Private Nonprofit Bachelor's Good 69/100

Ohio Wesleyan University

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

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Delaware, Ohio

About Ohio Wesleyan University

Thinking about Ohio Wesleyan University, a college in Ohio where more students graduate in Biology 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 Wesleyan University is a private nonprofit institution offering bachelor's degrees based in Delaware, Ohio. It enrolls 1,516 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
55.6%
Graduation
57.9%
Net Price
$20,897
Median Earnings (10yr)
$55,624
Enrollment
1,516
Student : Faculty
11:1

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
69/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes 65
Value 49
Affordability 42
Selectivity 69

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

Ohio Wesleyan University admits 55.6% of applicants, which makes it moderately selective, and realistic if you meet the academic profile.

Acceptance Rate
55.6%
Moderate
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
Test Policy Test Optional Applicants choose whether to submit SAT or ACT scores.

5-Year Admission Trend

Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Ohio Wesleyan University is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.

Getting more selective ↓ 16.6 pts since 2019
67.3%201968.4%202074.1%202152.2%202250.7%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 $20,897 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
$20,897
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
28%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
62%
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
$53,888
Room & Board (on-campus)
$14,684
Room & Board (off-campus)
$13,294
Books & Supplies
$1,000
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$1,870
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$1,870
Total Cost of Attendance
$68,424

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
    $15,412
  • $30,001 – $48,000
    $10,706
  • $48,001 – $75,000
    $13,339
  • $75,001 – $110,000
    $18,031
  • Over $110,000
    $30,036

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
$12,000
25% percentile
$27,000
Median percentile
$27,000
75% percentile
$40,000
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 $22,748 ↓ $4,252
No Pell $19,500 ↓ $7,500
Female students $22,875 ↓ $4,125
Male students $19,500 ↓ $7,500
Pell recipients: 26.9% (7,258 students)No Pell: 23.0% (6,222 students)Female students: 27.0% (7,299 students)Male students: 23.0% (6,222 students)Overall Median$27,000
Worth knowing: Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $8,750, less than completers ($27,000), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.

Graduation Rate & Retention

58% of students who start here finish within six years, and 84% 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
58%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
84%
Returning for their second year

After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes

Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $55,624 a year, above the national median. That is a healthy return for most cost levels. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$55,624
Earning > $25K
83%
10 yrs after entry

Earnings Growth After Graduation

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

$41,000$45,000$49,000$53,000$58,0006 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
$47,100

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

Male graduates
$55,900

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


By Family Income at Entry

Family income (lowest third)
$50,700

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

Family income (middle third)
$49,200

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

Family income (highest third)
$52,900

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

The gender gap: Male graduates earn $8,800, about 16% 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 ↑ 6.8 pts across 6 years
82.5%1yr86.4%3yr91.3%5yr89.3%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: 1,516 students, a mid-sized community.

Total Enrolled
1,516
Part-Time
1%
First-Generation
22%

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

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

GroupShareStudents
White 71.2% 1,079
Black 9.5% 144
Hispanic 6.3% 95
International 5.4% 82
Other 4.3% 65
Asian 2.4% 36
White: 71.2% (1,079 students)Black: 9.5% (144 students)Hispanic: 6.3% (95 students)International: 5.4% (82 students)Other: 4.3% (65 students)Asian: 2.4% (36 students)Total1,516

Student Life & Campus Culture

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

Setting
Large Suburb Delaware, Ohio
Housing
Strongly residential 1,521 beds for 1,516 students
Adult Learners
1% of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAA athletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semester scheduling structure
Designation
Religiously affiliated

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 Wesleyan University offers an extensive catalog of programs: 51 distinct programs across 20 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.

7 Programs
5 Programs
5 Programs
1 Program
2 Programs

Faculty & Resources

There are 11 students for every instructor here: about average, so expect a mix of small seminars and big lectures.

Student : Faculty
11:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Endowment
$412M
Solid financial position
Avg Faculty Salary
$79,057
9-month equivalent across all ranks

Faculty by Rank

99 instructional faculty across 3 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 34 34% $95,824
Associate Professors 35 35% $75,437
Assistant Professors 30 30% $64,715

Pros & Cons of Ohio Wesleyan University

No college is right for everyone. Here is where Ohio Wesleyan University 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)
  • Solid post-graduation earnings
CONS
  • High published cost of attendance before aid
  • No graduate programs offered at this institution

Frequently Asked Questions about Ohio Wesleyan University

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

Is Ohio Wesleyan University hard to get into?
Admissions at Ohio Wesleyan University are moderately competitive. The acceptance rate is 55.6%, so most applicants who meet the academic minimums are admitted.
What is the acceptance rate at Ohio Wesleyan University?
55.6% of applicants are admitted. Around half get in, so a solid application has a real chance. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
How much does Ohio Wesleyan University cost?
Budget around $20,897 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 Wesleyan University worth it?
On the numbers, yes: moderate return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $55,624 a year against a net price of $20,897, about 2.7 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 Wesleyan University known for?
Mostly Zoology, Psychology, Kinesiology. 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 Wesleyan University graduates earn?
About $55,624 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 Wesleyan University accredited?
Yes. Ohio Wesleyan University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
How many students attend Ohio Wesleyan University?
1,516 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 Ohio Wesleyan University?
58% 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 Wesleyan University 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 Ohio Wesleyan University located?
Ohio Wesleyan University is located in Delaware, Ohio.
What programs does Ohio Wesleyan University offer?
51 different programs, most commonly Zoology, Psychology, Kinesiology. 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 Wesleyan University?
11 students per instructor. Low enough that staff are likely to know who you are. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

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