College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

Ohio University-Main Campus

OHLarge public institution · Overall rank #325 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Azimuth ranks Ohio University-Main Campus #325 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Who it’s a good fit for

Ohio University-Main Campus is a public university in Athens, Ohio, where the degree mix leans heavily toward health professions and business. Return is well above average, and mobility is above average.

Graduates out-earn what predicts for students like them. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures adds, while the remainder it cannot explain subtracts.

Affordability is around the average, and there is a spread between the lowest and highest income bands. Pell students complete at a rate below the overall cohort, so the university serves a broad range of incomes but the completion gap remains.

The admission rate is above the median for comparable schools, and most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than further study. A student drawn to the largest programs should know that the best-paid fields are much smaller ones.

Ohio University-Main Campus at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
85.0%
Six-year completion[2]
65.4%
Four-year earnings[3]
$70,528

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$19,078
Median student debt[4]
$21,056
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$23,508

Ohio University-Main Campus rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

Located in Athens, Ohio, Ohio University-Main Campus is a public university enrolling 19,633 undergraduates. It sits in the upper third of the Azimuth ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions (the 78th percentile).

Ohio University-Main Campus admits 85.0% of applicants, against a median of 78.1% among comparable institutions (same type and size). For the first-time full-time cohort, 83.9% continue after the first year, against a peer median of 83.1%.

The six-year graduation rate for that group is 65.5%, against a peer median of 65.0%. That rate is limited to students who start here full time; an estimated 21.4% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students.

Return is the strongest (the 81st percentile) and affordability the weakest (the 53rd percentile). Mobility and access fall between them, at the 74th and 62nd percentiles, and the four pillars are spread across a wide band.

Ohio University-Main Campus's strongest pillar is return on investment, where Azimuth places the university in the 81st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The median earnings four years after completion reach $70,528, which sits above the peer median of $65,610 for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth places the mobility pillar in the 74th percentile. The access pillar lands in the 62nd percentile, while affordability is the weakest pillar, in the 53rd percentile. The composite rank across all four pillars is #325 among 1,467 institutions.

The middle 50% of submitted SAT scores fell between 1,090 and 1,290. The middle 50% of submitted ACT scores fell between 22 and 28.

21.2% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants. Azimuth ranks Ohio University-Main Campus #553 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Pell recipients complete at 47.3%, a rate that sits 18.2 percentage points below the overall six-year graduation rate (65.5%). Azimuth ranks the university #383 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $8,610 more than the model expects for similar students.

How value-added outcomes are assessed · How to interpret program rankings

Ohio University-Main Campus rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#325

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 74
Access & reach
National percentile: 62
Affordability
National percentile: 53
Return on investment
National percentile: 81

Top-ranked majors

  1. Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications#3
  2. Zoology/Animal Biology#3
  3. Air Transportation#6

This school’s three highest-ranked programs nationally. Each rank compares bachelor’s programs in the same field; field sizes differ.

Explore major rankings

01 / Ohio University-Main Campus briefing

Ohio University-Main Campus cost & financial aid[6][7]

The published cost of attendance at Ohio University-Main Campus is $30,586. In-state tuition and fees are $14,158, and room and board adds $14,162.

Out-of-state students pay $24,838 in tuition and fees. For aid recipients, the average net price—what students pay after grants and scholarships—is $21,637.

Financial aid reduces the published cost by $8,949 on average. That net price is $6,003 above the $15,634 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth ranks the university #660 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. The affordability pillar sits at the 53rd percentile.

Ohio University-Main Campus publishes a cost of attendance of $30,586, with in-state tuition and fees at $14,158 and room and board at $14,162. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price—what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships—is $15,673, and it stays nearly flat at $15,160 for the $30,001–$48,000 band.

The price then steps up to $19,078 for families earning $48,001–$75,000, $23,689 for the $75,001–$110,000 band, and $24,492 for families earning over $110,000. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $8,819.

Azimuth ranks the university #660 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid covers about 29% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an average savings of $8,949 against the sticker price.

The across all aid recipients is $21,637, which sits above the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $6,003. Out-of-state students face a higher published tuition of $24,838, and their net prices will reflect that starting point.

86.9% of federal aid recipients take federal student loans, and the median federal student debt at completion is $21,056. That figure runs above the peer median of $20,076 by $980.

For a graduate at the median four-year earnings, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $239 a month if repaid over ten years. Parents who borrow through the Parent PLUS program carry a separate median of $23,508.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$19,078

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at Ohio University-Main Campus

Borrowing is common at Ohio University-Main Campus, where 86.9% of federal aid recipients take federal loans, and the median federal student debt at completion sits at $21,056. That median is above the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $980, a narrow gap.

For a separate population of parent borrowers, the median Parent PLUS loan is $23,508.

The investment picture at Ohio University-Main Campus is built on earnings that outpace both the peer group and the model's expectation. Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $70,528, at the 77th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

That is $4,918 above the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Graduates earn about $8,610 more than the model expects for similar students.

The gap lands at the 80th percentile. Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, give a sense of the range.

The typical outcome is $70,528, with a downside case at $47,553 and an upside case reaching $88,802. On the borrowing side, completers who took federal loans leave with a median of $21,056.

That is $980 above the $20,076 peer median, and it corresponds to an estimated payment of $239 a month if repaid over ten years.

Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $23,508. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $239.

How Financial GPS measures payment burden · The four risk-and-reward zones

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt
$21,056
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$23,508

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

Estimated student payment · monthly
$239/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$299/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS
Read the full cost & aid brief

02 / Ohio University-Main Campus briefing

Ohio University-Main Campus career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $70,528, at the 77th percentile nationally. That is $4,918 above the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Graduates earn about $8,610 more than the model expects for similar students. That places the gap at the 80th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $11,555. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $2,945. Azimuth places the university at the 81st percentile for return.

Four years after completing a degree, Ohio University-Main Campus graduates earn a median of $70,528. That figure places the university at the 77th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The median is drawn from a cohort of 9,609 completers in the four-year earnings cohort. Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix show the range of possible outcomes.

The downside scenario is $47,553 and the upside scenario is $88,802, with typical earnings at $70,528. That spread captures differences across program clusters, not the path of any individual graduate.

An estimated 27.8% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix. This estimate comes from the mix of fields offered, not from observed enrollment counts.

Four years after completion, graduates of Ohio University-Main Campus earn a median of $70,528, which places the university in the 77th percentile nationally. That figure is above the peer median of $65,610 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $4,918.

Graduates earn about $8,610 more than the model expects for similar students, a result that sits in the 80th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $11,555.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $2,945. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $257.

Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix show a downside of $47,553 and an upside of $88,802. Azimuth ranks Ohio University-Main Campus #274 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The return picture is shaped by a large nursing program and several highly ranked programs that earn well above their national benchmarks. Nursing is the largest program, with 1,657 degrees awarded and median earnings of $87,308 four years after completion.

Azimuth ranks it #67 nationally and #1 in Ohio. Marketing awarded 204 degrees and its completers earn $78,506, ranking #46 nationally.

Zoology/Animal Biology is a standout: its completers earn $55,352, which is 1.26x the national median for the field, and Azimuth ranks it #3 nationally. Air Transportation also performs well, with 33 degrees awarded, earnings of $99,701, and a national rank of #6.

The earnings scenarios show a wide range, from $47,553 on the downside to $88,802 on the upside. These are scenarios estimated from the program mix, not observed groups of graduates.

Industrial Engineering follows at $99,364, and Electrical Engineering at $94,673. Much of the variation within the overall range coincides with program choice.

At Ohio University-Main Campus, graduates earn about $8,610 more than the model expects for similar students. The median federal student debt for borrowers who complete a degree is $21,056, which runs above the median of $20,076 for comparable institutions (same type and size).

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $239 a month if repaid over ten years. Parent PLUS borrowers, a separate population, carry a median of $23,508.

The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $21,637, which sits above the peer median of $15,634. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price drops to $15,673, while families in the $30,001–$48,000 band see an average of $15,160.

The spread between the lowest and highest income bands is $8,819. The return picture is strong: graduates earn well above the model's expectation, and the median debt is only slightly above the peer mark.

The net price runs above peers, which is the main tension in the value equation, though the lowest-income families see a substantial discount from the sticker price.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$11,555
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$2,945
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$8,610

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Read the full outcomes brief

03 / Ohio University-Main Campus briefing

Ohio University-Main Campus acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

Ohio University-Main Campus admits 85.0% of applicants, a rate that sits close to the median of 78.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size). The university is broadly accessible, and the admission rate reflects that.

SAT: approximate enrolled-student range
Admission rate
85.0%
Approximate lower endpoint
1090
Reported average
1212
Approximate upper endpoint
1290

Enrolled students who submitted scores. This range is not an admission cutoff. The endpoints add section percentiles; they are not verified composite-score percentiles. A separate SAT-equivalent average is not plotted as a median. Source: College Scorecard; sum of section 25th/75th percentiles; enrolled score-submitters.

Read the full admissions brief

04 / Ohio University-Main Campus briefing

What are the largest majors at Ohio University-Main Campus?[12]

Ohio University-Main Campus awards bachelor's degrees across 49 fields with published four-year earnings, and Azimuth ranks 37 of them nationally. The largest program, Nursing, accounts for 1,657 degrees awarded and shows a median of $87,308 four years after completion.

Azimuth ranks it #67 in its field and #1 in Ohio. Marketing is smaller at 204 degrees awarded but reaches $78,506 and an Azimuth national rank of #46.

Teacher Education awarded 283 degrees, and its completers earn a median of $43,893, which ranks #174 nationally. Psychology sits at $49,399 on 211 degrees awarded, with an Azimuth rank of #208.

The contrast between the highest- and lowest-earning fields above illustrates the wide range of earnings outcomes across fields at this university.

Ohio University-Main Campus publishes earnings data for 49 bachelor's programs, and 37 of those hold an Azimuth national rank. The largest, Nursing, awarded 1,657 degrees and shows a median of $87,308 four years after completion.

It ranks #67 nationally and #1 in Ohio. Several programs hold top national ranks.

Zoology/Animal Biology ranks #3 nationally and #1 in Ohio. The program awarded 167 degrees and shows a median of $55,352 four years after completion.

Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications ranks #3 nationally, awarded 21 degrees, and reports a median of $77,401. Air Transportation ranks #6 nationally, awarded 33 degrees, and shows a median of $99,701.

Ohio University-Main Campus awards bachelor's degrees across 37 programs with an Azimuth national rank and 49 with published four-year earnings data. The degree mix is anchored by Health Professions, which accounts for 35.2% of degrees awarded, followed by Business at 13.6% and Communication & Journalism at 7.8%.

The largest program with published earnings is Nursing, at 1,657 degrees awarded, with Teacher Education next at 283 and Psychology at 211. The strongest programs are spread across several fields.

Zoology/Animal Biology is the highest-ranked, with 167 degrees awarded and median earnings of $55,352 four years after completion, and it ranks #1 in Ohio within its field. Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications ranks #3 nationally and #1 in Ohio within its field, with 21 degrees awarded.

Air Transportation ranks #6 nationally and #1 in Ohio within its field. The program has 33 degrees awarded and median earnings of $99,701.

Zoology/Animal Biology carries a benchmark ratio of 1.26x against the national median for its field. The pattern is a large health professions core alongside a set of highly ranked programs in specialized fields, from Zoology/Animal Biology to Air Transportation.

The highest-earning programs are in technical and professional fields. Air Transportation graduates earn $99,701 four years after completion, with 33 degrees awarded.

The largest programs by degrees awarded are in health and business, while 11.6% of degrees awarded are in STEM fields.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 1,657 degrees awarded
$87,308
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods 283 degrees awarded
$43,893
Data Analytics 222 degrees awarded
Too few graduates to report
Psychology, General 211 degrees awarded
$49,399
Marketing 204 degrees awarded
$78,506
Zoology/Animal Biology 167 degrees awarded
$55,352

Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.

Read the full majors brief

05 / Ohio University-Main Campus briefing

How does Ohio University-Main Campus serve students from different backgrounds?

Graduates at Ohio University-Main Campus earn about $8,610 more than the model expects for similar students, a result at the 80th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The university sits at the 74th percentile for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions.

For the first-time full-time cohort, the overall six-year graduation rate is 65.5%. Pell recipients complete at 47.3%, a level 18.2 percentage points below that figure.

Ohio University-Main Campus enrolls 19,633 undergraduates and admits 85.0% of applicants, a rate above the median of 78.1% for comparable public universities. Pell Grant recipients make up 21.2% of the undergraduate body, and an estimated 21.4% of undergraduates arrive as transfers or part-time students.

Azimuth places the access pillar in the 62nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

06 / Ohio University-Main Campus briefing

What colleges are similar to Ohio University-Main Campus?[15]

Azimuth groups alternatives by admissions, location, cost and earnings, then orders candidates within each group. Peer earnings use the matched four-year cohort. How matching works.

A shortlist for different decisions

Choose a row to compare the figures with Ohio University-Main Campus.

Admissions peerOtterbein University84.5% admitted
Comparison with Ohio University-Main Campus
MeasureOhio University-Main CampusOtterbein University
Peer earnings · 4 years$70,528$58,068-$12,460 vs Ohio University-Main Campus
Average annual net price$21,637$19,237-$2,400 vs Ohio University-Main Campus · lower cost
Admission rate85.0%84.5%
Explore Otterbein University →
Higher-admission alternativeMarian University95.5% admitted
Comparison with Ohio University-Main Campus
MeasureOhio University-Main CampusMarian University
Peer earnings · 4 years$70,528$72,150+$1,622 vs Ohio University-Main Campus
Average annual net price$21,637$24,018+$2,381 vs Ohio University-Main Campus · higher cost
Admission rate85.0%95.5%
Nearby alternativeCedarville UniversityNearby option · OH
Comparison with Ohio University-Main Campus
MeasureOhio University-Main CampusCedarville University
Peer earnings · 4 years$70,528$60,679-$9,849 vs Ohio University-Main Campus
Average annual net price$21,637$24,468+$2,831 vs Ohio University-Main Campus · higher cost
Admission rate85.0%65.3%
Explore Cedarville University →
Higher-earnings alternativeMassachusetts Maritime Academy$103,680 earnings
Comparison with Ohio University-Main Campus
MeasureOhio University-Main CampusMassachusetts Maritime Academy
Peer earnings · 4 years$70,528$103,680+$33,152 vs Ohio University-Main Campus
Average annual net price$21,637$21,582-$55 vs Ohio University-Main Campus · lower cost
Admission rate85.0%94.7%
Explore Massachusetts Maritime Academy →
Lower-cost alternativeOhio State University-Main Campus$17,339 average net price
Comparison with Ohio University-Main Campus
MeasureOhio University-Main CampusOhio State University-Main Campus
Peer earnings · 4 years$70,528$70,682+$154 vs Ohio University-Main Campus
Average annual net price$21,637$17,339-$4,298 vs Ohio University-Main Campus · lower cost
Admission rate85.0%60.6%
Explore Ohio State University-Main Campus →
Similar profileUniversity of KansasMatched across several measures
Comparison with Ohio University-Main Campus
MeasureOhio University-Main CampusUniversity of Kansas
Peer earnings · 4 years$70,528$69,680-$848 vs Ohio University-Main Campus
Average annual net price$21,637$18,059-$3,578 vs Ohio University-Main Campus · lower cost
Admission rate85.0%93.5%
Explore University of Kansas →

Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable.

Read the full similar schools brief

Data scope & methodology

Structured payloads generated Governed hub narrative Governed spoke corpus

Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection.

Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them.

Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects.

Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations · About College Azimuth

Read the analysis behind value-added earnings and the change to four-year graduate earnings. These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com.

Data notes & source fields

Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation; notes with a different source link it below.

  1. Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.

    Source fields: ADM_RATE

  2. Six-year completion. First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree.

    Source fields: C150_4

  3. Four-year institutional earnings. Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion.

    Source fields: MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

  4. Median federal student debt. Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students.

    Source fields: GRAD_DEBT_MDN

  5. National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks. Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ.

    Source fields: Azimuth rankings

    College Azimuth · Ranking methodology

  6. Annual net price by family income. Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers.

    Source fields: NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV

  7. Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration. Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance is 150% of the federal poverty guideline for one person, for the year the API serves. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. The parent table is the 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS as a share of household income above 200% of the guideline for a household of three: under 6% Safe, 6–10% Caution, over 10% High pressure. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations.

    Source fields: PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations

    College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology

  8. Downside and upside earnings; yellow band. The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median.

    Source fields: Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios

    College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology

  9. Value added and its components. Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

    Source fields: Azimuth statistical model

    College Azimuth · Value-added methodology

  10. SAT score range and reported midpoint. Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range.

    Source fields: SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG

  11. First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.

    Source fields: RET_FT4

  12. Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots. Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity.

    Source fields: EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE

    College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation

  13. Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.

    Source fields: PCTPELL

  14. Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group. This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns.

    Source fields: 1 − PFTFTUG1_EF

  15. Peer earnings and signed differences. Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure.

    Source fields: Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

    College Azimuth · Comparison methodology

How to interpret program rankings