaching (5%). Choose the lowest grade to show.
ValueValue: what families pay after aid, graduation rate, earnings and debt, from federal data.
Academic ExcellenceAcademic Excellence: a letter grade set by rank among rated colleges, from federal data on graduation, retention, test scores, faculty ratio, and spending. It never uses rankings or surveys.
Only Compass Recommended colleges: the top 35% of rated colleges by Compass Score.
Only Honor Roll colleges: the top 10% of rated colleges by Compass Score.
Only the eight Ivy League universities.
Location1
Distance (miles)
A broad region of the country, as the guide groups the states. Territories are listed separately.
School
Type of college, as college guides group them (from the federal Carnegie Classification): national universities offer a full range of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs and do research; liberal arts colleges focus on undergraduates in the arts and sciences; regional universities mostly offer bachelor’s and master’s degrees; regional colleges mostly offer bachelor’s degrees in many fields; specialized schools focus on one field, such as health, art or business.
Public or privatePublic: run by a state or local government. Private: nonprofit or for-profit.
Total enrollment: small is under 2,000 students, medium 2,000 to 9,999, large 10,000 to 24,999, and very large 25,000 or more.
Net price: what a typical student pays per year after grants and scholarships, from the federal College Scorecard.
Coed: men and women together. Single-sex: all-male or all-female.
Campus life
College sports level from federal data: NCAA Division I (the biggest programs), Division II, Division III, or NAIA.
Where the campus is, from federal data: in a city, a suburb, a town, or a rural area.
The college offers Army, Navy or Air Force ROTC, on campus or with a nearby college (federal data).
The college offers study abroad (federal data).
Admissions and outcomes1
How many applicants are admitted (federal data). Most: 65% or more. Selective: 25% to 64%. Highly selective: under 25%.
Your SAT or ACT, to sort colleges Target, Likely and Reach. Signed in, it is kept on your account (private to you); otherwise only in this browser.
Reach, Target or LikelyA rough guide from admitted students' scores and admission rates, not a prediction. Target: your score is in the college's middle range. Likely: above it, or the college admits most applicants. Reach: below it, or the college admits fewer than 1 in 5.
Small classes: 12 or fewer students per faculty member (federal data).
Strong outcomes: 75% or more of students graduate (federal data).
Major
Colleges that offer a bachelor's degree in this major or field, from the federal College Scorecard.
Clear all
RecommendedOnly Compass Recommended colleges: the top 35% of rated colleges by Compass Score.Honor RollOnly Honor Roll colleges: the top 10% of rated colleges by Compass Score.ValueOnly colleges with a Value score of 85 or higher (grade A), from federal data.AcademicsOnly schools with an Academic Excellence grade of A or better (the top 10% of rated colleges), from federal data.Ivy LeagueOnly the eight Ivy League universities.Clear
Division I sportsCollege sports level from federal data: NCAA Division I (the biggest programs), Division II, Division III, or NAIA.ROTCThe college offers Army, Navy or Air Force ROTC, on campus or with a nearby college (federal data).Study abroadThe college offers study abroad (federal data).NursingColleges that offer a bachelor's degree in this major or field, from the federal College Scorecard.EngineeringColleges that offer a bachelor's degree in this major or field, from the federal College Scorecard.Under $20kNet price under $20,000 a year: what a typical student pays after grants and scholarships (federal data).Small classesSmall classes: 12 or fewer students per faculty member (federal data).
State: OhioSmall classesClear all

45 schools · Sorted by Compass Score

  • Compass ScoreGood

    Marietta College

    #46 in Ohio
    Marietta, OH · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,171 students

    $21,083 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreGood

    Columbus College of Art & Design

    #47 in Ohio
    Columbus, OH · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 918 students

    $29,439 a year after aid, on average

    ValueFairAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreGood

    Wittenberg University

    #51 in Ohio
    Springfield, OH · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,333 students

    $18,649 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreGood

    Wilberforce University

    Top 5% for low net price
    Wilberforce, OH · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 617 students

    $5,567 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsFair
  • Compass ScoreGood

    The University of Findlay

    #53 in Ohio
    Findlay, OH · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 5,057 students

    $27,221 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreGood

    Cincinnati State Technical and Community College

    Top 4% for low net price
    Cincinnati, OH · Public · 4-year · 8,681 students

    $4,968 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsFair
  • Compass ScoreGood

    Hiram College

    #55 in Ohio
    Hiram, OH · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,011 students

    $21,058 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreGood

    Pontifical College Josephinum

    #63 in Ohio
    Columbus, OH · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 73 students

    All-maleAll-male: the school enrolls men only.Value not rated yet
  • Compass ScoreGood

    Art Academy of Cincinnati

    #68 in Ohio
    Cincinnati, OH · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 259 students

    $34,253 a year after aid, on average

    ValueFairAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Wilmington College

    #72 in Ohio
    Wilmington, OH · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 964 students

    $24,153 a year after aid, on average

    ValueFairAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Miami University-Hamilton

    Top 19% for low net price
    Hamilton, OH · Public · 4-year · 2,374 students

    $11,286 a year after aid, on average

    ValueExcellentAcademicsFair
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Bluffton University

    #77 in Ohio
    Bluffton, OH · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 678 students

    $19,943 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Defiance College

    #79 in Ohio
    Defiance, OH · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 511 students

    $26,337 a year after aid, on average

    ValueFairAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Antioch College

    #81 in Ohio
    Yellow Springs, OH · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 127 students

    $14,834 a year after aid, on average

    Value not rated yetAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Chamberlain University-Ohio

    Top 3% for earnings
    Columbus, OH · Private for-profit · 4-year · 336 students

    $31,544 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsFair
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Ohio Dominican University

    #89 in Ohio
    Columbus, OH · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,258 students

    $20,079 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Lake Erie College

    #91 in Ohio
    Painesville, OH · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 942 students

    $20,961 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Not yet rated

    Bryant & Stratton College-Parma

    Top 25% for low net price
    Parma, OH · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 522 students

    $12,849 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    Antioch University

    Yellow Springs, OH · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 434 students

    Value not rated yet
  • Not yet rated

    Davis College

    Toledo, OH · Private for-profit · 4-year · 95 students

    $24,181 a year after aid, on average

    ValueFair

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