Private nonprofit · College

Defiance College

Defiance, Ohio · Distant town

47.5%
Admit rate
$26,337
Avg net price
31%
Graduation rate
$49,351
Median earnings

Defiance College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Defiance, Ohio (distant town setting), enrolling 499 undergraduates. It has a United Church of Christ religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 499 undergradsDistant townSelective · 48% admitNAIA Division II · Mid-States Football AssociationCold winters

About Defiance, Ohio

Defiance is a city in Defiance County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Today a pair of cannons outside the city library on the Maumee River overlook the confluence and mark the location of Fort Defiance, along with a mounded outline of the fort walls. The city was named after Fort Defiance. Defiance has several city parks that offer a variety of recreational activities, including baseball and softball diamonds, as well as playground equipment. These parks include Kingsbury Park and Diehl Park. Kingsbury Park also has a public swimming pool. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Distant town
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To Great Lakes shore
55 miles
Nearest airport
35 miles to Eugene F. Kranz Toledo Express (TOL)

How Defiance College compares

Selectivity47.5%

More selective than 85% · #9 most selective of 65 in Ohio

Graduation rate31%

Higher than 12% · #63 of 73 in Ohio

First-year retention56%

Higher than 9%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$49,351

Higher than 37% · #50 of 74 in Ohio

Average net price$26,337

Cheaper than 25% · #55 cheapest of 73 in Ohio

Median debt at graduation$26,813

Lower than 18%

Student–faculty ratio11 : 1

Lower than 68%

Undergraduate enrollment499

Larger than 22%

Percentiles compare Defiance College 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

538students
  • Undergraduate49993%
  • Graduate397%

Undergraduates by gender

499undergrads
  • Women21443%
  • Men28557%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White53%
  • Black35%
  • Hispanic6.8%
  • Other or multiracial4.8%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
499
Graduate enrollment
39
Student–faculty ratio
11 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
50%
First-generation students
36%
Students over 25
5%
Median family income
$58,500
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$59,814
Endowment
$20,044,969

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Admissions

Admission rate
47.5%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$29,320
Room & board
$12,606
Books & supplies
$1,400
Total cost of attendance
$53,667
Average net price
$26,337

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)
31%
Graduated on time (4 years)
29%
First-year retention
56%
Transferred to another college
39%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$39,303
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$49,351
Median debt at graduation
$26,813
Students with federal loans
72%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
51%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
29%
Low-income (Pell)
47%
First-generation
50%

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
545
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
100%+
Housing charge (year)
$6,382
Meal plan (year)
$5,756
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NAIA Division II
Football conference
Mid-States Football Association
Varsity athletes
373 (277 men · 96 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)

Football134
Baseball48
Soccer39
Basketball35
Track and Field (Indoor)22
Track and Field (Outdoor)22
Volleyball20
Golf17
Softball17
Cross Country15
Wrestling4

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
D
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
7.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
12
Property offenses (2022–2024)
0

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (568 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.

4.0reported offenses a year
4.0 violent a year0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling
1.7
Rape
1.3
Statutory rape
0.7
Robbery
0.3

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.

< $30k
$27,196
$30–48k
$26,105
$48–75k
$25,884
$75–110k
$24,554
$110k+
$26,637

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.

Est. total to a degree
$105,149

$25,884/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.

99%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$21,245
average award, among those who get one

Defiance College discounts heavily: 99% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $21,245. 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 146 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)
$49,351
Typical debt at graduation
$26,813
Debt vs. one year's pay
54%
Out-earn a HS grad
59%

Typical debt would take roughly 5.4 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

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.

Women
$45,550
Men
$53,676

Men out-earn women by $8,126 (18%) 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
85°F
Winter low
18°F
Annual rain
37.7″
Annual snow
24.2″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.14.3JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Defiance, OH US station (1.9 mi from campus).

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 Defiance College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Defiance College side by side →

Colleges near Defiance College

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.