by our College Data Analytics Team
With all of the college options in Ohio, choosing the right one can feel overwhelming. We have ranked **64** institutions by overall quality and student outcomes, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, College Factual reviewed 64 colleges on more than 20 objective measures such as graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, and per-student spending, drawing primarily on U.S. Department of Education data (IPEDS and College Scorecard). Learn more about our ranking methodology.
Explore the leading colleges below:
Ohio State University Main Campus earned the #1 spot in this year's Best Colleges ranking in Ohio. Ohio State University Main Campus is a public school based in Columbus, OH. Roughly 88% of students complete a degree within six years here. Students from in state pay about $13,244 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $40,022. Graduates go on to earn a median of $58,088 early in their careers. The median student debt is $22,053.
University Of Dayton came in at #2 on this year's Best Colleges ranking in Ohio. Located in Dayton, OH, University Of Dayton is a private not-for-profit institution. University Of Dayton posts a six-year graduation rate of 80%. Students from in state pay about $49,140 in tuition and fees. University Of Dayton graduates report median early-career earnings of $56,077. Typical student debt is $25,033.
Miami University Oxford came in at #3 on this year's Best Colleges ranking in Ohio. Located in Oxford, OH, Miami University Oxford is a public institution. Miami University Oxford graduates 80% of students within six years. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $17,519, while out-of-state students pay about $38,965. Median early-career earnings reach $49,700. Graduates carry a median of $24,177 in student loans.
Case Western Reserve University came in at #4 on this year's Best Colleges ranking in Ohio. Based in Cleveland, OH, Case Western Reserve University is a private not-for-profit institution. The six-year graduation rate is 87%. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $66,608. Case Western Reserve University graduates report median early-career earnings of $74,459. Students borrow a median of $25,106 to complete a degree here.
Denison University came in at #5 on this year's Best Colleges ranking in Ohio. Located in Granville, OH, Denison University is a private not-for-profit institution. Roughly 79% of students complete a degree within six years here. In-state tuition and fees average $67,000. A year after graduating, students earn a median of $39,797. Typical student debt is $25,360.
University Of Cincinnati Main Campus landed the #6 spot in Ohio this year. This public school is set in Cincinnati, OH. The six-year graduation rate is 74%. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $13,363, with out-of-state students paying around $28,697. University Of Cincinnati Main Campus graduates report median early-career earnings of $58,659. Graduates carry a median of $23,530 in student loans.
Xavier University ranked #7 on our 2026 list of the best colleges. Xavier University is a private not-for-profit school based in Cincinnati, OH. Roughly 68% of students complete a degree within six years here. In-state tuition and fees run about $49,425. Graduates go on to earn a median of $55,045 early in their careers. Typical student debt is $26,614.
Kenyon College landed the #8 spot in Ohio this year. Located in Gambier, OH, Kenyon College is a private not-for-profit institution. Roughly 82% of students complete a degree within six years here. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $71,520. Graduates go on to earn a median of $37,976 early in their careers. Graduates carry a median of $18,114 in student loans.
John Carroll University placed #9 among the best colleges in Ohio. Based in University Heights, OH, John Carroll University is a private not-for-profit institution. Roughly 79% of students complete a degree within six years here. Students from in state pay about $50,500 in tuition and fees. Graduates go on to earn a median of $44,308 early in their careers. Typical student debt is $26,131.
Ohio University Main Campus came in at #10 in this year's ranking. Ohio University Main Campus is a public school based in Athens, OH. Ohio University Main Campus posts a six-year graduation rate of 65%. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $14,158, with out-of-state students paying around $24,838. Ohio University Main Campus graduates report median early-career earnings of $49,736. Ohio University Main Campus students take on a median of $24,546 in debt.
The College Of Wooster did well this year, earning the #11 position. Set in Wooster, OH, The College Of Wooster is a private not-for-profit institution. Roughly 74% of students complete a degree within six years here. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $61,640. Graduates go on to earn a median of $32,382 early in their careers. Typical student debt is $25,936.
Cedarville University did well this year, earning the #12 position. Set in Cedarville, OH, Cedarville University is a private not-for-profit institution. Cedarville University graduates 72% of students within six years. In-state tuition and fees run about $37,150. Early-career graduates earn a median of $57,104. Cedarville University students take on a median of $22,110 in debt.
Ohio Northern University landed the #13 spot in Ohio this year. Located in Ada, OH, Ohio Northern University is a private not-for-profit institution. Roughly 72% of students complete a degree within six years here. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $39,600. Ohio Northern University graduates report median early-career earnings of $56,878. The median student debt is $26,661.
Bowling Green State University Main Campus came in at #14 in this year's ranking. Bowling Green State University Main Campus is a public school based in Bowling Green, OH. The six-year graduation rate is 61%. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $13,912, while out-of-state students pay about $21,900. A year after graduating, students earn a median of $45,196. Bowling Green State University Main Campus students take on a median of $25,449 in debt.
University Of Toledo came in at #15 in this year's ranking. Located in Toledo, OH, University Of Toledo is a public institution. University Of Toledo graduates 58% of students within six years. In-state tuition and fees average $12,157, compared with $21,517 for out-of-state students. Median early-career earnings reach $52,675. Graduates carry a median of $24,923 in student loans.
Oberlin College landed the #16 spot in Ohio this year. Oberlin College is a private not-for-profit school based in Oberlin, OH. About 81% of students finish within six years. In-state tuition and fees average $67,366. Oberlin College graduates report median early-career earnings of $25,146. Graduates carry a median of $24,759 in student loans.
Otterbein University ranked #17 on our 2026 list of the best colleges. Otterbein University is a private not-for-profit school based in Westerville, OH. Otterbein University posts a six-year graduation rate of 68%. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $35,548. Graduates go on to earn a median of $45,871 early in their careers. The median student debt is $25,282.
Marietta College landed the #18 spot in Ohio this year. Based in Marietta, OH, Marietta College is a private not-for-profit institution. Marietta College graduates 61% of students within six years. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $39,652. Graduates go on to earn a median of $79,641 early in their careers. Students borrow a median of $27,000 to complete a degree here.
Mount Carmel College Of Nursing ranked #19 on our 2026 list of the best colleges. Mount Carmel College Of Nursing is a private not-for-profit school based in Columbus, OH. Mount Carmel College Of Nursing posts a six-year graduation rate of 54%. Students from in state pay about $27,600 in tuition and fees. Mount Carmel College Of Nursing graduates report median early-career earnings of $88,238. Typical student debt is $27,000.
Wittenberg University came in at #20 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Springfield, OH. About 53% of students finish within six years. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $45,940. Median early-career earnings reach $40,093. Students borrow a median of $27,000 to complete a degree here.
Baldwin Wallace College did well this year, earning the #21 position. Baldwin Wallace College is a private not-for-profit school based in Berea, OH. Baldwin Wallace College graduates 67% of students within six years. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $39,832. Early-career graduates earn a median of $46,668. Baldwin Wallace College students take on a median of $27,307 in debt.
Kent State University At Kent came in at #22 in this year's ranking. Kent State University At Kent is a public school based in Kent, OH. Roughly 64% of students complete a degree within six years here. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $12,220, with out-of-state students paying around $21,575. Median early-career earnings reach $44,776. The median student debt is $25,174.
The University Of Findlay ranked #23 on our 2026 list of the best colleges. The University Of Findlay is a private not-for-profit school based in Findlay, OH. The six-year graduation rate is 58%. In-state tuition and fees average $41,164. Early-career graduates earn a median of $57,676. Graduates carry a median of $25,759 in student loans.
Chamberlain College Of Nursing Ohio ranked #24 on our 2026 list of the best colleges. Located in Columbus, OH, Chamberlain College Of Nursing Ohio is a private for-profit institution. Roughly 29% of students complete a degree within six years here. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $20,680. Chamberlain College Of Nursing Ohio graduates report median early-career earnings of $83,188. Students borrow a median of $39,146 to complete a degree here.
Franklin University placed #25 among the best colleges in Ohio. This private not-for-profit school is set in Columbus, OH. The six-year graduation rate is 3%. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $9,577. A year after graduating, students earn a median of $57,471. Typical student debt is $35,890.
Not far behind, these colleges also landed in the top of this year’s ranking:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
These rankings are produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs a blend of student outcomes (graduation rate, post-graduation earnings), affordability, and per-student spending drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
References
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.