Public Graduate Good 65/100

Ohio University-Main Campus

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

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Athens, Ohio

About Ohio University-Main Campus

Thinking about Ohio University-Main Campus, a college in Ohio where more students graduate in Health 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.

Ohio University-Main Campus is a public institution offering graduate degrees based in Athens, Ohio. It enrolls 19,633 students (a very large 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
85%
Graduation
53.8%
Net Price
$21,637
Median Earnings (10yr)
$52,581
Enrollment
19,633
Student : Faculty
18:1

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
65/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes 69
Value 39
Affordability 32
Selectivity 47

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

Ohio University-Main Campus admits 85% of applicants, which makes it open to most qualified applicants, so admission is unlikely to be the hurdle.

Acceptance Rate
85%
Easy
SAT Range (25th–75th)
1090 – 1290
Reading + Math combined
ACT Range (25th–75th)
22 – 28
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 Ohio University-Main Campus is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.

Stable ↑ 2.7 pts since 2019
82.1%201987.5%202088.6%202186.5%202284.8%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 $21,637 a year on average, it sits in line with what public 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
$21,637
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
21%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
48%
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 (in-state)
$14,158
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$24,838
Room & Board (on-campus)
$14,162
Room & Board (off-campus)
$12,840
Books & Supplies
$868
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$3,016
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$3,016
Total Cost of Attendance
$30,586

Application fee: $50 (one-time, due at submission)


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
    $15,673
  • $30,001 – $48,000
    $15,160
  • $48,001 – $75,000
    $19,078
  • $75,001 – $110,000
    $23,689
  • Over $110,000
    $24,492

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.

$2,750
10% percentile
$5,500
25% percentile
$21,056
Median percentile
$24,806
75% percentile
$31,250
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 $16,500 ↓ $4,556
No Pell $14,000 ↓ $7,056
Dependent students $17,000 ↓ $4,056
Independent students $12,500 ↓ $8,556
Female students $15,000 ↓ $6,056
Male students $16,000 ↓ $5,056
Pell recipients: 18.1% (3,818 students)No Pell: 15.4% (3,239 students)Dependent students: 18.7% (3,934 students)Independent students: 13.7% (2,892 students)Female students: 16.5% (3,471 students)Male students: 17.6% (3,702 students)Overall Median$21,056
Worth knowing: Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $7,750, less than completers ($21,056), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.

Graduation Rate & Retention

54% of students who start here finish within six years, and 83% come back after first year. Roughly half finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. 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
54%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
83%
Returning for their second year

After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes

Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $52,581 a year, close to the national median. Typical for most colleges, so what you study will matter more than where. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$52,581
Earning > $25K
77%
10 yrs after entry

Earnings Growth After Graduation

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

$48,500$49,500$51,000$52,000$53,0006 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
$40,700

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

Male graduates
$52,500

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


By Family Income at Entry

Family income (lowest third)
$35,700

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

Family income (middle third)
$44,400

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

Family income (highest third)
$52,100

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

The gender gap: Male graduates earn $11,800, about 22% 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 ↑ 16.5 pts across 6 years
64.4%1yr67.9%3yr74.3%5yr80.9%7yr
What this signals: Strong. 81% of graduates are actively reducing their debt seven years out.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 19,633 students, a sprawling student community. Worth knowing: 34% are the first in their family to go to college.

Total Enrolled
19,633
Part-Time
15%
First-Generation
34%

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

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

GroupShareStudents
White 81.6% 16,019
Black 5.2% 1,013
Hispanic 4.9% 960
Other 4.1% 799
Asian 1.5% 287
International 1.1% 208
White: 81.6% (16,019 students)Black: 5.2% (1,013 students)Hispanic: 4.9% (960 students)Other: 4.1% (799 students)Asian: 1.5% (287 students)International: 1.1% (208 students)Total19,633

Student Life & Campus Culture

Where students live, learn, and connect at Ohio University-Main Campus. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.

Setting
Town: Distant Athens, Ohio
Housing
Mostly residential 8,323 beds on campus
Adult Learners
15% 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 Business graduates, which shows what the field pays across every college rather than just this one.

Ohio University-Main Campus offers an extensive catalog of programs: 237 distinct programs across 29 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.

33 Programs
19 Programs
13 Programs
18 Programs
20 Programs
14 Programs

Faculty & Resources

There are 18 students for every instructor here: on the higher side, so larger classes are common.

Student : Faculty
18:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$12,578
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Endowment
$697M
Solid financial position
Avg Faculty Salary
$86,754
9-month equivalent across all ranks

Faculty by Rank

928 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 276 30% $107,570
Associate Professors 351 38% $86,351
Assistant Professors 270 29% $67,953
Lecturers 31 3% $70,951

Pros & Cons of Ohio University-Main Campus

No college is right for everyone. Here is where Ohio University-Main Campus 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
  • Accessible admissions for most applicants
  • Solid post-graduation earnings
CONS
  • Class sizes are on the higher side
  • Below-average completion rate
  • Predominantly serves middle- and upper-income families
Best for: Based on the data, Ohio University-Main Campus is a fit for students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier.

Frequently Asked Questions about Ohio University-Main Campus

The questions families ask most about Ohio University-Main Campus, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.

Is Ohio University-Main Campus hard to get into?
Not especially. Ohio University-Main Campus admits most qualified applicants, with an acceptance rate of 85%. Plan around cost and whether students finish, not your odds of getting in.
What is the acceptance rate at Ohio University-Main Campus?
85% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What SAT score do you need for Ohio University-Main Campus?
Aim for 1290 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 1090 and 1290 (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 Ohio University-Main Campus?
Aim for 28 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 22 and 28 on the composite, so the upper half of that band is where you want to land. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
How much does Ohio University-Main Campus cost?
Budget around $21,637 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 Ohio University-Main Campus worth it?
On the numbers, yes: moderate return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $52,581 a year against a net price of $21,637, about 2.4 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 Ohio University-Main Campus known for?
Mostly Nursing, Business Administration, Psychology. 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 Ohio University-Main Campus graduates earn?
About $52,581 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 Ohio University-Main Campus accredited?
Yes. Ohio University-Main Campus is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
How many students attend Ohio University-Main Campus?
19,633 students. Large, so expect big lectures and more independence in finding your own footing. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Ohio University-Main Campus?
54% finish within six years. That leaves a meaningful share who do not finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Ohio University-Main Campus a public or private college?
It is Public. Public, so in-state students usually pay materially less than everyone else.
Where is Ohio University-Main Campus located?
Ohio University-Main Campus is located in Athens, Ohio.
What programs does Ohio University-Main Campus offer?
237 different programs, most commonly Nursing, Business Administration, Psychology. 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 Ohio University-Main Campus?
18 students per instructor. About average, so a mix of seminars and larger lectures. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

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