2025 Best Colleges in Ohio

Academic Highlights: Kenyon offers 50 majors, minors, and concentrations that allow students to complete their education with few non-departmental core requirements. The student-faculty ratio is 9-to-1, and the average class size is 15. Nineteen percent of classes are even more intimate, offering single-digit enrollments. Summer research programs available to students include the Kenyon Summer Scholars Program, a joint program with Ohio State, and the Summer Science Program that sees more than thirty student-professor pairs collaborate on research for an eight- to ten-week period. A stunning 100% of recent alumni state that they learned to write better while at Kenyon. Roughly half of each junior class packs up its bags and heads off to a distant land for a semester abroad.

Professional Outcomes: Top industries for Kenyon graduates include business development, education, media/communication, operations, and community/social services. Recent grads landed positions at major corporations Deloitte, JP Morgan Chase, Merrill Lynch, Oracle, and Wells Fargo. Eighteen percent of grads enroll directly in graduate school, and within five years of completing their undergraduate degree at Kenyon, 60% pursue further education. Recent grads have been welcomed into top law schools at Yale, NYU, Berkeley, Stanford, UVA, Michigan, and the University of Chicago.

Academic Highlights: Sporting a 9:1 faculty-to-student ratio, the university does a nice job keeping classes on the small side, with 48% of course sections capped at nineteen and only 14% of courses having fifty students or more. An exceptional 86% of students have the opportunity to participate in undergraduate research as the school places heavy emphasis on experiential learning. The same goes for international experiences. Case Western has a high rate of undergraduates who elect to study abroad; 38% spend a semester in a foreign land. Unlike many schools of its ilk, CWRU has a single-door admission policy. Those accepted into the broader university are free to pursue any of the nearly one hundred areas of concentration.

Professional Outcomes: Fifty-five percent of 2023 CWRU graduates head into the world of professional employment upon receiving their diplomas; only 4% were still looking for work six months after leaving the university. More than half of the Class of 2023 enjoyed a starting salary of at least $75,000. The employers of the greatest number of graduates included Amazon, Microsoft, Deloitte, and Raytheon. In 2023, grads were accepted to continue their studies at the likes of NYU, Columbia University, Johns Hopkins University, WashU, and the University of Pennsylvania.

Academic Highlights: Boasting a 9:1 student-to-faculty ratio, face time with your professors is never hard to come by. In fact, 70% of sections contain fewer than 20 students and all students have the opportunity to engage in undergraduate research, such as through the Summer Scholar Independent Research Program, which has 130 student participants each year. Off-campus opportunities, including those in the study abroad realm, are pursued by roughly 80% of the student body at some point during their four undergraduate years.

Professional Outcomes: Denison alumni excel in the job market, with 99% employed or enrolled in graduate school, 96% within just six months of graduation. Graduates launch careers at top-tier companies like JPMorgan Chase, Google, Deloitte, Amazon, and Meta, reflecting the university’s strong preparation for professional success. An impressive 94% of alumni report satisfaction with their Denison education, and they tend to cluster in dynamic hubs such as Columbus, New York City, and Chicago, leveraging the university’s robust network in these regions.

Academic Highlights: Of all the courses at the college, 76% had 19 or fewer students enrolled, and professors are generous with their time in an academic environment conducive to the formation of mentorships. Undergraduate research opportunities are not hard to locate. In fact, according to the school, “Many students coauthor articles with faculty, which are published in scholarly journals and presented at national meetings.” The Office of Study Away helps arrange for over 300 students per year to study in a foreign land. School-run opportunities such as Oberlin-in-London are on the table as are 100+ affiliated programs.

Professional Outcomes: Within six months, 74% of recent grads found employment, 17% enrolled in graduate school, and just 5% were still seeking employment. Multiple recent grads were hired by Google, Netflix, and Sony Pictures. Over the last few years, multiple students have gone on to pursue advanced degrees at Harvard, MIT, Yale, NYU, Columbia, Purdue, and the University of Michigan. Oberlin also has a reputation for churning out future PhDs and is the number one liberal arts college (per capita) across all disciplines in producing graduates who go on to earn their doctoral degrees.

Academic Highlights: There are 250+ undergraduate majors and 18 schools and colleges housed within OSU. A 17-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio leads to fairly large classes as only 40% of sections enroll fewer than 20 students, so expect a fair number of courses in a large lecture hall setting. Still, aggressive students can find opportunities to work closely with faculty. The Office of Undergraduate Research & Inquiry helps approximately 600 students per year participate in undergraduate research forums. All told, approximately 20% of students gain research experience. Last year, nearly 1,800 undergraduates elected to study abroad in one of 350+ short- and long-term programs spread across 70 countries; OSU has the third-highest study abroad enrollment numbers in the Big 10.

Professional Outcomes: Upon receiving their diplomas, 64% of Class of 2023 graduates entered the world of employment while 14% were already accepted into graduate or professional school.  Hordes of Buckeyes can be found at many of the nation’s leading companies. More than 2,000 alumni work for JPMorgan Chase, and more than 500 work for Amazon, Google, and Microsoft. Of the grads who directly matriculate into graduate or professional school, many continue in one of OSU’s own programs.

Academic Highlights: The College of Wooster receives high marks across the board in undergraduate teaching, senior capstone, undergraduate research, innovation, and value. With no graduate students, the faculty is wholly committed to undergraduate education and has a 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio. Students can easily from mentoring relationships via the Independent Study Program. A solid 64% of course sections enroll fewer than students, and only 9% contain more than 30 students. Wooster is one of the few schools that can genuinely state that every graduate is afforded a supervised research experience. In addition, 35% of Scots participate in an international experience.

Professional Outcomes: Within six months of leaving Wooster, 78% of job-seeking individuals had landed a job. Organizations hiring at least one recent grad include Apple, Goldman Sachs, Microsoft, JP Morgan Chase, and the NIH. Nineteen percent of the Class of 2023 enrolled in grad school, with alums attending universities such as Brown, Carnegie Mellon, Cornell, Duke, and Yale. Most alums settle in the Greater Cleveland area, with the Washington DC-Baltimore area proving popular amongst the Fighting Scots.

Academic Highlights: A freshman retention rate of 90% is excellent for a public university, and the strength of undergraduate teaching gets high marks. In part, this is made possible by a reasonable 15:1 student-to-faculty ratio. Each year, more than 2,800 undergrads work with professors on research, and some become coauthors of academic papers and/or find themselves presenting at academic conferences. The school also ranks in the top five among public institutions for the percent of students who elect to study abroad; a phenomenal 55% of undergrads elect to study away from Oxford.

Professional Outcomes: The overall success rate for the Class of 2023 was 99%, roughly the same as for the previous two cohorts. Fifty-five percent of recent Miami grads were employed and by mid-career, alumni enjoy a median salary of $132k. Staying in Ohio is a common postgraduate choice with 46% of grads doing so, but Chicago; New York City; Washington, DC; and Denver are also popular landing spots. The companies attracting the greatest number of RedHawk alumni are Procter & Gamble, EY, Fifth Third Bank, JPMorgan Chase, Deloitte, PNC, PwC, and Amazon.

Academic Highlights: There are 250+ programs at OU across 10 colleges and schools. Slightly less than one-third of all class sections contain fewer than 20 students and the student-to-faculty ratio is 18:1.  Programs such as the Honors Tutorial College require students to complete original research theses, while departmental honors programs involve thesis projects and presentations at the annual Student Research and Creative Activity Expo. The public institution also gets high grades for overall value, as it has not increased tuition in four years.

Professional Outcomes: Hundreds of Ohio University graduates are currently employed at companies such as Cardinal Health, Sherwin-Williams, Amazon, Deloitte, EY, Microsoft, and Google. The average graduate earns a salary of around $59k. Many alums stay in Ohio after graduation, with Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati proving most popular with Bobcats. Sixteen percent of recent graduates enrolled in an advanced degree program.

Academic Highlights: The University of Cincinnati—a global leader in experiential education—offers students an unparalleled 285 bachelor’s programs within a vibrant, internationally diverse community representing all 50 states and 121 countries. While maintaining an accessible 19:1 student-to-faculty ratio, UC strikes an ideal balance in class sizes: 34% of courses feature intimate cohorts of 19 or fewer students, while 19% deliver the dynamic energy of larger lectures (50+ students). As the birthplace of cooperative education, UC guarantees 100% student participation in transformative experiences—from traditional co-ops and service spring breaks to innovative virtual internships. This hands-on philosophy builds on UC’s legacy of groundbreaking research that brought the world revolutionary innovations like the oral polio vaccine and the heart-lung machine.

Professional Outcomes: UC’s career outcomes showcase its strength as an economic engine for Ohio and beyond: 81% of 2023 graduates secured employment, notably with regional powerhouses like Cincinnati Children’s, Procter & Gamble, and Kroger, while 13% pursued advanced degrees. The university’s deep industry partnerships yield strong financial returns, with alumni earning an average of $60,397 within three years of graduation. Many Bearcats choose to build their careers in the thriving Cincinnati metro area, contributing to the local economy—a testament to UC’s enduring impact on regional workforce development.

Academic Highlights: As a premier Catholic, Marianist research university, the University of Dayton offers students 80+ undergraduate programs within a dynamic learning environment that blends faith, reason, and hands-on experience. With a 14:1 student-to-faculty ratio and average class size of 24, students benefit from personalized attention while accessing the resources of a top-tier research institution, including 30+ specialized research centers. Every major culminates in a capstone experience, and students engage in transformative opportunities ranging from global study abroad to cutting-edge research and cooperative education programs.

Professional Outcomes: Dayton graduates achieve exceptional career outcomes, with a 98% success rate (70% employed, 24% in graduate school). Alumni launch careers with industry leaders like GE Aerospace, Northrop Grumman, and Sherwin-Williams, while others pursue advanced degrees at elite institutions including Duke and Notre Dame. Many choose to strengthen Ohio’s workforce, particularly in the Dayton metropolitan area, where they contribute to the region’s various sectors. These results demonstrate how Dayton’s unique integration of Marianist values, academic rigor, and experiential learning produces graduates who excel as both professionals and community leaders.