Lowest-Debt Colleges in Ohio
Where graduates leave with the least median federal debt — among colleges with solid completion rates.
Showing Ohio
Clear state| # | College | Type | 5-yr earnings | Net price | Median debt | 10-yr ROI | DR Rating | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zane State College Zanesville, OH | Public | $35,831 | $8,062 | $6,834 | -364% | Poor return | |
| 2 | James A. Rhodes State College Lima, OH | Public | $50,365 | $8,757 | $12,000 | +36% | Break-even | |
| 3 | Sinclair Community College Dayton, OH | Public | $43,753 | $5,992 | $12,000 | -144% | Poor return | |
| 4 | University of Northwestern Ohio Lima, OH | Private | $53,724 | $21,807 | $17,084 | -7% | Poor return | |
| 5 | Kenyon College Gambier, OH | Private | $60,485 | $38,512 | $18,527 | -4% | Poor return | |
| 6 | Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, OH | Public | $66,909 | $17,339 | $19,976 | +186% | Strong return | |
| 7 | Good Samaritan College of Nursing and Health Science Cincinnati, OH | Private | $66,913 | $19,622 | $20,625 | +155% | Strong return | |
| 8 | Mercy College of Ohio Toledo, OH | Private | $62,557 | $17,989 | $20,834 | +121% | Strong return | |
| 9 | Cedarville University Cedarville, OH | Private | $51,943 | $24,468 | $20,937 | -34% | Poor return | |
| 10 | Ohio University-Main Campus Athens, OH | Public | $55,810 | $21,637 | $21,056 | +15% | Break-even | |
| 11 | University of Cincinnati-Main Campus Cincinnati, OH | Public | $64,065 | $25,648 | $21,250 | +73% | Strong return | |
| 12 | Cleveland State University Cleveland, OH | Public | $58,930 | $14,764 | $21,797 | +108% | Strong return | |
| 13 | Mount Carmel College of Nursing Columbus, OH | Private | $93,786 | $10,420 | $22,082 | +881% | Strong return | |
| 14 | University of Toledo Toledo, OH | Public | $62,805 | $17,249 | $22,250 | +131% | Strong return | |
| 15 | Wright State University-Main Campus Dayton, OH | Public | $58,156 | $15,415 | $22,750 | +88% | Strong return | |
| 16 | Wright State University-Lake Campus Celina, OH | Public | $47,650 | $11,081 | $22,750 | -50% | Poor return | |
| 17 | Shawnee State University Portsmouth, OH | Public | $52,125 | $14,381 | $23,000 | +8% | Break-even | |
| 18 | Miami University-Oxford Oxford, OH | Public | $61,026 | $28,384 | $23,000 | +31% | Break-even | |
| 19 | Xavier University Cincinnati, OH | Private | $71,372 | $32,997 | $23,250 | +88% | Strong return | |
| 20 | University of Akron Main Campus Akron, OH | Public | $58,702 | $13,946 | $23,250 | +113% | Strong return | |
| 21 | University of Dayton Dayton, OH | Private | $71,532 | $29,533 | $23,250 | +110% | Strong return | |
| 22 | Franciscan University of Steubenville Steubenville, OH | Private | $49,141 | $23,589 | $23,384 | -60% | Poor return | |
| 23 | Kettering College Kettering, OH | Private | $71,707 | $21,650 | $23,500 | +181% | Strong return | |
| 24 | Youngstown State University Youngstown, OH | Public | $55,686 | $12,767 | $24,000 | +79% | Strong return | |
| 25 | Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH | Private | $92,158 | $41,190 | $24,000 | +172% | Strong return | |
| 26 | Galen College of Nursing-Cincinnati Cincinnati, OH | For-profit | $83,791 | $28,785 | $24,166 | +213% | Strong return | |
| 27 | Wilmington College Wilmington, OH | Private | $45,937 | $24,153 | $24,208 | -91% | Poor return | |
| 28 | The Christ College of Nursing and Health Sciences Cincinnati, OH | Private | $73,844 | $18,378 | $24,250 | +250% | Strong return | |
| 29 | Kent State University at Kent Kent, OH | Public | $54,302 | $20,787 | $24,500 | +1% | Break-even | |
| 30 | Ashland University Ashland, OH | Private | $57,458 | $21,988 | $25,000 | +28% | Break-even | |
| 31 | Mount Vernon Nazarene University Mount Vernon, OH | Private | $52,481 | $22,421 | $25,000 | -24% | Poor return | |
| 32 | Bowling Green State University-Main Campus Bowling Green, OH | Public | $52,975 | $24,022 | $25,000 | -24% | Poor return | |
| 33 | Muskingum University New Concord, OH | Private | $47,262 | $19,532 | $25,369 | -74% | Poor return | |
| 34 | The University of Findlay Findlay, OH | Private | $71,369 | $27,221 | $25,439 | +123% | Strong return | |
| 35 | Denison University Granville, OH | Private | $60,971 | $40,007 | $26,000 | -6% | Poor return | |
| 36 | Ohio Dominican University Columbus, OH | Private | $63,392 | $20,079 | $26,000 | +105% | Strong return | |
| 37 | John Carroll University University Heights, OH | Private | $60,927 | $28,746 | $26,000 | +28% | Break-even | |
| 38 | Otterbein University Westerville, OH | Private | $52,949 | $19,237 | $26,000 | -8% | Poor return | |
| 39 | Oberlin College Oberlin, OH | Private | $48,762 | $38,645 | $26,000 | -77% | Poor return | |
| 40 | Ursuline College Pepper Pike, OH | Private | $71,870 | $16,164 | $26,250 | +262% | Strong return | |
| 41 | Malone University Canton, OH | Private | $47,127 | $20,948 | $26,289 | -77% | Poor return | |
| 42 | The College of Wooster Wooster, OH | Private | $48,091 | $23,458 | $26,500 | -70% | Poor return | |
| 43 | Mount St. Joseph University Cincinnati, OH | Private | $63,941 | $16,530 | $26,827 | +150% | Strong return | |
| 44 | Capital University Columbus, OH | Private | $57,758 | $22,576 | $26,889 | +27% | Break-even | |
| 45 | Cleveland Institute of Art Cleveland, OH | Private | — | $29,208 | $27,000 | — | Not enough data | |
| 46 | Marietta College Marietta, OH | Private | $110,396 | $21,083 | $27,000 | +594% | Strong return | |
| 47 | Heidelberg University Tiffin, OH | Private | $55,764 | $20,556 | $27,000 | +17% | Break-even | |
| 48 | Ohio Northern University Ada, OH | Private | $76,866 | $24,478 | $27,000 | +196% | Strong return | |
| 49 | Walsh University North Canton, OH | Private | $56,699 | $20,493 | $27,000 | +27% | Break-even | |
| 50 | Ohio Wesleyan University Delaware, OH | Private | $66,861 | $20,897 | $27,000 | +134% | Strong return | |
| 51 | Hiram College Hiram, OH | Private | $58,741 | $21,058 | $27,000 | +46% | Break-even | |
| 52 | University of Mount Union Alliance, OH | Private | $62,276 | $23,280 | $27,000 | +68% | Strong return | |
| 53 | Bluffton University Bluffton, OH | Private | $48,002 | $19,943 | $27,000 | -67% | Poor return | |
| 54 | Columbus College of Art & Design Columbus, OH | Private | $40,134 | $29,439 | $27,000 | -138% | Poor return | |
| 55 | Wittenberg University Springfield, OH | Private | $58,703 | $18,649 | $27,000 | +62% | Break-even | |
| 56 | Baldwin Wallace University Berea, OH | Private | $58,715 | $27,603 | $27,000 | +14% | Break-even |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard. ROI is computed by Degree Return — see how. Read the methodology. Data as of 2024.
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