Private Nonprofit Bachelor's Good 70/100

The College of Wooster

See admissions data, costs, student outcomes, and academic programs, all verified from official US government sources.

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Wooster, Ohio

About The College of Wooster

Thinking about The College of Wooster, a college in Ohio where more students graduate in Social Sciences than anything else? The four things worth knowing are what it actually costs after aid, whether you would get in, whether students finish, and what they earn after they do.

The College of Wooster is a private nonprofit institution offering bachelor's degrees based in Wooster, Ohio. It enrolls 1,730 students (a mid-sized student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.

Acceptance
59.5%
Graduation
75.3%
Net Price
$23,458
Median Earnings (10yr)
$59,629
Enrollment
1,730
Student : Faculty
10:1

Accreditor Higher Learning Commission
Academic Calendar Semester

How It Measures Up

These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (4-Year Selective), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.

Good
70/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes 75
Value 44
Affordability 27
Selectivity 80

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

The College of Wooster admits 59.5% of applicants, which makes it moderately selective, and realistic if you meet the academic profile.

Acceptance Rate
59.5%
Moderate
SAT Range (25th–75th)
1220 – 1460
Reading + Math combined
ACT Range (25th–75th)
27 – 33
Cumulative composite
Test Policy Not Considered Standardized test scores are not used in admissions decisions.

5-Year Admission Trend

Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether The College of Wooster is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.

Stable ↓ 0.3 pts since 2019
54.7%201965.3%202060.6%202156.3%202254.3%2023

Cost & Financial Aid

Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $23,458 a year on average, it sits in line with what private nonprofit colleges charge nationally. Plan for the gap between that and what you can pay without borrowing. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.

The average hides a wide spread by household income, so it is worth estimating what a family at your income would actually pay before treating this as the price.

Average Net Price
$23,458
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
21%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
45%
Borrowing to attend

Full Cost Breakdown

Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.

Tuition & Fees
$61,640
Room & Board (on-campus)
$14,490
Room & Board (off-campus)
$10,995
Books & Supplies
$1,250
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$1,000
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$1,000
Total Cost of Attendance
$75,656

Net Price by Family Income

Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.

  • Under $30,000
    $12,512
  • $30,001 – $48,000
    $14,032
  • $48,001 – $75,000
    $17,941
  • $75,001 – $110,000
    $26,165
  • Over $110,000
    $32,223

Debt at Graduation

Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.

$5,500
10% percentile
$10,405
25% percentile
$26,500
Median percentile
$27,500
75% percentile
$31,000
90% percentile

Median Debt by Student Type

Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.

GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $21,419 ↓ $5,081
No Pell $20,812 ↓ $5,688
Female students $21,000 ↓ $5,500
Male students $21,230 ↓ $5,270
Pell recipients: 25.4% (6,720 students)No Pell: 24.6% (6,530 students)Female students: 24.9% (6,589 students)Male students: 25.1% (6,661 students)Overall Median$26,500
Worth knowing: Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $7,888, less than completers ($26,500), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.

Graduation Rate & Retention

75% of students who start here finish within six years, and 82% come back after first year. Most people who start here leave with the degree they came for. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.

6-Year Graduation Rate
75%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
82%
Returning for their second year
What this means: Strong completion signals. Most students who start, finish.

After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes

Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $59,629 a year, above the national median. That is a healthy return for most cost levels. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$59,629
Earning > $25K
87%
10 yrs after entry

Earnings Growth After Graduation

Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.

$40,000$45,000$50,000$55,000$60,0006 yrs8 yrs10 yrs

Earnings by Demographic

Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.

By Gender

Female graduates
$46,200

Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.

Male graduates
$60,000

Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.


By Family Income at Entry

Family income (lowest third)
$50,100

Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (middle third)
$50,000

Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (highest third)
$54,500

Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.

The gender gap: Male graduates earn $13,800, about 23% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.

Loan Repayment Progression

Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.

Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑ 12.5 pts across 6 years
76.9%1yr78.5%3yr86.2%5yr89.4%7yr
What this signals: Excellent. 89% of graduates were paying down at least $1 of principal seven years out.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 1,730 students, a mid-sized community.

Total Enrolled
1,730
Part-Time
0%
First-Generation
14%

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.

GroupShareStudents
White 61.2% 1,059
International 14.2% 246
Black 9.6% 166
Hispanic 5.4% 93
Other 4.2% 72
Asian 4.1% 70
White: 61.2% (1,059 students)International: 14.2% (246 students)Black: 9.6% (166 students)Hispanic: 5.4% (93 students)Other: 4.2% (72 students)Asian: 4.1% (70 students)Total1,730

Student Life & Campus Culture

Where students live, learn, and connect at The College of Wooster. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.

Setting
Town: Distant Wooster, Ohio
Housing
Strongly residential 1,892 beds for 1,730 students
Adult Learners
0% of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAA athletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semester scheduling structure

What You Can Study

After that comes the national picture for Biology graduates, which shows what the field pays across every college rather than just this one.

The College of Wooster offers a varied set of programs: 37 distinct programs across 18 majors. Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings. Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.

3 Programs
3 Programs
1 Program
2 Programs
1 Program
3 Programs

Faculty & Resources

There are 10 students for every instructor here: small classes, and staff who are likely to know your name.

Student : Faculty
10:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Endowment
$574M
Solid financial position
Avg Faculty Salary
$77,558
9-month equivalent across all ranks

Faculty by Rank

168 instructional faculty across 4 ranks. The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.

Rank Faculty Count Share Avg Salary
Full Professors 56 33% $95,377
Associate Professors 44 26% $77,220
Assistant Professors 65 39% $63,087
Instructors 3 2% $63,468

Pros & Cons of The College of Wooster

No college is right for everyone. Here is where The College of Wooster is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.

Read against a single profile these cut both ways, which is why it helps to put two colleges side by side on the same measures rather than judging one in isolation.

PROS
  • Small classes (low student-faculty ratio)
  • Strong six-year graduation rate
  • Solid post-graduation earnings
CONS
  • Above-average net price
  • Very high published cost of attendance (full-pay families pay much more than the net-price average)
  • Predominantly serves middle- and upper-income families
  • No graduate programs offered at this institution

Frequently Asked Questions about The College of Wooster

The questions families ask most about The College of Wooster, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.

Is The College of Wooster hard to get into?
Admissions at The College of Wooster are moderately competitive. The acceptance rate is 59.5%, so most applicants who meet the academic minimums are admitted.
What is the acceptance rate at The College of Wooster?
59.5% of applicants are admitted. Around half get in, so a solid application has a real chance. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What SAT score do you need for The College of Wooster?
Aim for 1460 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 1220 and 1460 (Reading plus Math), so anything above the top of that range makes you competitive and anything below the bottom means the rest of your application has to carry more weight. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What ACT score do you need for The College of Wooster?
Aim for 33 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 27 and 33 on the composite, so the upper half of that band is where you want to land. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
How much does The College of Wooster cost?
Budget around $23,458 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is The College of Wooster worth it?
On the numbers, yes: moderate return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $59,629 a year against a net price of $23,458, about 2.5 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is The College of Wooster known for?
Mostly Political Science, Experimental Psychology, Biology. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do The College of Wooster graduates earn?
About $59,629 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is The College of Wooster accredited?
Yes. The College of Wooster is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
How many students attend The College of Wooster?
1,730 students. Small enough that you will recognize faces across campus, and small enough that course choice can be limited. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at The College of Wooster?
75% finish within six years. Most people who start here graduate, which is the signal you want. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is The College of Wooster a public or private college?
It is Private Nonprofit. Private nonprofit, so the sticker price is higher but institutional aid is often larger too.
Where is The College of Wooster located?
The College of Wooster is located in Wooster, Ohio.
What programs does The College of Wooster offer?
37 different programs, most commonly Political Science, Experimental Psychology, Biology. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at The College of Wooster?
10 students per instructor. Low enough that staff are likely to know who you are. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

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