Ohio State University
Ohio State University is a public university in Columbus, OH, with about 56,206 students on campus and 3,840 more studying only online.
What to know about Ohio State University
Nearly everyone who starts here finishes
88% of students graduate within six years, more than at 94% of 4-year colleges. 94% of first-year students come back for a second year. Outcomes ↓
What you pay depends heavily on your income
Families earning under $30,000 pay about $4,885 a year after grants. Families over $110,000 pay $27,359, 6 times as much. What it costs ↓
One of the biggest campuses in the country
About 56,206 students attend classes on campus, including 14,318 graduate students. The students ↓
Out-of-state students pay far more
In-state tuition and fees are $13,244 a year; students from other states pay $40,022, 3 times as much. What it costs ↓
What you study here makes a big difference to pay
Among Ohio State University’s biggest bachelor’s programs, computer engineering graduates earn a median $123,731 four years out. Communication and media studies graduates earn $62,096. Program earnings cover the whole system. Majors ↓
This summary is written from the data on this page. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard; earnings, debt and repayment are reported for the whole 6-campus system; price, graduation and earnings include online students.
Do students finish, and does it pay off?
Debt vs. the paycheck
The typical loan payment as a share of a typical graduate’s monthly pay six years after starting (whole college system)
$212 a month against about $4,287 a month in pay.
Paying back loans
Federal student loans, whole college system
of borrowers paid down at least some of their loan within three years, more than at 78% of U.S. colleges.
Almost none defaulted within three years (payments on federal loans were paused from 2020 to 2023, so recent default rates are near zero everywhere).
Earnings by family background
Median earnings 10 years after starting, by family income at enrollment (whole college system)
How hard is it to get into Ohio State University?
of applicants admitted
About 12 of every 20 applicants get in.
Test scores of admitted students
The middle 50%: a quarter scored below the range and a quarter above it. Average SAT: 1387.
The sticker price, and what families really pay
Sticker price: $30,305 a year
Before any grants · out-of-state tuition $40,022
After grants, the average family on aid pays $17,339.
Your family’s price
Average net price after grants, by family income
About $39,228 over 4 years · 68% off the sticker price
What students study, and what it pays
Share of degrees by field
Bachelor’s programs with the most graduates
And their graduates’ median earnings four years later (one year where that’s all that’s reported); reported for the whole college system.
The students
45,638 degree-seeking undergraduates.
By race and ethnicity
Women and men
Living in Columbus
9% of Columbus’s 938,396 residents are enrolled in college. What the town is like, from TownRatings’ Columbus pages.
Other colleges within 30 miles
Straight-line distances from Ohio State University; colleges with 100 or more students on campus.
Ask around
Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.
Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (institution and field-of-study files) and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023); town figures from the Census American Community Survey and NOAA climate normals. Graduation rates count first-time, full-time students; earnings and debt are for students who received federal aid and are reported for the whole 6-campus system. Distances are straight-line. Colleges are described, not graded (how TownRatings describes colleges). Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.