Private nonprofit · University
Capital University
Columbus, Ohio · Large suburb
- 70.2%
- Admit rate
- $22,576
- Avg net price
- 60%
- Graduation rate
- $54,143
- Median earnings
Capital University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Columbus, Ohio (large suburb setting), enrolling 1,585 undergraduates. It has a Evangelical Lutheran Church religious affiliation.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against Capital University's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 70.2%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 910–1180
- Avg GPA (est.)
- 3.11
Enter a test score to see where you land against Capital University's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Capital University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. Between 1000 B.C. and 1700 A.D., the Columbus metropolitan area was a center to indigenous cultures known as the Mound Builders, including the Adena, Hopewell and Fort Ancient peoples. Remaining physical evidence of the cultures are their burial mounds and what they contained. Columbus has over 170 notable buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places; it also maintains its own register, the Columbus Register of Historic Properties, with 82 entries. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Large suburb
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 3 miles to Columbus, OH
- To Great Lakes shore
- 102 miles
- Nearest airport
- 4 miles to John Glenn Columbus (CMH) · major hub
How Capital University compares
More selective than 63% · #22 most selective of 65 in Ohio
Higher than 20%
Higher than 61% · #26 of 73 in Ohio
Higher than 47%
Higher than 51% · #30 of 74 in Ohio
Cheaper than 37% · #43 cheapest of 73 in Ohio
Lower than 18%
Lower than 83%
Larger than 51%
Percentiles compare Capital University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Ohio.
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate1,58571%
- Graduate65429%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women99263%
- Men59337%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White66%
- Black14%
- Hispanic8.3%
- Asian2.3%
- Other or multiracial10%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 1,585
- Graduate enrollment
- 654
- Student–faculty ratio
- 9 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 34%
- First-generation students
- 28%
- Students over 25
- 7%
- Median family income
- $61,200
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $78,057
- Endowment
- $140,653,264
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Where students come from
Home state of the 413 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Ohio92%
- Other U.S. states7.5%
- International1.0%
Most first-years stay in state — Capital University draws overwhelmingly from Ohio.
1% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 70.2%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 910–1180
- SAT average
- 1068
- SAT reading
- 450–590
- SAT math
- 460–590
- ACT composite
- 18–25
- Average GPA (estimated)
- 3.11
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $43,234
- Room & board
- $12,984
- Books & supplies
- $2,516
- Total cost of attendance
- $57,130
- Average net price
- $22,576
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated (within 6 years)
- 60%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 55%
- First-year retention
- 76%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $45,767
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $54,143
- Median debt at graduation
- $26,889
- Students with federal loans
- 63%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 58%
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- Yes
- Dorm capacity
- 977
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 62%
- Housing charge (year)
- $6,976
- Meal plan (year)
- $6,470
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NCAA Division III with football
- Football conference
- Ohio Athletic Conference
- Varsity athletes
- 449 (294 men · 155 women)
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Varsity sports (11)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- C
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 3.8 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 9
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 17
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (2,263 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Four-year (or more) true cost
Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.
$20,331/year × about 4.1 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
Capital University discounts heavily: 99% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $27,952. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 518 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $54,143
- Typical debt at graduation
- $26,889
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 50%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 66%
Typical debt would take roughly 5.0 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Men out-earn women by $4,187 (8%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 86°F
- Winter low
- 19°F
- Annual rain
- 43.2″
- Annual snow
- 28.2″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Columbus-Valley Crossing, OH US station (3.6 mi from campus).
What Capital University graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to Capital University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Capital University side by side →
Texas Wesleyan University
Fort Worth, Texas · Large city · 3 mi to Fort Worth
- Students
- 1,741
- Admission
- 69%
- Net price
- $24k
- SAT
- 1070
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $54k
Lubbock Christian University
Lubbock, Texas · Large city · 5 mi to Lubbock
- Students
- 1,252
- Admission
- 73%
- Net price
- $24k
- SAT
- 1100
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $54k
Adrian College
Adrian, Michigan · Distant town · 32 mi to Toledo
- Students
- 1,604
- Admission
- 73%
- Net price
- $25k
- SAT
- 1034
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $56k
Millikin University
Decatur, Illinois · Small city · 36 mi to Springfield
- Students
- 1,382
- Admission
- 67%
- Net price
- $22k
- SAT
- 1034
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $51k
Midland University
Fremont, Nebraska · Distant town · 31 mi to Omaha
- Students
- 1,159
- Admission
- 66%
- Net price
- $26k
- SAT
- 1086
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $52k
University of Mount Union
Alliance, Ohio · Fringe town · 25 mi to Akron
- Students
- 1,995
- Admission
- 78%
- Net price
- $23k
- SAT
- 1088
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $53k
Colleges near Capital University
Ohio Dominican University
Columbus, OH · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 760 students
Franklin University
Columbus, OH · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 5,562 students
Columbus State Community College
Columbus, OH · Public · Certificate · 17,549 students
Columbus College of Art & Design
Columbus, OH · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 882 students
Ohio State College of Barber Styling
Columbus, OH · Private for-profit · Certificate · 406 students
Ohio Media School-Columbus
Columbus, OH · Private for-profit · Certificate · 43 students
Mount Carmel College of Nursing
Columbus, OH · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 532 students
Adult and Community Education-Hudson
Columbus, OH · Public · Certificate · 67 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.












