2017 RANKING & REVIEWS
TOP RANKING BEST COLLEGES IN OHIO
Top Schools in Ohio for a Great Education
Your college years are supposed to be some of the best years of your life, no matter what you choose to study. Future accountants and artists alike need to select one of the best schools in Ohio to ensure that they receive an education that sets them up for future success. The question still remains: which schools are the top colleges in Ohio?
Award Emblem: Top 6 Best Colleges In Ohio
Deciding on a school can be a very personal decision. Your best friend may want to go to one of the cheapest colleges in Ohio, while you tend to favor small colleges in Ohio instead. There are no right and wrong answers when it comes to weeding out the bad schools from the good colleges in Ohio.
It isn’t uncommon to see prospective students base their decisions for colleges in Ohio on a few of the following factors:
- Overall enrollment
- Class size or student-faculty ratio
- Tuition and fees
- Location
- Academic programs
Whether you plan to study just a few subjects or achieve an undergraduate degree, you should be attending one of the top Ohio colleges. To help students search through the available options faster, we compiled this ranking of the best colleges in Ohio to get started.
Before you start filling out those applications, you will want to see which Ohio colleges made our ranking in the reviews section below.
See Also: Top Online Colleges | Ranking | Best Online Universities Reviews
AdvisoryHQ’s List of the Top 6 Best Colleges in Ohio
List is sorted alphabetically (click any of the schools below to go directly to the detailed review section for that Ohio college):
Top 6 Best Colleges in Ohio | Brief Comparison & Ranking
Ohio Colleges | Enrollment | Student-Faculty Ratio | Tuition |
| College of Wooster | 2,000 | 11:1 | $48,600 |
| Hiram College | 875 | 10:1 | $31,440 |
| Kenyon College | 1,600 | 10:1 | $51,540 |
| Mercy College of Ohio | 1,352 | 17:1 | $10,034 |
| Oberlin College | 2,900 | 11:1 (College of Arts and Sciences) | $52,762 |
| Ursuline College | 1,500 | 9:1 | $32,896 |
Table: Top 6 Best Colleges in Ohio | Above list is sorted alphabetically
Do You Need One of the Cheapest Colleges in Ohio?
Student loans have been a hot issue in the news recently. With the widespread issue of burdensome student loan debt, it’s no surprise that many prospective college students are fretting over what their loans will ultimately cost them. After all, 44.2 million Americans are carrying close to $1.4 trillion in debt.
How do you know whether you should consider attending one of the cheapest colleges in Ohio to save yourself the financial burden?
Image Source: Pixabay
Attending one of the cheapest colleges in Ohio doesn’t have to mutually exclusive with attending one of the good colleges in Ohio. Of course, cost should definitely be a consideration because it has a serious impact on your future. Depending on the specific terms of your loans, you could be carrying debt from one of these best schools in Ohio for years to come.
One of the biggest deciding factors in whether you need one of the cheapest colleges in Ohio is your future salary. Have you done any research on what an entry-level position in your desired field will pay upon graduation?
The best idea is to put together a detailed budget with all of the expenses you expect to have upon graduation from one of these Ohio colleges. Don’t forget to include things you may not think about, such as:
- Rent
- Electricity and utilities
- Phone and Internet bills
- Car payments, insurance, and gas
- Groceries
- Health insurance
From here, you can add in your estimated student loan payment into your new budget to see if you could comfortably afford to pay for all of your expenses with the estimated salary.
Of course, you could also consider how much you would be able to pay down your student loans with a part-time job while you’re in enrolled at one of the best schools in Ohio. Even at the top schools in Ohio, many students find that they are able to put a significant dent in their debt by maintaining a part-time job and paying it down before interest really begins to accumulate.
Deciding on whether you need to attend one of the cheapest colleges in Ohio will be a highly personal decision. Your future career and your current finances are both clear indicators of whether or not you need to narrow your search down to schools with low tuition rates that could be classified as the cheapest colleges in Ohio.
All-in-One Change Management Tools
Top Rated Toolkit for Change Managers.
Get Your Change Management Tool Today...
AdvisoryHQ’s Selection Methodology
What methodology does AdvisoryHQ use in selecting and finalizing the credit cards, financial products, firms, services, and products that are ranked on its various top-rated lists?
Please click here “AdvisoryHQ’s Ranking Methodologies” for a detailed review of AdvisoryHQ’s selection methodologies for ranking top-rated credit cards, financial accounts, firms, products, and services.
Detailed Review: Top Ranking Best Colleges in Ohio
Below, please find the detailed review of each school on our list of small colleges in Ohio. We have highlighted some of the factors that allowed these good colleges in Ohio to score so high in our selection ranking.
College of Wooster Review
The College of Wooster is a great choice for prospective students who are more concerned with finding good colleges in Ohio than they are with cost. While the tuition for Wooster is higher than several of the selections on our ranking, their academics and low enrollments make them a great candidate for one of the best colleges in Ohio.
Key Factors that Led to Our Ranking of This as One of the Best Colleges in Ohio
You can see more of the compelling reasons why Wooster is considered to be one of the top Ohio colleges in the comprehensive overview of their academics and tuition below.
Academics
The College of Wooster boasts impressive odds when it comes to the success rates of their graduates. Prospective students will want to pay close attention to the statistics: 92% of grads are employed or enrolled in grad school one year after receiving their degree.
Those with an advanced degree from Wooster were accepted into some of the best graduate schools (92% received acceptance to their top choice).
Students who are looking for small colleges in Ohio will want to pay attention to Wooster. Because of its private liberal arts status, only approximately 2,000 students are enrolled. This keeps the student-faculty ratio low at just eleven to one.
Areas of study at these top Ohio colleges are rather broad, ranging from Africana studies all the way to theatre and dance. They are able to confer a bachelor of arts, bachelor of music, or bachelor of music education upon graduates.
Tuition
Is College of Wooster one of the cheapest colleges in Ohio? Because of its private status, it may not quite fall into the “cheapest colleges in Ohio” category. However, it is still an excellent choice for students who are only concerned with finding small colleges in Ohio or good colleges in Ohio.
Tuition is $24,300 per semester for a yearly total of $48,600. With room and board included, it is estimated that tuition and fees will be approximately $60,000 per academic year.
Don’t Miss: Most Affordable Colleges | Ranking | Cheapest Universities in the World for International Students
Hiram College Review
With many awards under their belt, Hiram College consistently ranks among some of the top schools in Ohio. Named as the Best Bang for the Buck in the Midwest by Washington Monthly, this school consistently places high on rankings as one of the top colleges in Ohio. With its surprisingly low tuition and unheard of enrollment rates, these small colleges in Ohio make an impressive selection for prospective students.
Key Factors that Led to Our Ranking of This as One of the Best Colleges in Ohio
Besides being named as one of the best colleges in the Midwest by the Princeton Review, what does Hiram College have to offer potential students? Find out all the reasons why we included it on our own ranking of the best schools in Ohio below.
Academics
Students who are searching for small colleges in Ohio will find that Hiram College is the perfect fit. With only 875 students enrolled in their traditional undergraduate program, this is easily the smallest school included on our ranking. This enables them to have an impressive ten-to-one student to faculty ratio and an average class size of just thirteen.
In terms of your ability to study topics of interest at these Ohio state colleges, Hiram offers a nice selection of 32 majors and 38 minors. They cover a variety of topics, including sciences, humanities, business, and nursing. Student can earn one of three types of degrees at Hiram:
- Bachelor of arts
- Bachelor of science in nursing
- Master of arts in interdisciplinary studies
Tuition
Despite being the smallest school on our ranking of the top colleges in Ohio, it doesn’t necessarily have the highest tuition rates. The cost for the 2016 to 2017 academic year was just $31,440 for tuition.
When you begin to look at the additional fees for attending college, Hiram has their own set of costs. With a comprehensive fee, double room occupancy, and meal plan included, the total cost of attendance at these good colleges in Ohio is estimated to be $43,230 per year.
The average financial aid package was $24,845 for students entering in the fall of 2014.
Kenyon College Review
Kenyon College is a highly selective school known for recruiting some of the top students and offering one of the smallest colleges in Ohio. When you aren’t in class, you can enjoy their 1,000-acre campus, complete with a 480-acre nature preserve. For students who favor location and scenery in their top picks among the best colleges in Ohio, Kenyon is certain to warrant some consideration.
Key Factors that Led to Our Ranking of This as One of the Best Colleges in Ohio
If a beautiful campus isn’t enough to draw you in, how do the academics and tuition rates stack up against our other contenders on this ranking of good colleges in Ohio?
Academics
It isn’t uncommon to find small class sizes at these colleges in Ohio. With enrollment at an almost unheard of low, there were only 500 students accepted to the 2019 graduating class. The average class size is typically around fifteen students, with a student-faculty ratio of just ten students to each faculty member.
Overall, there is a total of enrollment of roughly 1,600 students that are highly diversified. Counting students from the United States, their student population represents 45 nations. Close to half (47%) of all students were in the top five percent of their graduating high school class.
Choose from one of 33 majors at these good colleges in Ohio, all offering some type of bachelor’s degree. Students can also choose from thirteen concentrations and eighteen departments to satisfy their educational needs.
Tuition
Kenyon isn’t necessarily one of the cheapest colleges in Ohio with tuition set at $51,540 for the academic year spanning from 2017 to 2018. With room and board included (a requirement for all students), the total cost of this good college in Ohio comes to an estimated $65,840.
It should be noted that while tuition may seem high at these good colleges in Ohio, roughly half of all students were granted some type of financial aid. The average financial assistance package typically exceeded $43,000 in value.
Image Source: Kenyon College
Related: Best Agriculture Colleges, Schools, and Universities | Ranking | Agriculture Universities Ranking
Mercy College of Ohio Review
Mercy College of Ohio takes a unique stance as the one of the only Catholic Ohio colleges to make it onto our ranking. Prospective students who know that they are interested in pursuing a career in health care will want to take a look at the highly specialized education available at Mercy College.
Key Factors that Led to Our Ranking of This as One of the Best Colleges in Ohio
Students who fall into the aforementioned category will want to consider applying to Mercy College, especially when they see the flexibility of academics and the low tuition rates.
Academics
The field of study for prospective students is decidedly narrow at Mercy College of Ohio. It was originally established as a nursing school, and continues to function as a Catholic institution of study for science and health care fields. They offer more program choices than some of the other best Ohio colleges:
- Associate of science
- Bachelor of science
- Certificates
Their most popular major by far is pre-licensure for a B.S. in nursing.
There is a total of 1,352 students enrolled at Mercy College of Ohio, making it a great choice for small colleges in Ohio. Slightly more than half of all classes are comprised of fewer than twenty students. The overall student-faculty ratio comes in at seventeen to one.
Tuition
Many students look to Mercy College of Ohio because it is easily one of the cheapest colleges in Ohio. Among Ohio state colleges, this school has the lowest posted tuition rates of those on our ranking. For two semesters, the total for these best Ohio colleges was just $10,034.
Bear in mind that the last posted tuition updates are from the 2015 to 2016 academic year.
Popular Article: Best Aeronautical Engineering Colleges | Ranking | Aeronautical Engineering Universities & Schools
Oberlin College Review
With a wonderful emphasis on music and the arts, Oberlin is a top choice for many prospective students who are interested in creative fields. Just slightly west of Cleveland, this reasonably sized Ohio college is home to impressive facilities for all sorts of academic pursuits.
Key Factors that Led to Our Ranking of This as One of the Best Colleges in Ohio
Students will be find the detailed review of Oberlin’s academics and tuition rates in the sections that follow.
Academics
Home to 2,900 students, the majority of attendees are residents from another state that come specifically to study at Oberlin. Those looking for small colleges in Ohio won’t want to miss the numbers posted by this school. These best schools have two different student-faculty ratios depending on the program: eleven to one in the College of Arts and Sciences and six to one in the conservatory.
There are 47 majors to choose from, not all of which are directly from the field of the arts. They offer a number of degrees, including:
- Bachelor of arts
- Bachelor of music
- Master of contemporary chamber music
- Master of music in historical performance
- Master of music teaching
- Master of music
In addition, there are also a couple of certificate programs, including an artist and performance diploma.
Tuition
Tuition for these good colleges in Ohio is separated into rates for the conservatory and the arts and sciences college. They currently offer the same tuition rates for both though it is subject to change. These best colleges in Ohio are priced at $52,762 for the 2017 to 2018 academic year.
Free Wealth & Finance Software - Get Yours Now ►
Ursuline College Review
While this isn’t a women-only college, Ursuline does have a primarily female student population. Women who were hoping to enroll in a religious environment will enjoy the Catholic-based education available at these good colleges in Ohio. With low tuition for a private college, this school deserves some consideration from potential applicants.
Key Factors that Led to Our Ranking of This as One of the Best Colleges in Ohio
You’ll find more of the unique reasons why Ursuline qualified as one of the best colleges in Ohio in our summary below.
Academics
It should be noted that this is still one of the small colleges in Ohio with approximately 1,500 students enrolled. At these best Ohio colleges, you can expect to find a 91% female population. Across the entire college, there is a student-faculty ratio that averages around nine to one.
There is a relatively vast selection of academic offerings, with thirty undergraduate programs and ten graduate programs. Accelerated programs for their undergraduate business degree and legal assistant program are available.
In addition, they also believe in experiential learning with internships and other opportunities to test your knowledge in the real world.
Tuition
Tuition is broken up into charges for each credit that a student receives at these good colleges in Ohio. They note that most students must take an average of 32 credits per academic year to graduate on time. At $1,028 per credit, this brings the total to $32,896 for the year.
Keep in mind that these rates could change based on the actual number of credits you sign up for each year.
Read More: Best Engineering Colleges | Ranking | Top Engineering Schools & Universities
Conclusion—Top 6 Best Colleges in Ohio
The top Ohio colleges are relatively plentiful, no matter what sort of environment you’re looking for. The next few years of your life should be spent receiving an education that sets you up for future success in the career of your dreams. Selecting one of these Ohio colleges will help you to take the first few steps toward those dreams.
Consider which features in these Ohio state colleges would be the most important to you: overall cost, size, academic programs, and more. Are you in search of the cheapest colleges in Ohio to support a future in nonprofit work? Do you just prefer the more intimate feel of small colleges in Ohio?
You can begin to define your future in the present moment by applying at one of these best colleges in Ohio today.
AdvisoryHQ (AHQ) Disclaimer:
Reasonable efforts have been made by AdvisoryHQ to present accurate information, however all info is presented without warranty. Review AdvisoryHQ’s Terms for details. Also review each firm’s site for the most updated data, rates and info.
Note: Firms and products, including the one(s) reviewed above, may be AdvisoryHQ's affiliates. Click to view AdvisoryHQ's advertiser disclosures.
