Private nonprofit · University

Ohio Wesleyan University

Delaware, Ohio · Large suburb

55.6%
Admit rate
$20,897
Avg net price
59%
Graduation rate
$55,624
Median earnings

Ohio Wesleyan University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Delaware, Ohio (large suburb setting), enrolling 1,516 undergraduates. It has a United Methodist religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,516 undergradsLarge suburbSelective · 56% admitNCAA Division III with football · North Coast Athletic ConferenceCold winters

About Delaware, Ohio

Delaware is a city in Delaware County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. While the city and county of Delaware are named for the Lenape or Delaware people, the city of Delaware itself was founded on a Mingo village called Pluggy's Town. The first recorded settler was Joseph Barber in 1807. The Historic Northwest Neighborhood houses more than 500 homes and carriage houses listed on the National Register of Historic Places. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large suburb
Highest degree offered
Bachelor's
Nearest big city
23 miles to Columbus, OH
To Great Lakes shore
79 miles
Nearest airport
23 miles to John Glenn Columbus (CMH) · major hub

How Ohio Wesleyan University compares

Selectivity55.6%

More selective than 81% · #10 most selective of 65 in Ohio

Graduation rate59%

Higher than 58% · #28 of 73 in Ohio

First-year retention85%

Higher than 75%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$55,624

Higher than 56% · #22 of 74 in Ohio

Average net price$20,897

Cheaper than 46% · #34 cheapest of 73 in Ohio

Median debt at graduation$27,000

Lower than 11%

Student–faculty ratio12 : 1

Lower than 59%

Undergraduate enrollment1,516

Larger than 50%

Percentiles compare Ohio Wesleyan 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

Undergraduates by gender

1,516undergrads
  • Women74449%
  • Men77251%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White71%
  • Black9.5%
  • Hispanic6.3%
  • Asian2.4%
  • Other or multiracial11%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,516
Student–faculty ratio
12 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
28%
First-generation students
22%
Students over 25
1%
Median family income
$65,861
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$79,128
Endowment
$306,030,062

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

Admissions

Admission rate
55.6%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$53,888
Room & board
$14,684
Books & supplies
$1,000
Total cost of attendance
$68,424
Average net price
$20,897

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)
59%
Graduated on time (4 years)
51%
First-year retention
85%
Transferred to another college
27%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$42,495
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$55,624
Median debt at graduation
$27,000
Students with federal loans
62%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
73%

About 8% 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
51%
Low-income (Pell)
59%
First-generation
53%

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
1,521
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
100%
Housing charge (year)
$7,628
Meal plan (year)
$7,240
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division III with football
Football conference
North Coast Athletic Conference
Varsity athletes
669 (391 men · 278 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 (13)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)201
Football94
Lacrosse75
Soccer65
Basketball47
Baseball41
Field Hockey30
Softball24
Swimming and Diving (combined)23
Tennis19
Volleyball19
Golf16
Wrestling15

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
D
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
9.2 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
20
Property offenses (2022–2024)
22

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (1,525 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.

14reported offenses a year
6.7 violent a year7.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
6.3
Fondling
3.7
Rape
2.3
Motor vehicle theft
1.0
Robbery
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
$15,412
$30–48k
$10,706
$48–75k
$13,339
$75–110k
$18,031
$110k+
$30,036

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
$55,942

$13,339/year × about 4.2 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.

100%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$40,326
average award, among those who get one

Ohio Wesleyan University discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $40,326. 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 453 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)
$55,624
Typical debt at graduation
$27,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
49%
Out-earn a HS grad
59%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.9 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
$53,620
Men
$60,280

Men out-earn women by $6,660 (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
21°F
Annual rain
40.5″
Annual snow
24″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.44.8JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Marysville, OH US station (12.6 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 Wesleyan University

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

Colleges near Ohio Wesleyan 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.