by our College Data Analytics Team
With all of the college options in Ohio, choosing the right one can feel overwhelming. This list ranks **91** schools by overall quality and student outcomes, using our 2026 methodology.To arm you with the information you need, College Factual reviewed 91 colleges using more than 20 objective factors 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.
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Explore the leading colleges below: Leading the list is Ohio State University Main Campus, our #1 college in Ohio. This public school is set in Columbus, OH. Roughly 88% of students complete a degree within six years here. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $13,244, while out-of-state students pay about $40,022. Early-career graduates earn a median of $58,088. Ohio State University Main Campus students take on a median of $22,053 in debt. 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. Roughly 80% of students complete a degree within six years here. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $49,140. Median early-career earnings reach $56,077. Typical student debt is $25,033. You'll be in good company at Case Western Reserve University, which ranked #3 this year. Located in Cleveland, OH, Case Western Reserve University is a private not-for-profit institution. Case Western Reserve University graduates 87% of students within six years. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $66,608. Median early-career earnings reach $74,459. Students borrow a median of $25,106 to complete a degree here. Out of the 91 colleges in Ohio in this year's ranking, Miami University Oxford landed the #4 spot. This public school is set in Oxford, OH. The six-year graduation rate is 80%. In-state tuition and fees average $17,519, compared with $38,965 for out-of-state students. Miami University Oxford graduates report median early-career earnings of $49,700. Graduates carry a median of $24,177 in student loans.1
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A rank of #5 makes Denison University one of the top colleges in Ohio. Set in Granville, OH, Denison University is a private not-for-profit institution. Roughly 79% of students complete a degree within six years here. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $67,000. Early-career graduates earn a median of $39,797. Students borrow a median of $25,360 to complete a degree here.5
University Of Cincinnati Main Campus did well this year, earning the #6 position. Based in Cincinnati, OH, University Of Cincinnati Main Campus is a public institution. University Of Cincinnati Main Campus posts a six-year graduation rate of 74%. In-state tuition and fees run about $13,363, with out-of-state students paying around $28,697. A year after graduating, students earn a median of $58,659. University Of Cincinnati Main Campus students take on a median of $23,530 in debt. Xavier University came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Located in Cincinnati, OH, Xavier University is a private not-for-profit institution. Xavier University posts a six-year graduation rate of 68%. In-state tuition and fees average $49,425. Xavier University graduates report median early-career earnings of $55,045. Graduates carry a median of $26,614 in student loans. Kenyon College did well this year, earning the #8 position. Set in Gambier, OH, Kenyon College is a private not-for-profit institution. The six-year graduation rate is 82%. Students from in state pay about $71,520 in tuition and fees. Kenyon College graduates report median early-career earnings of $37,976. Typical student debt is $18,114. Ohio University Main Campus ranked #9 on our 2026 list of the best colleges. Based in Athens, OH, Ohio University Main Campus is a public institution. Ohio University Main Campus graduates 65% of students within six years. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $14,158, compared with $24,838 for out-of-state students. Graduates go on to earn a median of $49,736 early in their careers. Ohio University Main Campus students take on a median of $24,546 in debt.6
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John Carroll University did well this year, earning the #10 position. Located in University Heights, OH, John Carroll University is a private not-for-profit institution. John Carroll University posts a six-year graduation rate of 79%. 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 $26,131.10
The College Of Wooster ranked #11 on our 2026 list of the best colleges. Located in Wooster, OH, The College Of Wooster is a private not-for-profit institution. The College Of Wooster graduates 74% of students within six years. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $61,640. A year after graduating, students earn a median of $32,382. Graduates carry a median of $25,936 in student loans. Cedarville University placed #12 among the best colleges in Ohio. Based in Cedarville, OH, Cedarville University is a private not-for-profit institution. Roughly 72% of students complete a degree within six years here. Students from in state pay about $37,150 in tuition and fees. Median early-career earnings reach $57,104. Graduates carry a median of $22,110 in student loans. Ohio Northern University came in at #13 in this year's ranking. Ohio Northern University is a private not-for-profit school based in Ada, OH. About 72% of students finish within six years. Students from in state pay about $39,600 in tuition and fees. Median early-career earnings reach $56,878. Students borrow a median of $26,661 to complete a degree here. Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute landed the #14 spot in Ohio this year. Based in Wooster, OH, Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute is a public institution. In-state tuition and fees average $9,584, while out-of-state students pay about $36,362. Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute graduates report median early-career earnings of $34,898. Graduates carry a median of $12,286 in student loans.11
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Bowling Green State University Main Campus placed #15 among the best colleges in Ohio. Located in Bowling Green, OH, Bowling Green State University Main Campus is a public institution. Bowling Green State University Main Campus graduates 61% of students within six years. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $13,912, while out-of-state students pay about $21,900. Early-career graduates earn a median of $45,196. Bowling Green State University Main Campus students take on a median of $25,449 in debt.15
Mount Carmel College Of Nursing placed #16 among the best colleges in Ohio. Based in Columbus, OH, Mount Carmel College Of Nursing is a private not-for-profit institution. Mount Carmel College Of Nursing graduates 54% of students within six years. In-state tuition and fees run about $27,600. Graduates go on to earn a median of $88,238 early in their careers. The median student debt is $27,000. Oberlin College placed #17 among the best colleges in Ohio. Set in Oberlin, OH, Oberlin College is a private not-for-profit institution. Oberlin College posts a six-year graduation rate of 81%. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $67,366. A year after graduating, students earn a median of $25,146. Graduates carry a median of $24,759 in student loans. University Of Toledo placed #18 among the best colleges in Ohio. Located in Toledo, OH, University Of Toledo is a public institution. About 58% of students finish within six years. Students from in state pay about $12,157 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $21,517. Early-career graduates earn a median of $52,675. Graduates carry a median of $24,923 in student loans. Otterbein University came in at #19 in this year's ranking. Located in Westerville, OH, Otterbein University is a private not-for-profit institution. The six-year graduation rate is 68%. In-state tuition and fees run about $35,548. Otterbein University graduates report median early-career earnings of $45,871. The median student debt is $25,282.16
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Marietta College placed #20 among the best colleges in Ohio. This private not-for-profit school is set in Marietta, OH. Roughly 61% of students complete a degree within six years here. In-state tuition and fees average $39,652. Median early-career earnings reach $79,641. The median student debt is $27,000.20
Wittenberg University came in at #21 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Springfield, OH. About 53% of students finish within six years. In-state tuition and fees run about $45,940. Median early-career earnings reach $40,093. The median student debt is $27,000. The University Of Findlay came in at #22 in this year's ranking. Located in Findlay, OH, The University Of Findlay is a private not-for-profit institution. Roughly 58% of students complete a degree within six years here. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $41,164. Median early-career earnings reach $57,676. The median student debt is $25,759. Ohio State University Newark Campus placed #23 among the best colleges in Ohio. Based in Newark, OH, Ohio State University Newark Campus is a public institution. The six-year graduation rate is 3%. In-state tuition and fees run about $9,488, with out-of-state students paying around $36,266. Ohio State University Newark Campus graduates report median early-career earnings of $45,282. Ohio State University Newark Campus students take on a median of $22,401 in debt. Baldwin Wallace College ranked #24 on our 2026 list of the best colleges. This private not-for-profit school is set in Berea, OH. Baldwin Wallace College graduates 67% of students within six years. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $39,832. Early-career graduates earn a median of $46,668. Students borrow a median of $27,307 to complete a degree here. Chamberlain College Of Nursing Ohio did well this year, earning the #25 position. Chamberlain College Of Nursing Ohio is a private for-profit school based in Columbus, OH. The six-year graduation rate is 29%. In-state tuition and fees average $20,680. Median early-career earnings reach $83,188. Students borrow a median of $39,146 to complete a degree here.212223
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These colleges rounded out the top of the list:26
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*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
These rankings are produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Colleges are scored on 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
See our data sources and methodologies.