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Hope Lutheran Church, Portage Lakes, OhioPhoto: Roseohioresident · CC BY-SA 4.0
Colleges in and near Portage Lakes

The University of Akron Main Campus is 4.8 miles from Portage Lakes

No college sits inside Portage Lakes’ boundary, but the University of Akron Main Campus’s campus in Akron, with 11,844 students on campus, is 4.8 miles from the center of town, and Stark State College is 10.9 miles away in North Canton. About 7% of Portage Lakes’ residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Ohio (6%).

University of Akron Main Campus

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 Portage Lakes. Colleges are described, not graded.

Within 15 miles
8
45,252 students on campus
Nearest college
2.6 mi
Herzing University-Akron
Residents in college
7%
About the same as OH (6%)
Nearest community college
10.9 mi
Stark State College · $4,790 tuition
Nearest public university
4.8 mi
University of Akron Main Campus · $13,135 in-state
Median household income
$64K
prices below start here

What stands out about college from Portage Lakes

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

A university 4.8 miles awayThe University of Akron Main Campus has 11,844 students on campus in Akron, 52% of whom graduate within six years.In-state price at University of Akron Main CampusLiving in Ohio, the University of Akron Main Campus charges $13,135 in tuition and fees; from out of state, $20,815. State residency rules decide which a new arrival pays.A community college 10.9 miles awayStark State College in North Canton: tuition and fees $4,790 a year for Ohio residents.Students are 7% of residentsAbout the same as Ohio (6%). The Census counts anyone enrolled, including part-time and online students.
Every college

Colleges within 15 miles of Portage Lakes

Four private colleges within 12.8 miles, two public colleges within 13.9 miles, and two community colleges.

5 mi10 mi15 miKent State University at KentUniversity of Akron Main CampusStark State CollegePortage Lakes
University or collegeCommunity college
Herzing University-AkronUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 213 on campus · 2.6 mi · Akron95%admitted$19knet price19%graduate$37kearningsEarnings are reported for all 11 campuses that file with it.University of Akron Main CampusUniversity or college · Public · 11,844 on campus · 4.8 mi · Akron60%admitted$14knet price52%graduate$47kearningsEarnings are reported for all 2 campuses that file with it.Fortis College-Cuyahoga FallsUniversity or college · For-profit · 489 on campus · 9.9 mi · Cuyahoga Falls$23knet price47%graduate$35kearningsEarnings are reported for all 3 campuses that file with it.Stark State CollegeCommunity college · Public · 7,044 on campus · 10.9 mi · North Canton$6knet price23%graduate$35kearningsTuition and fees: $4,790 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.Kent State University at StarkCommunity college · Public · 2,004 on campus · 11 mi · North Canton$11knet price37%graduate$45kearningsTuition and fees: $7,492 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.Earnings are reported for all 8 campuses that file with it.Ross College-CantonUniversity or college · For-profit · 344 on campus · 12.7 mi · Canton$28knet price46%graduate$30kearningsEarnings are reported for all 11 campuses that file with it.Walsh UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 1,631 on campus · 12.8 mi · North Canton71%admitted$20knet price58%graduate$60kearningsKent State University at KentUniversity or college · Public · 21,683 on campus · 13.9 mi · Kent86%admitted$21knet price64%graduate$45kearningsEarnings are reported for all 8 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 $48–75k, where Portage Lakes’ median household income ($64,375) falls.

Stark State College10.9 mi · North Canton · sticker $10,755 · tuition $4,790$6,985a year
Kent State University at Stark11 mi · North Canton · sticker $15,936 · tuition $7,492$10,651a year
University of Akron Main Campus4.8 mi · Akron · sticker $26,284$13,519a year
Kent State University at Kent13.9 mi · Kent · sticker $30,567$17,296a year
Herzing University-Akron2.6 mi · Akron · sticker $27,417$17,716a year
Walsh University12.8 mi · North Canton · sticker $47,575$18,642a year
Ross College-Canton12.7 mi · Canton · sticker $32,427$29,182a year
Fortis College-Cuyahoga Falls9.9 mi · Cuyahoga Falls · sticker $30,500$29,500a 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 Portage Lakes: 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 →University of Akron Main CampusFortis College-Cuyahoga FallsStark State CollegeKent State University at StarkWalsh UniversityKent State University at Kent
Kent State University at Kent64% graduate$45k earnings*$24k typical debt
University of Akron Main Campus52% graduate$47k earnings*$23k typical debt
Stark State College23% graduate$35k earnings$14k typical debt
Kent State University at Stark37% graduate$45k earnings*$24k typical debt
Walsh University58% graduate$60k earnings$27k typical debt
Fortis College-Cuyahoga Falls47% graduate$35k earnings*$13k typical debt
Ross College-Canton46% graduate$30k earnings*$10k typical debt
Herzing University-Akron19% graduate$37k earnings*$22k 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: Herzing University-Akron (11); University of Akron Main Campus (2); Fortis College-Cuyahoga Falls (3); Kent State University at Stark (8); Ross College-Canton (11); Kent State University at Kent (8).

Questions about college near Portage Lakes

Is Portage Lakes a college town?

No. About 7 of every 100 Portage Lakes residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), about the same as Ohio (6). The nearest campus, Herzing University-Akron, is 2.6 miles away in Akron.

What colleges are near Portage Lakes?

8 colleges are within 15 miles. The largest: Kent State University at Kent (13.9 miles, 21,683 students on campus), the University of Akron Main Campus (4.8 miles, 11,844) and Stark State College (10.9 miles, 7,044).

What is the closest community college to Portage Lakes, and what does it cost?

Stark State College in North Canton, 10.9 miles away. Tuition and fees are $4,790 a year for Ohio residents; the federal net price, $5,986, counts housing and food at full cost.

How much does the University of Akron Main Campus cost if we live in Ohio?

Tuition and fees are $13,135 a year in-state and $20,815 from out of state. After grants, families on federal aid paid an average of $10,413 (under $30,000 income) to $20,226 (over $110,000), housing and food included.

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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 Portage Lakes. 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 →