More selective than 72% of Ohio colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $30,305. College Scorecard.
Higher than 100% of Ohio colleges we cover and 95% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 82% of Ohio colleges we cover and 71% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Ohio State University acceptance rate & admissions
Of 70,028 applicants, Ohio State University admitted 35,588 and 8,062 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1310–1480 on the SAT or 28–32 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Ohio State University tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for Ohio residents who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (in-state, federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
State aid: Ohio residents with household income up to $96,000 and a Student Aid Index of 3,750 or less may receive an Ohio College Opportunity Grant: up to $4,000 a year at public university main campuses (less at regional campuses) in 2026-27. Not included in the prices above. Ohio Department of Higher Education, OCOG 2026-27 award memo (FA27-001)
What Ohio State University costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Ohio State University took 4.2 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Ohio. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $4,885 | $20,566 | under 1 year |
| $30–48k | $5,751 | $24,212 | 1.0 years |
| $48–75k | $9,807 | $41,287 | 1.7 years |
| $75–110k | $20,461 | $86,141 | 3.4 years |
| $110k+ | $27,359 | $115,181 | 4.6 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.2 years, the average time graduates took (71% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($60,409) minus $35,438 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in OH (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $24,971 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
Ohio State University majors, earnings & careers
Ohio State University offers 129 bachelor's majors across 11 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Science & Math · 28
- Engineering · 18
- Humanities & Languages · 18
- Health & Medicine · 16
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 16
- Business & Finance · 15
- Arts & Design · 7
- Education · 6
- Communications & Media · 3
- Technology & Computing · 1
- Trades & Applied Technology · 1
Highest-earning majors at Ohio State University
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Engineering | $123,731 | $20,247 |
| Applied Mathematics | $120,495 | $14,929 |
| Computer and Information Sciences | $118,833 | $23,000 |
| Management Science / Analytics | $111,500 | $20,500 |
| Management Information Systems | $110,192 | $21,500 |
| Industrial Engineering | $106,932 | $21,875 |
| Electrical Engineering | $99,400 | $22,411 |
| Chemical Engineering | $98,851 | $20,500 |
Quick list of all 129 majors
- Accounting$90,850
- Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical / Space Engineering$92,999
- Agricultural / Animal / Plant / Veterinary Science and Related Fields, Other$88,205
- Agricultural and Food Products Processing—
- Agricultural Business$66,603
- Agricultural Engineering$81,917
- Agricultural Mechanization—
- Agricultural Production Operations—
- Agricultural Public Services—
- Agriculture / Veterinary Preparatory Programs—
- Air Transportation$79,114
- Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)$68,942
- Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services$73,594
- Animal Sciences$50,769
- Anthropology$50,055
- Apparel and Textiles$66,256
- Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services—
- Applied Mathematics$120,495
- Architectural Sciences and Technology—
- Architecture$66,131
- Area Studies—
- Arts and Entertainment Management—
- Astronomy and Astrophysics—
- Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology—
- Biochemistry$67,381
- Biology$64,324
- Biomedical Engineering$90,065
- Botany / Plant Biology—
- Business$65,374
- Business Administration$85,586
- Business Economics$96,843
- Chemical Engineering$98,851
- Chemistry$71,559
- City / Urban, Community, and Regional Planning$57,573
- Civil Engineering$85,202
- Classics—
- Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other$54,860
- Communications$62,096
- Computer and Information Sciences$118,833
- Computer Engineering$123,731
- Criminology$58,865
- Dance—
- Dental Support Services and Allied Professions$65,920
- Dietetics$58,821
- East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean)$46,527
- Economics$75,485
- Education—
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$45,969
- Education (Subject Teaching)$52,459
- Educational Administration and Supervision$42,187
- Electrical Engineering$99,400
- Engineering Physics$90,938
- Engineering-Related Technologies / Technicians—
- Engineering, Other$97,144
- English$48,301
- Environmental / Natural Resources Management and Policy$52,528
- Environmental Engineering$80,775
- Environmental Science / Conservation$58,119
- Ethnic / Gender Studies$40,713
- Family and Consumer Economics and Related Studies$67,018
- Film and Photography$50,565
- Finance$97,986
- Food Science and Technology$70,537
- Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services$57,859
- Genetics$63,767
- Geography$60,363
- Geology / Earth Science$53,381
- German—
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design$68,151
- Health Administration$80,315
- Health Sciences—
- History$49,986
- Hospitality Management$53,039
- Human Development and Family Studies$50,921
- Human Resources$82,371
- Industrial Engineering$106,932
- Insurance—
- International / Global Studies$66,995
- International Business$81,473
- International Relations$66,064
- Journalism$51,280
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science$57,541
- Landscape Architecture$65,828
- Legal Studies / Paralegal$70,429
- Liberal Arts / General Studies$54,529
- Linguistics$44,941
- Management Information Systems$110,192
- Management Science / Analytics$111,500
- Marketing$81,119
- Materials Engineering$86,084
- Mathematics$81,909
- Mechanical Engineering$96,418
- Medical Laboratory Science$74,601
- Medieval and Renaissance Studies—
- Microbiological Sciences and Immunology$66,222
- Middle / Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
- Modern Greek Language and Literature—
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other$59,072
- Music$51,310
- Neuroscience$68,480
- Nursing$81,795
- Nutrition Science—
- Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration$65,407
- Philosophy$55,823
- Physics$94,543
- Plant Sciences$56,812
- Political Science$65,972
- Pre-Med / Pre-Health$71,189
- Psychology$54,182
- Psychology (Research)—
- Public Administration$60,678
- Public Health$70,369
- Public Policy Analysis$65,894
- Real Estate$91,213
- Rehabilitation / Therapy Sciences—
- Religious Studies—
- Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics$68,688
- Social Sciences—
- Social Work$50,596
- Sociology$50,457
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages$58,235
- Special Education$50,194
- Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders$57,797
- Statistics—
- Studio Art$46,899
- Sustainability Studies—
- Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language—
- Theatre$37,445
- Zoology / Animal Biology$45,501
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Communications → Public relations specialist
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 1.8% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Finance → Financial analyst
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 7.2% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Columbus
Overall prices in the Columbus, OH area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,602. Housing costs 12% below the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 45 inches of rain a year, 28 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: tornado (relatively high); river flooding (relatively high); heat wave (relatively high); winter weather (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Franklin County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Franklin County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Ohio State University with similar schools
Similar public colleges in Ohio by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State University | 61% | $17,339 | 88% | $60,409 | This school |
| Miami University-Oxford | 75% | $28,384 | 80% | $55,076 | |
| University of Cincinnati | 85% | $25,648 | 75% | $54,810 | |
| University of Akron Main Campus | 60% | $13,946 | 52% | $46,600 | |
| Sinclair Community College | — | $5,992 | 41% | $37,558 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Ohio State University would cost you $11,045 less per year than Miami University-Oxford, on average.
- Lower sticker price at Ohio State University, mostly from lower tuition & fees (−$4,917).
- Ohio State University gives aided families $2,593 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Ohio resident | Ohio State University | Miami University-Oxford | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $13,244 | $18,161 | −$4,917 |
| Books & supplies | $1,030 | $1,240 | −$210 |
| Housing & meals | $14,272 | $16,714 | −$2,442 |
| Personal & travel | $3,070 | $2,994 | +$76 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$1,311 | −$352 | −$959 |
| Sticker price | $30,305 | $38,757 | −$8,452 |
| Average grants | −$12,966 | −$10,373 | −$2,593 |
| You pay | $17,339 | $28,384 | −$11,045 |
“+” means Ohio State University costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about Ohio State University
What is the Ohio State University acceptance rate?
Ohio State University accepts 61% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 35,588 of 70,028 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1310–1480 on the SAT or 28–32 on the ACT.
How much does Ohio State University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $30,305 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $17,339 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $4,885 and families earning $110k+ pay $27,359.
How much do Ohio State University graduates earn?
Former Ohio State University students earn a median $60,409 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Ohio State University graduation rate?
88% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 94% return for their second year.
How long does a Ohio State University degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Ohio State University costs about $41,287 after grants ($9,807 a year for 4.2 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $60,409 ten years after starting, $24,971 more than high school graduates in Ohio ($35,438), so the cost is repaid in 1.7 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Ohio State University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/ohio-state-university-main-campus (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).