Private nonprofit · University

Ohio Northern University

Ada, Ohio · Fringe town

#3 for grad earnings in Ohio
74.4%
Admit rate
$24,478
Avg net price
75%
Graduation rate
$80,928
Median earnings

Ohio Northern University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Ada, Ohio (fringe town setting), enrolling 2,489 undergraduates. It has a United Methodist religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitMidsize · 2,489 undergradsFringe townAccessible · 74% admitNCAA Division III with football · Ohio Athletic ConferenceCold winters

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Ohio Northern University's admitted students.

Admit rate
74.4%
SAT (mid 50%)
1175–1400
Avg GPA (est.)
3.54

Enter a test score to see where you land against Ohio Northern University's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Ohio Northern University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Ada, Ohio

Ada is a village in Hardin County, Ohio, United States, located about 69 miles (111 km) southwest of Toledo. Following the 1817 Treaty of Fort Meigs, the Shawnee Indians held reservation land at Hog Creek near Ada. Ada itself was originally called Johnstown, platted in 1853 by S. M. Johnson when the railroad was extended to that point. The Wilson Sporting Goods NFL football manufacturing facility is located in Ada, and is the only leather football manufacturing facility in the United States. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Fringe town
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
63 miles to Toledo, OH
To Great Lakes shore
62 miles
Nearest airport
57 miles to Eugene F. Kranz Toledo Express (TOL)

How Ohio Northern University compares

Selectivity74.4%

More selective than 56% · #27 most selective of 65 in Ohio

SAT average1252

Higher than 71%

Graduation rate75%

Higher than 85% · #9 of 73 in Ohio

First-year retention84%

Higher than 74%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$80,928

Higher than 91% · #3 of 74 in Ohio

Average net price$24,478

Cheaper than 30% · #51 cheapest of 73 in Ohio

Median debt at graduation$27,000

Lower than 11%

Student–faculty ratio13 : 1

Lower than 50%

Undergraduate enrollment2,489

Larger than 63%

Percentiles compare Ohio Northern 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

2,923students
  • Undergraduate2,48985%
  • Graduate43415%

Undergraduates by gender

2,489undergrads
  • Women1,03442%
  • Men1,45558%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White80%
  • Black2.9%
  • Hispanic4.3%
  • Asian1.8%
  • Other or multiracial11%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
2,489
Graduate enrollment
434
Student–faculty ratio
13 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
21%
First-generation students
24%
Students over 25
2%
Median family income
$79,216
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$83,754
Endowment
$216,103,158

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

Admissions

Admission rate
74.4%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1175–1400
SAT average
1252
SAT reading
585–690
SAT math
590–710
ACT composite
24–29
Average GPA (estimated)
3.54

Cost

In-state tuition
$39,800
Room & board
$14,604
Books & supplies
$1,200
Total cost of attendance
$53,580
Average net price
$24,478

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)
75%
Graduated on time (4 years)
59%
First-year retention
84%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$62,686
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$80,928
Median debt at graduation
$27,000
Students with federal loans
55%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
80%

About 16% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
59%
Low-income (Pell)
55%
First-generation
58%

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
1,930
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
78%
Housing charge (year)
$6,600
Meal plan (year)
$6,600
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division III with football
Football conference
Ohio Athletic Conference
Varsity athletes
958 (629 men · 329 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 (15)

Track and Field (Indoor)151
Track and Field (Outdoor)146
Football126
Soccer80
Lacrosse68
Cross Country61
Golf49
Baseball47
Basketball47
Swimming and Diving (combined)41
Wrestling41
Bowling33
Volleyball24
Tennis23
Softball21

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.9 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
12
Property offenses (2022–2024)
6

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (3,140 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.

6.0reported offenses a year
4.0 violent a year2.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
2.0
Fondling
2.0
Burglary
0.7
Motor vehicle theft
0.7
Arson
0.7

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
$18,525
$30–48k
$19,223
$48–75k
$22,336
$75–110k
$25,605
$110k+
$27,710

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
$96,659

$22,336/year × about 4.3 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.

96%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$24,026
average award, among those who get one

Ohio Northern University discounts heavily: 96% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $24,026. 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 666 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)
$80,928
Typical debt at graduation
$27,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
33%
Out-earn a HS grad
83%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.3 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
$77,813
Men
$83,151

Men out-earn women by $5,338 (7%) 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
84°F
Winter low
20°F
Annual rain
35.8″
Annual snow
25.8″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.04.0JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Lima Allen CO AP, OH US station (11.2 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 Ohio Northern University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Ohio Northern University side by side →

Colleges near Ohio Northern University

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.