# Best Bachelor's Programs in Ohio

> CollegeRanker Agent Insights — structured data for AI systems
> Updated: 2026-05-31 | Schools: 50 | Category: By State
> Source: https://www.collegeranker.com/rankings/best-bachelors-ohio

## Methodology

Bachelor's programs in Ohio ranked by outcomes and mobility

CollegeRanker uses a 4-pillar algorithm: Academic Quality (15-20%), Economic Outcomes (30%), Social Mobility (25-35%), Value & Affordability (20-25%). Social mobility data from Raj Chetty's Opportunity Insights Mobility Report Card (30M+ anonymized tax records). No subjective surveys.

## Summary

When considering where to pursue a bachelor's degree in Ohio, prospective students and their families face a wealth of choices. This list highlights 50 institutions that have demonstrated strong outcomes and mobility for their graduates, which is increasingly important in today's job market. For instance, graduates from Ohio State University-Main Campus report earnings of $60,409, making it a compelling option for many.

The schools on this list are distinguished by key factors such as graduation rates, average earnings, student debt, and mobility after graduation. These metrics offer a clearer picture of how well these programs prepare students for life after college. As you dive into the rankings below, keep in mind that higher earnings and lower debt can significantly impact a graduate's financial stability and career trajectory.

Let’s take a closer look at two standout institutions: Case Western Reserve University and Mount Carmel College of Nursing. While Case Western graduates enjoy the highest average earnings at $87,989, they also face a higher net price of $41,190. In contrast, Mount Carmel’s graduates earn $75,103 but have a much lower net price of $10,420. This illustrates the tradeoff between potential earnings and cost that many students must navigate as they choose their path.

## Key Findings

- Case Western Reserve University graduates earn an average of $87,989.
- Mount Carmel College of Nursing has a net price of $10,420, the lowest among the top five schools.
- Ohio State University-Main Campus has an 88% graduation rate, indicating strong student support.
- The average earnings for graduates from these programs is $57,259.

## Rankings

| Rank | School | Location | Graduation | Earnings (10yr) | Net Price | Median Debt | Debt/Earnings |
|------|--------|----------|------------|-----------------|-----------|-------------|---------------|
| 1 | [Kenyon College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/kenyon-college) | Gambier, OH | 84% | $71,830 | $38,512 | $18,527 | 0.26x |
| 2 | [Case Western Reserve University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/case-western-reserve-university) | Cleveland, OH | 87% | $87,989 | $41,190 | $24,000 | 0.27x |
| 3 | [The College of Wooster](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/the-college-of-wooster) | Wooster, OH | 74% | $59,629 | $23,458 | $26,500 | 0.44x |
| 4 | [Ohio Northern University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/ohio-northern-university) | Ada, OH | 75% | $80,928 | $24,478 | $27,000 | 0.33x |
| 5 | [University of Dayton](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/university-of-dayton) | Dayton, OH | 81% | $75,537 | $29,533 | $23,250 | 0.31x |
| 6 | [Denison University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/denison-university) | Granville, OH | 79% | $67,753 | $40,007 | $26,000 | 0.38x |
| 7 | [Cedarville University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/cedarville-university) | Cedarville, OH | 73% | $55,443 | $24,468 | $20,937 | 0.38x |
| 8 | [Youngstown State University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/youngstown-state-university) | Youngstown, OH | 52% | $41,544 | $12,767 | $24,000 | 0.58x |
| 9 | [Walsh University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/walsh-university) | North Canton, OH | 60% | $59,764 | $20,493 | $27,000 | 0.45x |
| 10 | [John Carroll University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/john-carroll-university) | University Heights, OH | 78% | $62,860 | $28,746 | $26,000 | 0.41x |
| 11 | [Franciscan University of Steubenville](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/franciscan-university-of-steubenville) | Steubenville, OH | 76% | $50,030 | $23,589 | $23,384 | 0.47x |
| 12 | [Ohio State University-Main Campus](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/ohio-state-university-main-campus) | Columbus, OH | 88% | $60,409 | $17,339 | $19,976 | 0.33x |
| 13 | [Oberlin College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/oberlin-college) | Oberlin, OH | 80% | $58,343 | $38,645 | $26,000 | 0.45x |
| 14 | [Cleveland State University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/cleveland-state-university) | Cleveland, OH | 50% | $52,131 | $14,764 | $21,797 | 0.42x |
| 15 | [Otterbein University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/otterbein-university) | Westerville, OH | 68% | $53,313 | $19,237 | $26,000 | 0.49x |
| 16 | [Mount Vernon Nazarene University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/mount-vernon-nazarene-university) | Mount Vernon, OH | 66% | $49,555 | $22,421 | $25,000 | 0.5x |
| 17 | [University of Toledo](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/university-of-toledo) | Toledo, OH | 56% | $50,632 | $17,249 | $22,250 | 0.44x |
| 18 | [Ohio Wesleyan University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/ohio-wesleyan-university) | Delaware, OH | 60% | $55,624 | $20,897 | $27,000 | 0.49x |
| 19 | [Marietta College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/marietta-college) | Marietta, OH | 60% | $57,180 | $21,083 | $27,000 | 0.47x |
| 20 | [Ursuline College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/ursuline-college) | Pepper Pike, OH | 61% | $56,878 | $16,164 | $26,250 | 0.46x |
| 21 | [Hiram College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/hiram-college) | Hiram, OH | 57% | $54,311 | $21,058 | $27,000 | 0.5x |
| 22 | [University of Mount Union](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/university-of-mount-union) | Alliance, OH | 62% | $53,217 | $23,280 | $27,000 | 0.51x |
| 23 | [Ashland University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/ashland-university) | Ashland, OH | 61% | $52,928 | $21,988 | $25,000 | 0.47x |
| 24 | [Muskingum University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/muskingum-university) | New Concord, OH | 55% | $48,440 | $19,532 | $25,369 | 0.52x |
| 25 | [Xavier University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/xavier-university) | Cincinnati, OH | 70% | $64,873 | $32,997 | $23,250 | 0.36x |
| 26 | [Capital University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/capital-university) | Columbus, OH | 63% | $54,143 | $22,576 | $26,889 | 0.5x |
| 27 | [Wittenberg University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/wittenberg-university) | Springfield, OH | 53% | $54,947 | $18,649 | $27,000 | 0.49x |
| 28 | [Ohio Dominican University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/ohio-dominican-university) | Columbus, OH | 44% | $51,748 | $20,079 | $26,000 | 0.5x |
| 29 | [The University of Findlay](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/the-university-of-findlay) | Findlay, OH | 60% | $56,996 | $27,221 | $25,439 | 0.45x |
| 30 | [Malone University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/malone-university) | Canton, OH | 48% | $48,909 | $20,948 | $26,289 | 0.54x |
| 31 | [Bluffton University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/bluffton-university) | Bluffton, OH | 51% | $49,547 | $19,943 | $27,000 | 0.54x |
| 32 | [Baldwin Wallace University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/baldwin-wallace-university) | Berea, OH | 68% | $54,122 | $27,603 | $27,000 | 0.5x |
| 33 | [Wilmington College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/wilmington-college) | Wilmington, OH | 51% | $48,491 | $24,153 | $24,208 | 0.5x |
| 34 | [Mercy College of Ohio](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/mercy-college-of-ohio) | Toledo, OH | 49% | $65,409 | $17,989 | $20,834 | 0.32x |
| 35 | [Lake Erie College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/lake-erie-college) | Painesville, OH | 40% | $50,417 | $20,961 | $26,000 | 0.52x |
| 36 | [Miami University-Oxford](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/miami-university-oxford) | Oxford, OH | 81% | $55,076 | $28,384 | $23,000 | 0.42x |
| 37 | [Tiffin University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/tiffin-university) | Tiffin, OH | 41% | $35,942 | $26,500 | $27,000 | 0.75x |
| 38 | [Mount St. Joseph University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/mount-st-joseph-university) | Cincinnati, OH | 56% | $51,509 | $16,530 | $26,827 | 0.52x |
| 39 | [Lourdes University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/lourdes-university) | Sylvania, OH | 35% | $48,150 | $23,206 | $27,000 | 0.56x |
| 40 | [Shawnee State University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/shawnee-state-university) | Portsmouth, OH | 45% | $39,596 | $14,381 | $23,000 | 0.58x |
| 41 | [Mount Carmel College of Nursing](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/mount-carmel-college-of-nursing) | Columbus, OH | 64% | $75,103 | $10,420 | $22,082 | 0.29x |
| 42 | [Heidelberg University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/heidelberg-university) | Tiffin, OH | 51% | $48,466 | $20,556 | $27,000 | 0.56x |
| 43 | [Ohio University-Main Campus](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/ohio-university-main-campus) | Athens, OH | 66% | $52,581 | $21,637 | $21,056 | 0.4x |
| 44 | [Miami University-Hamilton](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/miami-university-hamilton) | Hamilton, OH | 23% | $55,076 | $11,286 | $23,000 | 0.42x |
| 45 | [Central State University](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/central-state-university) | Wilberforce, OH | 24% | $33,267 | $13,096 | $30,739 | 0.92x |
| 46 | [University of Cincinnati-Main Campus](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/university-of-cincinnati-main-campus) | Cincinnati, OH | 73% | $54,810 | $25,648 | $21,250 | 0.39x |
| 47 | [Defiance College](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/defiance-college) | Defiance, OH | 34% | $49,351 | $26,337 | $26,813 | 0.54x |
| 48 | [Wright State University-Main Campus](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/wright-state-university-main-campus) | Dayton, OH | 44% | $49,500 | $15,415 | $22,750 | 0.46x |
| 49 | [Kent State University at Kent](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/kent-state-university-at-kent) | Kent, OH | 65% | $45,388 | $20,787 | $24,500 | 0.54x |
| 50 | [Miami University-Middletown](https://www.collegeranker.com/colleges/miami-university-middletown) | Middletown, OH | 28% | $55,076 | $10,809 | $23,000 | 0.42x |

## Data Sources

- U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (https://collegescorecard.ed.gov)
- Opportunity Insights Mobility Report Card (https://opportunityinsights.org/data)
- Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas
- Times Higher Education World University Rankings
- NCES IPEDS

## Citation

CollegeRanker. "Best Bachelor's Programs in Ohio." CollegeRanker.com, 2026-05-31. https://www.collegeranker.com/rankings/best-bachelors-ohio

## License

This data summary is provided for informational purposes. Underlying data from federal sources (College Scorecard, IPEDS) is public domain. Opportunity Insights data is available under their data use agreement at https://opportunityinsights.org/data/.