State rankings

Best colleges in Ohio, ranked by ROI

Name: Ohio colleges — cost, earnings and ROI rankings
Creator: Degree Dividend

By the Degree Dividend editorial data teamEvery figure verified against its federal source — methodologyData updated June 2026

We rank all 144 Ohio institutions we profile by payback years — total net cost divided by earnings above the $48,360 high-school baseline. The state's median net price is $19,783/yr (above the $16,902 national median), and its graduates earn a median $47,831 ten years out (above the $43,549 national median). Mount Carmel College of Nursing leads, clearing its cost in 1.6 years. (Scorecard, 2026.)

$19,783

Median net price / yr

Scorecard, 2026

$47,831

Median earnings, 10 yrs

Scorecard, 2026

9.6 yrs

Median payback

Our math, 2026

144

Colleges ranked

degreedividend.com

Ohio colleges by payback (best first)

#	College	Net price/yr	Earnings 10y	Payback
1	Mount Carmel College of Nursing	$10,420	$75,103	1.6 yrs
2	Ohio State University-Marion Campus	$11,488	$60,409	1.9 yrs
3	Good Samaritan College of Nursing and Health Science	$19,622	$66,111	2.2 yrs
4	Ohio State University-Newark Campus	$14,767	$60,409	2.5 yrs
5	Ohio State University-Mansfield Campus	$16,197	$60,409	2.7 yrs
6	Ohio University-Chillicothe Campus	$5,755	$52,581	2.7 yrs
7	Ohio University-Zanesville Campus	$5,746	$52,581	2.7 yrs
8	Ohio University-Southern Campus	$5,993	$52,581	2.8 yrs
9	Chamberlain University-Ohio	$31,544	$92,405	2.9 yrs
10	Ohio Northern University	$24,478	$80,928	3 yrs
11	Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute	$17,809	$60,409	3 yrs
12	Aultman College of Nursing and Health Sciences	$24,204	$63,582	3.2 yrs
13	Ohio University-Eastern Campus	$3,925	$52,581	3.7 yrs
14	The Christ College of Nursing and Health Sciences	$18,378	$68,303	3.7 yrs
15	Case Western Reserve University	$41,190	$87,989	4.2 yrs
16	Mercy College of Ohio	$17,989	$65,409	4.2 yrs
17	Ohio State University-Lima Campus	$12,940	$60,409	4.3 yrs
18	University of Cincinnati-Clermont College	$13,803	$54,810	4.3 yrs
19	University of Dayton	$29,533	$75,537	4.3 yrs
20	Galen College of Nursing-Cincinnati	$28,785	$61,480	4.4 yrs
21	Kettering College	$21,650	$67,492	4.5 yrs
22	University of Cincinnati-Blue Ash College	$16,508	$54,810	5.1 yrs
23	Ohio University-Lancaster Campus	$5,650	$52,581	5.4 yrs
24	Ohio State University-Main Campus	$17,339	$60,409	5.8 yrs
25	Miami University-Middletown	$10,809	$55,076	6.4 yrs
26	Kenyon College	$38,512	$71,830	6.6 yrs
27	Miami University-Hamilton	$11,286	$55,076	6.7 yrs
28	Hobart Institute of Welding Technology	$21,409	$60,955	6.8 yrs
29	Walsh University	$20,493	$59,764	7.2 yrs
30	Ursuline College	$16,164	$56,878	7.6 yrs
31	John Carroll University	$28,746	$62,860	7.9 yrs
32	Xavier University	$32,997	$64,873	8 yrs
33	Denison University	$40,007	$67,753	8.3 yrs
34	The College of Wooster	$23,458	$59,629	8.3 yrs
35	Marietta College	$21,083	$57,180	9.6 yrs
36	Hondros College of Nursing	$26,014	$58,636	10.1 yrs
37	Wittenberg University	$18,649	$54,947	11.3 yrs
38	Ohio Wesleyan University	$20,897	$55,624	11.5 yrs
39	The University of Findlay	$27,221	$56,996	12.6 yrs
40	Cedarville University	$24,468	$55,443	13.8 yrs
41	Hiram College	$21,058	$54,311	14.2 yrs
42	Oberlin College	$38,645	$58,343	15.5 yrs
43	Otterbein University	$19,237	$53,313	15.5 yrs
44	Capital University	$22,576	$54,143	15.6 yrs
45	Cleveland State University	$14,764	$52,131	15.7 yrs
46	University of Cincinnati-Main Campus	$25,648	$54,810	15.9 yrs
47	University of Northwestern Ohio	$21,807	$50,968	16.7 yrs
48	Miami University-Oxford	$28,384	$55,076	16.9 yrs
49	Baldwin Wallace University	$27,603	$54,122	19.2 yrs
50	University of Mount Union	$23,280	$53,217	19.2 yrs
51	Ashland University	$21,988	$52,928	19.3 yrs
52	Ohio University-Main Campus	$21,637	$52,581	20.5 yrs
53	Mount St. Joseph University	$16,530	$51,509	21 yrs
54	Ohio Dominican University	$20,079	$51,748	23.7 yrs
55	Franklin University	$25,243	$51,892	28.6 yrs
56	University of Toledo	$17,249	$50,632	30.4 yrs
57	Wright State University-Lake Campus	$11,081	$49,500	38.9 yrs
58	Lake Erie College	$20,961	$50,417	40.8 yrs
59	Wright State University-Main Campus	$15,415	$49,500	54.1 yrs
60	Franciscan University of Steubenville	$23,589	$50,030	56.5 yrs
61	Bluffton University	$19,943	$49,547	67.2 yrs
62	Mount Vernon Nazarene University	$22,421	$49,555	75 yrs
63	Defiance College	$26,337	$49,351	106.3 yrs
64	Warren County Career Center	$24,731	$49,016	150.8 yrs
65	Malone University	$20,948	$48,909	152.6 yrs
66	Wilmington College	$24,153	$48,491	737.5 yrs
67	Heidelberg University	$20,556	$48,466	775.7 yrs
68	Muskingum University	$19,532	$48,440	976.6 yrs
69	Ohio Technical College	$34,972	$48,450	1554.3 yrs
70	Bowling Green State University-Firelands	$17,480	$47,896	no payback
71	Professional Skills Institute	$20,721	$47,765	no payback
72	Collins Career Technical Center	$9,468	$47,329	no payback
73	University of Akron Wayne College	$6,032	$46,600	no payback
74	Kent State University at Stark	$10,897	$45,388	no payback
75	Kent State University at Trumbull	$11,135	$45,388	no payback
76	Kent State University at Geauga	$12,044	$45,388	no payback
77	Kent State University at Ashtabula	$12,205	$45,388	no payback
78	Kent State University at Tuscarawas	$12,542	$45,388	no payback
79	Kent State University at East Liverpool	$13,392	$45,388	no payback
80	Kent State University at Salem	$13,799	$45,388	no payback
81	University of Akron Main Campus	$13,946	$46,600	no payback
82	Lourdes University	$23,206	$48,150	no payback
83	Bowling Green State University-Main Campus	$24,022	$47,896	no payback
84	Kent State University at Kent	$20,787	$45,388	no payback
85	DeVry University-Ohio	$25,001	$45,987	no payback
86	Marion Technical College	$7,417	$41,495	no payback
87	James A. Rhodes State College	$8,757	$41,855	no payback
88	Edison State Community College	$7,142	$41,360	no payback
89	Cincinnati State Technical and Community College	$4,968	$40,137	no payback
90	University of Rio Grande	$23,686	$41,478	no payback
91	Youngstown State University	$12,767	$41,544	no payback
92	Lakeland Community College	$7,606	$39,612	no payback
93	Northwest State Community College	$13,555	$40,004	no payback
94	The Modern College of Design	$39,359	$42,187	no payback
95	MyComputerCareer at Columbus	$25,970	$43,409	no payback
96	Central Ohio Technical College	$9,948	$39,168	no payback
97	Lorain County Community College	$3,967	$38,837	no payback
98	Columbus State Community College	$8,400	$39,435	no payback
99	North Central State College	$4,687	$38,158	no payback
100	Washington State College of Ohio	$7,714	$37,988	no payback
101	Wilberforce University	$5,567	$38,298	no payback
102	Clark State College	$12,135	$39,584	no payback
103	Gods Bible School and College	$9,329	$37,722	no payback
104	Polaris Career Center	$9,931	$38,718	no payback
105	Shawnee State University	$14,381	$39,596	no payback
106	Cleveland Institute of Art	$29,208	$42,509	no payback
107	Hocking College	$13,704	$37,791	no payback
108	Sinclair Community College	$5,992	$37,558	no payback
109	Ohio Christian University	$20,607	$39,813	no payback
110	Owens Community College	$10,369	$37,275	no payback
111	Herzing University-Akron	$18,934	$36,909	no payback
112	Cuyahoga Community College District	$4,266	$35,654	no payback
113	Columbus College of Art & Design	$29,439	$40,664	no payback
114	Belmont College	$6,995	$35,329	no payback
115	Auburn Career Center	$12,051	$37,032	no payback
116	Southern State Community College	$9,674	$35,463	no payback
117	Zane State College	$8,062	$35,006	no payback
118	Stark State College	$5,986	$34,661	no payback
119	Terra State Community College	$17,345	$36,612	no payback
120	American Institute of Alternative Medicine	$38,392	$40,805	no payback
121	Paul Mitchell the School-Columbus	$27,398	$37,609	no payback
122	Bryant & Stratton College-Parma	$12,849	$32,568	no payback
123	Fortis College-Columbus	$27,708	$36,368	no payback
124	Central State University	$13,096	$33,267	no payback
125	Tiffin University	$26,500	$35,942	no payback
126	Fortis College-Cincinnati	$29,614	$36,368	no payback
127	Fortis College-Cuyahoga Falls	$23,374	$34,509	no payback
128	Stautzenberger College-Maumee	$21,756	$34,104	no payback
129	ATA College-Cincinnati	$27,055	$34,577	no payback
130	Fortis College-Centerville	$29,162	$34,726	no payback
131	Art Academy of Cincinnati	$34,253	$34,368	no payback
132	Davis College	$24,181	$31,588	no payback
133	Aveda Institute-Columbus	$20,800	$30,231	no payback
134	Aveda Fredric's Institute-Cincinnati	$24,430	$30,468	no payback
135	Ross College-Sylvania	$22,893	$29,898	no payback
136	Dayton School of Medical Massage	$30,819	$31,071	no payback
137	Ohio Business College-Sheffield	$28,738	$30,389	no payback
138	Ross College-Canton	$28,389	$29,898	no payback
139	Paul Mitchell the School-Cincinnati	$27,029	$28,363	no payback
140	Creative Images Institute of Cosmetology-North Dayton	$12,258	$22,271	no payback
141	Valley College-Cleveland	$30,411	$24,900	no payback
142	Elite School of Cosmetology	$32,349	$23,547	no payback
143	Ohio State College of Barber Styling	$14,696	$18,341	no payback
144	Raphael's School of Beauty Culture Inc-Alliance	$18,245	$17,650	no payback

College Scorecard (2026), institution-level · ranking and payback are our math. Payback uses institution-wide earnings; a specific major can rank very differently.

Colleges in Ohio: frequently asked questions

Which college has the best ROI in Ohio?

Mount Carmel College of Nursing. It charges $10,420/yr after aid and its graduates earn a median $75,103 ten years out, clearing the cost in about 1.6 years — the fastest payback of the 144 Ohio colleges we track.

How much does college cost in Ohio?

The median net price across Ohio colleges is $19,783/yr after grants and scholarships — above the $16,902 national median. That is the actual price the typical aided student pays, not the published sticker.

What do Ohio college graduates earn?

A median $47,831 ten years after entry (Scorecard), above the $43,549 national median. Earnings vary widely by school and major — see each college's profile for its own figure.

How many Ohio colleges pay for themselves?

69 of the 144 Ohio colleges we track clear their cost on institution-wide earnings above the high-school baseline. The rest need a high-ROI major to pay off — the school average alone does not.