Public · University

Ohio University-Lancaster Campus

Lancaster, Ohio · Fringe rural

#4 best value in Ohio
Admit rate
$5,650
Avg net price
14%
Graduation rate
$52,581
Median earnings

Ohio University-Lancaster Campus is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Lancaster, Ohio (fringe rural setting), enrolling 691 undergraduates.

PublicSmall · 691 undergradsFringe ruralCold winters

About Lancaster, Ohio

Lancaster is a city in Fairfield County, Ohio, and its county seat. Serpent Mound and Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, though not in Fairfield County, are nearby. Lancaster is home to the Fairfield County Fair, a weeklong fair and the last (88th) county fair in Ohio each year, always in the second week of October. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Fringe rural
Highest degree offered
Bachelor's
Nearest big city
27 miles to Columbus, OH
To Great Lakes shore
115 miles
Nearest airport
19 miles to Rickenbacker (LCK)

How Ohio University-Lancaster Campus compares

Graduation rate14%

Higher than 4% · #70 of 73 in Ohio

First-year retention50%

Higher than 6%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$52,581

Higher than 46% · #35 of 74 in Ohio

Average net price$5,650

Cheaper than 98% · #4 cheapest of 73 in Ohio

Median debt at graduation$21,056

Lower than 66%

Student–faculty ratio16 : 1

Lower than 28%

Undergraduate enrollment691

Larger than 27%

Percentiles compare Ohio University-Lancaster 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

Undergraduates by gender

691undergrads
  • Women43964%
  • Men25236%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White84%
  • Black2.6%
  • Hispanic4.0%
  • Other or multiracial9.0%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
691
Student–faculty ratio
16 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
12%
First-generation students
34%
Students over 25
15%
Median family income
$58,609
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$77,085

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 207 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Ohio98%
  • Other U.S. states1.4%
  • International0.5%

Most first-years stay in state — Ohio University-Lancaster Campus 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.

Cost

In-state tuition
$6,362
Out-of-state tuition
$9,444
Room & board
Books & supplies
$868
Total cost of attendance
$10,984
Average net price
$5,650

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)
14%
Graduated on time (4 years)
5%
First-year retention
50%
Transferred to another college
24%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$48,991
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$52,581
Median debt at graduation
$21,056
Students with federal loans
12%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
48%

About 9% 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
5%
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
No
Application fee
$20

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%.

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
0
Property offenses (2022–2024)
0

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (2,127 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.

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
$3,375
$30–48k
$4,466
$48–75k
$3,791
$75–110k
$7,790
$110k+
$9,562

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
$18,747

$3,791/year × about 4.9 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.

46%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$2,806
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 46% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,806. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

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 154 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)
$52,581
Typical debt at graduation
$21,056
Debt vs. one year's pay
40%
Out-earn a HS grad
60%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.0 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
$50,238
Men
$56,016

Men out-earn women by $5,778 (12%) 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
22°F
Annual rain
40.2″
Annual snow
20.2″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.14.2JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Lancaster, 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 University-Lancaster Campus

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

Colleges near Ohio University-Lancaster 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.