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 outcomes
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).

117 schools · Sorted by Compass Score

School results

  • Not yet rated

    Zane State College

    Top 3% for low debt
    Zanesville, OH · Public · 4-year · 1,619 students

    About $8,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value StrongAcademics Strong
  • Not yet rated

    Lorain County Community College

    Top 3% for low net price
    Elyria, OH · Public · 4-year · 9,410 students

    About $4,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value StrongAcademics Fair
  • Not yet rated

    James A. Rhodes State College

    Top 11% for low debt
    Lima, OH · Public · 4-year · 3,968 students

    About $9,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value ExcellentAcademics Fair
  • Not yet rated

    Marion Technical College

    Top 4% for low debt
    Marion, OH · Public · 4-year · 3,008 students

    About $7,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value ExcellentAcademics Fair
  • Not yet rated

    Bryant & Stratton College-Parma

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

    About $13,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value StrongAcademics Fair
  • Not yet rated

    Washington State College of Ohio

    Top 9% for low net price
    Marietta, OH · Public · 4-year · 1,637 students

    About $8,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value ExcellentAcademics Fair
  • Not yet rated

    Columbus State Community College

    Top 5% for low debt
    Columbus, OH · Public · 4-year · 26,663 students

    About $8,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value ExcellentAcademics Fair
  • Not yet rated

    Edison State Community College

    Top 8% for low net price
    Piqua, OH · Public · 4-year · 4,548 students

    About $7,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value StrongAcademics Fair
  • Not yet rated

    University of Cincinnati-Blue Ash College

    Blue Ash, OH · Public · 4-year · 7,166 students

    About $17,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value StrongAcademics Fair
  • Not yet rated

    University of Cincinnati-Clermont College

    Batavia, OH · Public · 4-year · 8,324 students

    About $14,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value StrongAcademics Fair
  • Not yet rated

    Valor Christian College

    Top 20% for low debt
    Canal Winchester, OH · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 352 students

    About $34,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value not rated yetAcademics Fair
  • Not yet rated

    Antioch University

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

    Value not rated yet
  • Not yet rated

    Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science

    Top 19% for low debt
    Cincinnati, OH · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 104 students

    Value not rated yet
  • Not yet rated

    Lakewood University

    Cleveland Heights, OH · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 101 students

    Value not rated yet
  • Not yet rated

    Davis College

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

    About $24,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value Fair
  • Not yet rated

    Arizona College of Nursing-Cleveland

    Top 6% for low debt
    Beachwood, OH · Private for-profit · 4-year · 84 students

    About $40,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value Fair
  • Not yet rated

    Arizona College of Nursing-Cincinnati

    Top 6% for low debt
    Cincinnati, OH · Private for-profit · 4-year · 65 students

    About $39,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value Fair

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