Ohio has 289 colleges including 137 four-year colleges, 66 community colleges, and 86 trade schools. By control type, 109 schools are public and 180 schools are private. 644,097 students enrolled in Ohio colleges according to IPEDS.

For 4-year colleges, commonly said to as colleges, there are 137 schools are active in Ohio (52 public and 85 private). 574,770 students enrolled in the schools, by gender, 247,044 men and 327,726 women students.

These colleges have an average acceptance rate of 74.60% and an average SAT score of 1,173. The average tuition & fees for in-state students is $8,175 and for out-of-state students is $17,036. The average enrollment is about 4,195 students per college. On average, each college offers about 80 programs.

25 Prominent Ohio Colleges

The following table lists major colleges in Ohio that have high enrollment, good academic reputation, and recognized by Ohio residents. It includes 9 public institutions and 16 private institutions.

Ohio Major Colleges by Region
RegionProminent Institutions
Central OhioThe Ohio State University (Columbus), Capital University (Bexley), Otterbein University (Westerville)
Northeast OhioCase Western Reserve University (Cleveland), Kent State University (Kent), University of Akron (Akron), John Carroll University (University Heights), Cleveland State University (Cleveland)
Northwest OhioUniversity of Toledo (Toledo), Bowling Green State University (Bowling Green)
Southwest OhioUniversity of Cincinnati (Cincinnati), Miami University (Oxford), Xavier University (Cincinnati), Wright State University (Dayton)
Southeast OhioOhio University (Athens)

Ohio State University-Main Campus, located in Columbus, is generally considered the flagship institution in Ohio. It offers wide range of programs in both undergraduate and graduate levels, including 229 graduate programs. Its total enrollment is approximately 61,443 including 3,975 online students.

Ohio State University-Main Campus has the highest enrollment among these colleges, with a student population of 61,443 students and University of Cincinnati-Main Campus offers the most number of programs of 532.

Of the major colleges in Ohio, 7 law schools and 5 medical schools are affiliated with these colleges. 4 colleges like Ohio State University-Main Campus and Case Western Reserve University have both a law school and a medical school. You can check the law schools and medical schools in the table below.

Notable public institutions

Prominent private institutions

  • Case Western Reserve University: Most selective Ohio College, with an admission rate of 36.54% and an average SAT score of 1,510
  • Xavier University: Offering offering 159 programs; $49,425 tuition & fees; 86.41% acceptance rate; and 5,501 student population.
  • John Carroll University: Offering offering 75 programs; $50,500 tuition & fees; 80.90% acceptance rate; and 2,864 student population.
Comparison of Ohio Major Colleges
NameGraduate ProgramsDistance LearningTuition & FeesAdm. RateSAT ScoreEnrollOffered ProgramsLaw SchoolMedical School
Ohio State University-Main Campus
Columbus
YesYes$40,02260.57%140061,443461VisitVisit
Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland
YesYes$66,60836.54%151012,475270VisitVisit
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus
Cincinnati
YesYes$28,69785.29%126045,026532VisitVisit
Ohio University-Main Campus
Athens
YesYes$24,83884.99%119026,323452
Kent State University at Kent
Kent
YesYes$21,57586.34%112026,374458
University of Toledo
Toledo
YesYes$21,51792.02%120014,358305VisitVisit
Miami University-Oxford
Oxford
YesYes$38,96575.40%131018,838239
University of Akron Main Campus
Akron
YesYes$20,81559.67%104013,332340Visit
Xavier University
Cincinnati
YesYes$49,42586.41%12105,501159
Youngstown State University
Youngstown
YesYes$10,28684.45%112012,204265
Wright State University-Main Campus
Dayton
YesYes$20,69196.33%10,603263Visit
John Carroll University
University Heights
YesYes$50,50080.90%12402,86475
Denison University
Granville
NoNo$67,00017.39%14102,39451
University of Dayton
Dayton
YesYes$49,14065.45%129010,506173Visit
Cedarville University
Cedarville
YesYes$37,15065.29%12306,31889
Oberlin College
Oberlin
YesNo$67,36634.18%14502,90958
Mount St. Joseph University
Cincinnati
YesYes$38,15059.12%10702,26575
Kenyon College
Gambier
NoNo$71,52031.03%14202,24936
Franciscan University of Steubenville
Steubenville
YesYes$34,10058.36%12203,97652
Capital University
Columbus
YesYes$43,23470.22%10102,26377Visit
Mount Vernon Nazarene University
Mount Vernon
YesYes$27,19384.15%11901,67171
Walsh University
North Canton
YesYes$33,03070.74%12102,19281
Ohio Dominican University
Columbus
YesYes$35,72094.23%1,20969
Muskingum University
New Concord
YesYes$31,70181.84%10001,75173
Malone University
Canton
YesYes$37,16075.86%10201,25662