Best colleges for education in Ohio

    Ohio State University ranks first in Ohio for education value (#74 nationally, value score 71.5): graduates earn $52,459 4 years after the bachelor's degree, and the average net price is $17,269 a year.

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition · Source: College Scorecard field of study, reporting year 2025 · 24 Ohio colleges ranked · Updated November 4, 2026

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    Best education colleges in Ohio

    Ohio State University ranks first in Ohio for education value (#74 nationally, value score 71.5): graduates earn $52,459 4 years after the bachelor's degree, and the average net price is $17,269 a year. 24 Ohio colleges qualify. At the median one, education graduates earn $43,479 and the average net price is $21,060 a year.

    Source: U.S. College Scorecard field of study, 2025

    What the data shows

    Key findings

    • 24 Ohio colleges qualify. At the median one, education graduates earn $43,479 and the average net price is $21,060 a year.
    • The lowest average net price among them is at Youngstown State University: $9,161 a year.
    Median earnings
    $43,479
    National: $48,822
    Median net price
    $21,060
    National: $17,201
    Median federal debt
    $24,292
    education graduates
    Public colleges
    12 of 24
    in this list

    24 colleges

    The Ohio ranking

    Ordered by the national value score; the national rank is shown with each college. Earnings are medians 4 years after the bachelor's degree.

    1. Rank in Ohio 1

      Ohio State University

      Columbus, OH · Public · #74 nationally

      71.5Value
      Earnings
      $52,459
      Net price
      $17,269
      Federal debt
      $19,500
      Graduation rate
      87%
    2. Rank in Ohio 2

      University of Dayton

      Dayton, OH · Private nonprofit · #294 nationally

      46.2Value
      Earnings
      $47,775
      Net price
      $30,366
      Federal debt
      $19,500
      Graduation rate
      80%
    3. Rank in Ohio 3

      University of Cincinnati

      Cincinnati, OH · Public · #375 nationally

      38.3Value
      Earnings
      $47,019
      Net price
      $24,917
      Federal debt
      $24,365
      Graduation rate
      75%
    4. Rank in Ohio 4

      Miami University-Oxford

      Oxford, OH · Public · #378 nationally

      37.9Value
      Earnings
      $45,704
      Net price
      $29,447
      Federal debt
      $20,500
      Graduation rate
      81%
    5. Rank in Ohio 5

      Wright State University-Lake Campus

      Celina, OH · Public · #381 nationally

      37.6Value
      Earnings
      $42,970
      Net price
      $9,533
      Federal debt
      $21,234
      Graduation rate
      44%
    6. Rank in Ohio 6

      University of Akron

      Akron, OH · Public · #385 nationally

      36.9Value
      Earnings
      $44,100
      Net price
      $13,072
      Federal debt
      $24,000
      Graduation rate
      53%
    7. Rank in Ohio 7

      John Carroll University

      University Heights, OH · Private nonprofit · #397 nationally

      35.4Value
      Earnings
      $45,791
      Net price
      $27,167
      Federal debt
      $22,375
      Graduation rate
      74%
    8. Rank in Ohio 8

      Cleveland State University

      Cleveland, OH · Public · #398 nationally

      35.3Value
      Earnings
      $43,424
      Net price
      $13,754
      Federal debt
      $22,000
      Graduation rate
      51%
    9. Rank in Ohio 9

      Ohio University

      Athens, OH · Public · #402 nationally

      34.8Value
      Earnings
      $43,893
      Net price
      $20,666
      Federal debt
      $20,612
      Graduation rate
      65%
    10. Rank in Ohio 10

      Wright State University

      Dayton, OH · Public · #420 nationally

      32.5Value
      Earnings
      $42,970
      Net price
      $13,715
      Federal debt
      $21,234
      Graduation rate
      42%
    11. Rank in Ohio 11

      Bowling Green State University

      Bowling Green, OH · Public · #423 nationally

      32.0Value
      Earnings
      $45,168
      Net price
      $21,453
      Federal debt
      $24,219
      Graduation rate
      66%
    12. Rank in Ohio 12

      Capital University

      Columbus, OH · Private nonprofit · #436 nationally

      31.2Value
      Earnings
      $46,055
      Net price
      $20,550
      Federal debt
      $27,000
      Graduation rate
      57%
    13. Rank in Ohio 13

      University of Toledo

      Toledo, OH · Public · #437 nationally

      31.0Value
      Earnings
      $43,533
      Net price
      $16,406
      Federal debt
      $24,540
      Graduation rate
      58%
    14. Rank in Ohio 14

      Youngstown State University

      Youngstown, OH · Public · #442 nationally

      30.5Value
      Earnings
      $38,535
      Net price
      $9,161
      Federal debt
      $23,750
      Graduation rate
      53%
    15. Rank in Ohio 15

      Baldwin Wallace University

      Berea, OH · Private nonprofit · #449 nationally

      29.0Value
      Earnings
      $45,784
      Net price
      $27,222
      Federal debt
      $25,683
      Graduation rate
      68%
    16. Rank in Ohio 16

      Lake Erie College

      Painesville, OH · Private nonprofit · #451 nationally

      28.3Value
      Earnings
      $41,284
      Net price
      $13,324
      Federal debt
      $22,500
      Graduation rate
      44%
    17. Rank in Ohio 17

      Cedarville University

      Cedarville, OH · Private nonprofit · #471 nationally

      25.9Value
      Earnings
      $43,308
      Net price
      $23,335
      Federal debt
      $26,000
      Graduation rate
      74%
    18. Rank in Ohio 18

      Franciscan University of Steubenville

      Steubenville, OH · Private nonprofit · #477 nationally

      25.1Value
      Earnings
      $42,987
      Net price
      $24,629
      Federal debt
      $25,000
      Graduation rate
      76%
    19. Rank in Ohio 19

      University of Mount Union

      Alliance, OH · Private nonprofit · #483 nationally

      24.0Value
      Earnings
      $44,001
      Net price
      $23,956
      Federal debt
      $27,000
      Graduation rate
      65%
    20. Rank in Ohio 20

      Walsh University-Ohio

      North Canton, OH · Private nonprofit · #503 nationally

      18.8Value
      Earnings
      $39,112
      Net price
      $19,588
      Federal debt
      $27,000
      Graduation rate
      58%
    21. Rank in Ohio 21

      Kent State University at Kent

      Kent, OH · Public · #505 nationally

      18.4Value
      Earnings
      $41,717
      Net price
      $20,294
      Federal debt
      $25,000
      Graduation rate
      51%
    22. Rank in Ohio 22

      Xavier University-Ohio

      Cincinnati, OH · Private nonprofit · #512 nationally

      16.2Value
      Earnings
      $40,443
      Net price
      $31,905
      Federal debt
      $26,500
      Graduation rate
      71%
    23. Rank in Ohio 23

      The University of Findlay

      Findlay, OH · Private nonprofit · #513 nationally

      16.0Value
      Earnings
      $40,822
      Net price
      $26,406
      Federal debt
      $26,250
      Graduation rate
      62%
    24. Rank in Ohio 24

      Wilmington College-Ohio

      Wilmington, OH · Private nonprofit · #516 nationally

      14.8Value
      Earnings
      $43,077
      Net price
      $28,567
      Federal debt
      $24,375
      Graduation rate
      48%

    Method: the same value score as the national education ranking (earnings, debt relative to earnings, average net price and graduation rate, each a national percentile). Data: College Scorecard, reporting year 2025; 2026–27 edition, verified Nov 2026.

    Questions about education colleges in Ohio

    What are the best colleges for education in Ohio?

    By CollegesRef value score, the top 3 Ohio colleges for education are Ohio State University (value score 71.5), University of Dayton (value score 46.2) and University of Cincinnati (value score 38.3). The score weighs graduate earnings, debt relative to earnings, average net price and graduation rate.

    Which Ohio college has the highest earnings for education graduates?

    Ohio State University: its education graduates have median earnings of $52,459 4 years after the bachelor's degree.

    What is the most affordable education college in Ohio on this list?

    Youngstown State University has the lowest average net price of the ranked Ohio colleges, $9,161 a year after grants. A family's own price depends on income and aid.

    How many Ohio colleges are ranked for education?

    24 Ohio colleges have a education bachelor's program with enough graduates and reported earnings, plus a published net price and graduation rate. Ranks shown are national; the state rank is their order within Ohio.