Most Selective Colleges in Ohio
Ranked by acceptance rate (57 colleges with at least 500 undergraduates). Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, June 2026 release.
| # | College | Acceptance rate | Net price | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denison University Granville, OH · Private nonprofit | 17% | $40,007 | $67,753 |
| 2 | Kenyon College Gambier, OH · Private nonprofit | 31% | $38,512 | $71,830 |
| 3 | Oberlin College Oberlin, OH · Private nonprofit | 34% | $38,645 | $58,343 |
| 4 | Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH · Private nonprofit | 37% | $41,190 | $87,989 |
| 5 | Ohio Christian University Circleville, OH · Private nonprofit | 38% | $20,607 | $39,813 |
| 6 | Wilberforce University Wilberforce, OH · Private nonprofit | 41% | $5,567 | $38,298 |
| 7 | Good Samaritan College of Nursing and Health Science Cincinnati, OH · Private nonprofit | 46% | $19,622 | $66,111 |
| 8 | Ohio Wesleyan University Delaware, OH · Private nonprofit | 56% | $20,897 | $55,624 |
| 9 | Franciscan University of Steubenville Steubenville, OH · Private nonprofit | 58% | $23,589 | $50,030 |
| 10 | The Christ College of Nursing and Health Sciences Cincinnati, OH · Private nonprofit | 59% | $18,378 | $68,303 |
| 11 | Mount St. Joseph University Cincinnati, OH · Private nonprofit | 59% | $16,530 | $51,509 |
| 12 | The College of Wooster Wooster, OH · Private nonprofit | 60% | $23,458 | $59,629 |
| 13 | University of Akron Main Campus Akron, OH · Public | 60% | $13,946 | $46,600 |
| 14 | Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, OH · Public | 61% | $17,339 | $60,409 |
| 15 | Cleveland Institute of Art Cleveland, OH · Private nonprofit | 61% | $29,208 | $42,509 |
| 16 | Cedarville University Cedarville, OH · Private nonprofit | 65% | $24,468 | $55,443 |
| 17 | University of Dayton Dayton, OH · Private nonprofit | 65% | $29,533 | $75,537 |
| 18 | Bluffton University Bluffton, OH · Private nonprofit | 67% | $19,943 | $49,547 |
| 19 | Columbus College of Art & Design Columbus, OH · Private nonprofit | 68% | $29,439 | $40,664 |
| 20 | Capital University Columbus, OH · Private nonprofit | 70% | $22,576 | $54,143 |
| 21 | Lake Erie College Painesville, OH · Private nonprofit | 70% | $20,961 | $50,417 |
| 22 | Walsh University North Canton, OH · Private nonprofit | 71% | $20,493 | $59,764 |
| 23 | Wittenberg University Springfield, OH · Private nonprofit | 72% | $18,649 | $54,947 |
| 24 | Lourdes University Sylvania, OH · Private nonprofit | 74% | $23,206 | $48,150 |
| 25 | Ohio Northern University Ada, OH · Private nonprofit | 74% | $24,478 | $80,928 |
| 26 | Ursuline College Pepper Pike, OH · Private nonprofit | 75% | $16,164 | $56,878 |
| 27 | Miami University-Oxford Oxford, OH · Public | 75% | $28,384 | $55,076 |
| 28 | Baldwin Wallace University Berea, OH · Private nonprofit | 76% | $27,603 | $54,122 |
| 29 | Malone University Canton, OH · Private nonprofit | 76% | $20,948 | $48,909 |
| 30 | Ashland University Ashland, OH · Private nonprofit | 76% | $21,988 | $52,928 |
| 31 | Kettering College Kettering, OH · Private nonprofit | 77% | $21,650 | $67,492 |
| 32 | Athena Career Academy Toledo, OH · Private for-profit | 78% | $22,886 | — |
| 33 | University of Mount Union Alliance, OH · Private nonprofit | 78% | $23,280 | $53,217 |
| 34 | Marietta College Marietta, OH · Private nonprofit | 79% | $21,083 | $57,180 |
| 35 | Tiffin University Tiffin, OH · Private nonprofit | 80% | $26,500 | $35,942 |
| 36 | John Carroll University University Heights, OH · Private nonprofit | 81% | $28,746 | $62,860 |
| 37 | Bowling Green State University-Main Campus Bowling Green, OH · Public | 81% | $24,022 | $47,896 |
| 38 | Muskingum University New Concord, OH · Private nonprofit | 82% | $19,532 | $48,440 |
| 39 | The University of Findlay Findlay, OH · Private nonprofit | 83% | $27,221 | $56,996 |
| 40 | Mount Vernon Nazarene University Mount Vernon, OH · Private nonprofit | 84% | $22,421 | $49,555 |
| 41 | Mount Carmel College of Nursing Columbus, OH · Private nonprofit | 84% | $10,420 | $75,103 |
| 42 | Youngstown State University Youngstown, OH · Public | 84% | $12,767 | $41,544 |
| 43 | Otterbein University Westerville, OH · Private nonprofit | 85% | $19,237 | $53,313 |
| 44 | Ohio University-Main Campus Athens, OH · Public | 85% | $21,637 | $52,581 |
| 45 | University of Cincinnati-Main Campus Cincinnati, OH · Public | 85% | $25,648 | $54,810 |
| 46 | Hondros College of Nursing Columbus, OH · Private for-profit | 85% | $26,014 | $58,636 |
| 47 | Heidelberg University Tiffin, OH · Private nonprofit | 86% | $20,556 | $48,466 |
| 48 | Kent State University at Kent Kent, OH · Public | 86% | $20,787 | $45,388 |
| 49 | Xavier University Cincinnati, OH · Private nonprofit | 86% | $32,997 | $64,873 |
| 50 | Cleveland State University Cleveland, OH · Public | 91% | $14,764 | $52,131 |
| 51 | University of Toledo Toledo, OH · Public | 92% | $17,249 | $50,632 |
| 52 | Wilmington College Wilmington, OH · Private nonprofit | 92% | $24,153 | $48,491 |
| 53 | Mercy College of Ohio Toledo, OH · Private nonprofit | 93% | $17,989 | $65,409 |
| 54 | Hiram College Hiram, OH · Private nonprofit | 94% | $21,058 | $54,311 |
| 55 | Ohio Dominican University Columbus, OH · Private nonprofit | 94% | $20,079 | $51,748 |
| 56 | Wright State University-Main Campus Dayton, OH · Public | 96% | $15,415 | $49,500 |
| 57 | Central State University Wilberforce, OH · Public | 99% | $13,096 | $33,267 |