Private Nonprofit Graduate Good 70/100

Otterbein University

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

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Westerville, Ohio

About Otterbein University

Thinking about Otterbein University, 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.

Otterbein University is a private nonprofit institution offering graduate degrees based in Westerville, Ohio. It enrolls 2,157 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
84.5%
Graduation
58.5%
Net Price
$19,237
Median Earnings (10yr)
$53,313
Enrollment
2,157
Student : Faculty
12:1

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 69
Value 53
Affordability 49
Selectivity 43

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

Otterbein University admits 84.5% of applicants, which makes it open to most qualified applicants, so admission is unlikely to be the hurdle.

Acceptance Rate
84.5%
Easy
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
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 Otterbein University is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.

Stable ↑ 3.2 pts since 2019
80.1%201976.1%202082.9%202183.7%202283.3%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 $19,237 a year on average, it sits below what private nonprofit colleges charge nationally. That still leaves most families a gap to cover, but a manageable one. 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
$19,237
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
31%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
53%
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
$35,548
Room & Board (on-campus)
$13,236
Room & Board (off-campus)
$9,548
Books & Supplies
$1,554
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$3,262
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$8,132
Total Cost of Attendance
$48,321

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
    $12,458
  • $30,001 – $48,000
    $12,659
  • $48,001 – $75,000
    $16,478
  • $75,001 – $110,000
    $23,061
  • Over $110,000
    $24,620

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.

$5,250
10% percentile
$8,750
25% percentile
$26,000
Median percentile
$27,000
75% percentile
$34,588
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 $21,987 ↓ $4,013
No Pell $19,891 ↓ $6,109
Dependent students $20,500 ↓ $5,500
Independent students $25,000 ↓ $1,000
Female students $21,500 ↓ $4,500
Male students $19,500 ↓ $6,500
Pell recipients: 17.1% (4,453 students)No Pell: 15.5% (4,028 students)Dependent students: 16.0% (4,152 students)Independent students: 19.5% (5,063 students)Female students: 16.7% (4,354 students)Male students: 15.2% (3,949 students)Overall Median$26,000
Worth knowing: Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $12,375, less than completers ($26,000), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.

Graduation Rate & Retention

58% of students who start here finish within six years, and 81% 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
81%
Returning for their second year

After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes

Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $53,313 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)
$53,313
Earning > $25K
80%
10 yrs after entry

Earnings Growth After Graduation

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

$43,000$46,000$49,000$52,000$55,0006 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
$42,800

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

Male graduates
$53,600

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


By Family Income at Entry

Family income (lowest third)
$42,800

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

Family income (middle third)
$43,300

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

Family income (highest third)
$50,400

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

The gender gap: Male graduates earn $10,800, about 20% 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 ↑ 10.6 pts across 6 years
77.8%1yr82%3yr82.9%5yr88.4%7yr
What this signals: Excellent. 88% of graduates were paying down at least $1 of principal seven years out.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 2,157 students, a mid-sized community.

Total Enrolled
2,157
Part-Time
4%
First-Generation
26%

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

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

GroupShareStudents
White 68.9% 1,485
Black 12.5% 270
Other 6.5% 139
Hispanic 5.4% 117
Asian 3.5% 76
International 0.5% 11
White: 68.9% (1,485 students)Black: 12.5% (270 students)Other: 6.5% (139 students)Hispanic: 5.4% (117 students)Asian: 3.5% (76 students)International: 0.5% (11 students)Total2,157

Student Life & Campus Culture

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

Setting
Large Suburb Westerville, Ohio
Housing
Mostly residential 1,295 beds on campus
Adult Learners
3% 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.

Otterbein University offers an extensive catalog of programs: 60 distinct programs across 21 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.

9 Programs
8 Programs
2 Programs
4 Programs
2 Programs
1 Program

Faculty & Resources

There are 12 students for every instructor here: about average, so expect a mix of small seminars and big lectures.

Student : Faculty
12:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Endowment
$201M
Solid financial position
Avg Faculty Salary
$75,097
9-month equivalent across all ranks

Faculty by Rank

126 instructional faculty across 5 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 57 45% $80,731
Associate Professors 43 34% $72,083
Assistant Professors 18 14% $65,604
Instructors 3 2% $78,805
Lecturers 5 4% $68,729

Pros & Cons of Otterbein University

No college is right for everyone. Here is where Otterbein 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
  • Below-average net price
  • Accessible admissions for most applicants
  • Small classes (low student-faculty ratio)
  • Solid post-graduation earnings
CONS
  • No clear weaknesses in the data.
Best for: Based on the data, Otterbein University is a fit for students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier.

Frequently Asked Questions about Otterbein University

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

Is Otterbein University hard to get into?
Not especially. Otterbein University admits most qualified applicants, with an acceptance rate of 84.5%. Plan around cost and whether students finish, not your odds of getting in.
What is the acceptance rate at Otterbein University?
84.5% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What ACT score do you need for Otterbein University?
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 Otterbein University cost?
Budget around $19,237 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 Otterbein University worth it?
On the numbers, yes: moderate return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $53,313 a year against a net price of $19,237, about 2.8 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 Otterbein University known for?
Mostly Nursing, 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 Otterbein University graduates earn?
About $53,313 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 Otterbein University accredited?
Yes. Otterbein University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
How many students attend Otterbein University?
2,157 students. Big enough for a wide course catalogue without feeling anonymous. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Otterbein 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 Otterbein 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 Otterbein University located?
Otterbein University is located in Westerville, Ohio.
What programs does Otterbein University offer?
60 different programs, most commonly Nursing, 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 Otterbein University?
12 students per instructor. Low enough that staff are likely to know who you are. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

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