Public · University

Ohio State University-Main Campus

Columbus, Ohio · Large city

#1 graduation rate in Ohio
60.6%
Admit rate
$17,339
Avg net price
88%
Graduation rate
$60,409
Median earnings

Ohio State University-Main Campus is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Columbus, Ohio (large city setting), enrolling 45,638 undergraduates.

PublicLarge · 45,638 undergradsLarge cityAccessible · 61% admitNCAA Division I-FBS · Big Ten ConferenceCold winters

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Ohio State University-Main Campus's admitted students.

Admit rate
60.6%
SAT (mid 50%)
1310–1480
Avg GPA (est.)
3.82

Enter a test score to see where you land against Ohio State University-Main Campus's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Ohio State University-Main Campus'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 city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
3 miles to Columbus, OH
To Great Lakes shore
99 miles
Nearest airport
6 miles to John Glenn Columbus (CMH) · major hub

How Ohio State University-Main Campus compares

Selectivity60.6%

More selective than 76% · #16 most selective of 65 in Ohio

SAT average1387

Higher than 89%

Graduation rate88%

Higher than 94% · #1 of 73 in Ohio

First-year retention94%

Higher than 92%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$60,409

Higher than 69% · #13 of 74 in Ohio

Average net price$17,339

Cheaper than 63% · #22 cheapest of 73 in Ohio

Median debt at graduation$19,976

Lower than 76%

Student–faculty ratio16 : 1

Lower than 28%

Undergraduate enrollment45,638

Larger than 99%

Percentiles compare Ohio State University-Main Campus 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

60,266students
  • Undergraduate45,63876%
  • Graduate14,62824%

Undergraduates by gender

45,638undergrads
  • Women23,74552%
  • Men21,89348%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White60%
  • Black7.9%
  • Hispanic5.8%
  • Asian11%
  • Other or multiracial16%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
45,638
Graduate enrollment
14,628
Student–faculty ratio
16 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
20%
First-generation students
26%
Students over 25
6%
Median family income
$64,714
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$129,474
Endowment
$7,903,034,629

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 8,062 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Ohio65%
  • Other U.S. states26%
  • International8.5%

A regional draw: about 65% of first-years come from Ohio, the rest from elsewhere.

9% 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
60.6%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1310–1480
SAT average
1387
SAT reading
640–720
SAT math
670–760
ACT composite
28–32
Average GPA (estimated)
3.82

Cost

In-state tuition
$13,244
Out-of-state tuition
$40,022
Room & board
$14,738
Books & supplies
$1,030
Total cost of attendance
$30,305
Average net price
$17,339

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)
88%
Graduated on time (4 years)
72%
First-year retention
94%
Transferred to another college
7%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$51,438
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$60,409
Median debt at graduation
$19,976
Students with federal loans
29%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
58%

About 15% 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
72%
Low-income (Pell)
56%
First-generation
55%

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
15,097
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
33%
Application fee
$60
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FBS
Football conference
Big Ten Conference
Varsity athletes
1,091 (555 men · 536 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 (21)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)233
Football122
Lacrosse91
Rowing79
Swimming78
Soccer56
Fencing51
Ice Hockey50
Baseball39
Gymnastics39
Volleyball39
Field Hockey35
Wrestling34
Basketball30
Tennis23
Softball22
Synchronized Swimming22
Golf17
Rifle11
Other Sports11
Diving9

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
D
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
6.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
740
Property offenses (2022–2024)
356

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (61,443 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.

365reported offenses a year
247 violent a year119 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling
160
Motor vehicle theft
70
Rape
68
Burglary
46
Aggravated assault
14
Robbery
5.0
Arson
3.3

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
$4,885
$30–48k
$5,751
$48–75k
$9,807
$75–110k
$20,461
$110k+
$27,359

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
$41,812

$9,807/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.

63%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$9,815
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 63% — get grant money from Ohio State University-Main Campus itself, averaging $9,815, which softens the sticker price.

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 8,027 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)
$60,409
Typical debt at graduation
$19,976
Debt vs. one year's pay
33%
Out-earn a HS grad
69%

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
$54,817
Men
$66,898

Men out-earn women by $12,081 (22%) 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
21°F
Annual rain
44.7″
Annual snow
28.2″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.44.8JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Columbus Wcmh, OH US station (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 State University-Main Campus

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

Colleges near Ohio State University-Main Campus

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.