Photo: EEJCC · CC BY-SA 4.0Cincinnati is home to eight colleges, with about 48,000 students on campus
The University of Cincinnati (34,477 students on campus) and Cincinnati State Technical and Community College (6,513) are inside the city. About 11% of Cincinnati’s residents are enrolled in college, above 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 Cincinnati. Colleges are described, not graded.
What stands out about college in Cincinnati
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
Colleges within 15 miles of Cincinnati
13 private colleges within 12.4 miles, two public colleges within 8 miles, and three community colleges.
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 $48–75k, where Cincinnati’s median household income ($52,909) 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 Cincinnati: 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: University of Cincinnati (3); University of Cincinnati-Blue Ash College (3); Fortis College-Cincinnati (5); ATA College-Cincinnati (3); Galen College of Nursing-Cincinnati (20).
What students study in Cincinnati
Share of bachelor’s and associate degrees by field across Cincinnati’s 6 colleges, weighted by undergraduates; then the biggest programs.
Biggest programs
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. Left out: Good Samaritan College of Nursing and Health Science, Gods Bible School and College, where most students study only online.
Questions about college in Cincinnati
Is Cincinnati a college town?
No. About 11 of every 100 Cincinnati residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), above Ohio (6). The largest campus in the city, the University of Cincinnati, has 34,477 students on campus.
What colleges are in Cincinnati?
The University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, Xavier University, The Christ College of Nursing and Health Sciences and 4 more are inside the city.
What is the closest community college to Cincinnati, and what does it cost?
Cincinnati State Technical and Community College in Cincinnati, 1.8 miles away. Tuition and fees are $5,517 a year for Ohio residents; the federal net price, $4,968, counts housing and food at full cost.
How much does the University of Cincinnati cost if we live in Ohio?
Tuition and fees are $13,976 a year in-state and $29,310 from out of state. After grants, families on federal aid paid an average of $17,974 (under $30,000 income) to $29,616 (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 Cincinnati. 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 →