Photo: Webprog67 · CC BY-SA 4.0Ohio University-Eastern Campus is 6.4 miles from Bethesda
No college sits inside Bethesda’s boundary, but Ohio University-Eastern Campus’s campus in Saint Clairsville, with 871 students on campus, is 6.4 miles from the center of town, and Belmont College is 7.1 miles away in St Clairsville. About 11% of Bethesda’s residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Ohio (6%).
From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Bethesda. Colleges are described, not graded.
What stands out about college from Bethesda
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
Colleges within 15 miles of Bethesda
Both are public. Every other college is more than 15 miles from Bethesda.
Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.
What would your family pay?
The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles. Pick your family’s income.
Starts at $30–48k, where Bethesda’s median household income ($35,900) falls.
The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.
Do students finish, and does it pay?
Each dot is a college within 15 miles of Bethesda: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.
Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid. *Reported for all the campuses that file together: Ohio University-Eastern Campus (6).
Questions about college near Bethesda
Is Bethesda a college town?
No. About 11 of every 100 Bethesda residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), about the same as Ohio (6). The nearest campus, Ohio University-Eastern Campus, is 6.4 miles away in Saint Clairsville.
What colleges are near Bethesda?
Within 15 miles: Ohio University-Eastern Campus (6.4 miles, 871 students on campus) and Belmont College (7.1 miles, 735).
What is the closest community college to Bethesda, and what does it cost?
Belmont College in St Clairsville, 7.1 miles away. Tuition and fees are $4,698 a year for Ohio residents; the federal net price, $6,995, counts housing and food at full cost.
How much does Ohio University-Eastern Campus cost if we live in Ohio?
Tuition and fees are $6,362 a year in-state and $9,444 from out of state. After grants, families on federal aid paid an average of $1,691 (under $30,000 income) to $7,490 (over $110,000), housing and food included.
Neighbors talk college
Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.
Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Bethesda. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →