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Downtown Bowling Green, OH 2Photo: Tma169 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Colleges in and near Bowling Green

Bowling Green is a college town: 38 of every 100 residents are students

Bowling Green State University (14,599 students on campus) is inside the city. Across Ohio, 6 of every 100 residents are enrolled in college.

College town38% of residents are studentsBowling Green State University

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 Bowling Green. Colleges are described, not graded.

Within 15 miles
3
15,294 students on campus
Nearest college
0.5 mi
Bowling Green State
Residents in college
38%
Above OH (6%)
Nearest community college
15.6 mi
Owens · $5,870 tuition
Nearest public university
0.5 mi
Bowling Green State · $14,460 in-state
Students on campus in Bowling Green
14,599
next to 31,182 residents

What stands out about college in Bowling Green

Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.

A college town38 of every 100 Bowling Green residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Ohio.A university in Bowling GreenBowling Green State University has 14,599 students on campus in Bowling Green, 64% of whom graduate within six years.In-state price at Bowling Green StateLiving in Ohio, Bowling Green State University charges $14,460 in tuition and fees; from out of state, $22,448. State residency rules decide which a new arrival pays.A community college 15.6 miles awayOwens Community College in Perrysburg: tuition and fees $5,870 a year for Ohio residents.
Town & gown

What it’s like to live in Bowling Green

How much the colleges shape the town, from the Census Bureau’s survey of residents.

38 of every 100 Bowling Green residents are in college (OH: 6).

14,599students on campus at Bowling Green State University, next to 31,182 residents (dorm students count as residents)
6,915college students live in Bowling Green households rather than dorms
23.5median age · OH 39.7
66%of homes rented · OH 33%
$897median rent · 13% below the state
Bowling GreenBowling Green, OH
Cost of living$897/mo median rentB−SafetyCrime reported to the FBIB+HealthCDC estimatesB−Jobs & incomeIncome, jobs, getting aroundC+HandbookTrash day, parking, who to call

How students change Bowling Green’s other numbers

Read the town’s other grades with this in mind. How TownRatings handles college towns →

Jobs & income C+

Students who live off campus count in the Census poverty figures: 28.8% of Bowling Green residents are below the poverty line, 16.7% when college students are left out (that estimate could be off by 6 points either way). 60% of the students themselves are below the line. In college towns, the Jobs & income grade uses the rate without students and leaves unemployment out.

Cost of living B−

The Cost grade leaves out the share of renters paying 30% or more of income on rent wherever students are a quarter of residents or more (38% here): it would mostly measure student incomes.

Health B−

CDC’s estimates follow each place’s age mix, and Bowling Green’s median age is 23.5 (Ohio 39.7), so the adult figures describe a young population.

Safety B+

Crime is counted per resident, and students who live here count as residents. A college with its own police department reports its incidents under that department, not the city.

Every college

Colleges within 15 miles of Bowling Green

Two private colleges within 14.3 miles, and one public college within 0.5 miles.

5 mi10 mi15 miBowling Green StateProfessional Skills InstituteStautzenberger College-MaumeeBowling Green
University or collegeCommunity college
Bowling Green State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · 14,599 on campus · In Bowling Green81%admitted$24knet price64%graduate$48kearningsEarnings are reported for all 2 campuses that file with it.Professional Skills InstituteUniversity or college · For-profit · 402 on campus · 14.3 mi · Maumee83%admitted$21knet price43%graduate$48kearningsStautzenberger College-MaumeeUniversity or college · For-profit · 293 on campus · 14.3 mi · Maumee$22knet price55%graduate$34kearningsEarnings are reported for all 3 campuses that file with it.

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 it costs

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.

Family income

Starts at $30–48k, where Bowling Green’s median household income ($45,154) falls.

Bowling Green State UniversityIn Bowling Green · sticker $33,007$18,547a year
Professional Skills Institute14.3 mi · Maumee · sticker $27,427$21,180a year
Stautzenberger College-Maumee14.3 mi · Maumee · sticker $27,696$22,958a year

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.

Outcomes

Do students finish, and does it pay?

Each dot is a college within 15 miles of Bowling Green: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.

$0$20k$40k$60k$80k0%25%50%75%100%Graduate →Bowling Green StateProfessional Skills InstituteStautzenberger College-Maumee
Bowling Green State University64% graduate$48k earnings*$25k typical debt
Professional Skills Institute43% graduate$48k earnings$18k typical debt
Stautzenberger College-Maumee55% graduate$34k earnings*$14k typical debt

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: Bowling Green State (2); Stautzenberger College-Maumee (3).

Majors

What students study in Bowling Green

Share of bachelor’s and associate degrees by field at Bowling Green State University, weighted by undergraduates; then the biggest programs.

Education 20%Business 14%Health professions 10%Visual & performing arts 7%Parks & recreation 5%Psychology 4%Everything else 40%

Biggest programs

Special Education and Teaching203 graduates a year
$45k4 yrs out
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods139 graduates a year
$45k4 yrs out
Psychology, General127 graduates a year
$46k4 yrs out
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness124 graduates a year
$53k4 yrs out
Business Administration, Management and Operations122 graduates a year
$79k4 yrs out
Biology, General121 graduates a year
$47k4 yrs out
Marketing102 graduates a year
$66k4 yrs out
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing101 graduates a year
$79k4 yrs out

College Scorecard: degree shares (PCIP; each college’s six largest fields are kept, the rest count as everything else) and the field-of-study file, median earnings 4 years after graduating.

Questions about college in Bowling Green

Is Bowling Green a college town?

Yes. 38 of every 100 Bowling Green residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), against 6 across Ohio. Bowling Green State University has 14,599 students on campus, next to 31,182 residents.

What colleges are in Bowling Green?

Bowling Green State University is inside the city. Owens Community College is 15.6 miles away in Perrysburg.

Why is Bowling Green’s poverty rate so high?

Students who live off campus count in the Census figures. 28.8% of residents are below the poverty line; leaving college students out, 16.7% are (ACS 2020–24, give or take 6 points).

What is the closest community college to Bowling Green, and what does it cost?

Owens Community College in Perrysburg, 15.6 miles away. Tuition and fees are $5,870 a year for Ohio residents; the federal net price, $10,369, counts housing and food at full cost.

How hard is it to get into Bowling Green State University?

Bowling Green State University admitted 81% of applicants in the Scorecard’s latest year; the middle half of admitted students scored 1,000–1,210 on the SAT.

Neighbors talk college

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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 Bowling Green. 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 →