Private nonprofit · University

Otterbein University

Westerville, Ohio · Large suburb

84.5%
Admit rate
$19,237
Avg net price
68%
Graduation rate
$53,313
Median earnings

Otterbein University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Westerville, Ohio (large suburb setting), enrolling 2,157 undergraduates. It has a United Methodist religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitMidsize · 2,157 undergradsLarge suburbAccessible · 85% admitNCAA Division III with football · Ohio Athletic ConferenceCold winters

Will you get in?

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

Admit rate
84.5%
ACT (mid 50%)
22–28
Avg GPA (est.)
3.47

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

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

About Westerville, Ohio

Westerville is a city in Franklin and Delaware counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cultures have inhabited the Westerville area for several millennia. Paleo-Indians and their successor cultures inhabited the area between Big Walnut Creek and Alum Creek. The Wyandotte were the primary inhabitants by the time Europeans arrived, living along Alum Creek. T. Marzetti Company and its parent Lancaster Colony Corporation, as well as Mac Tools are headquartered in Westerville. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large suburb
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
12 miles to Columbus, OH
To Great Lakes shore
90 miles
Nearest airport
9 miles to John Glenn Columbus (CMH) · major hub

How Otterbein University compares

Selectivity84.5%

More selective than 36% · #45 most selective of 65 in Ohio

SAT average1220

Higher than 64%

Graduation rate68%

Higher than 74% · #17 of 73 in Ohio

First-year retention80%

Higher than 62%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$53,313

Higher than 48% · #32 of 74 in Ohio

Average net price$19,237

Cheaper than 53% · #26 cheapest of 73 in Ohio

Median debt at graduation$26,000

Lower than 24%

Student–faculty ratio12 : 1

Lower than 59%

Undergraduate enrollment2,157

Larger than 59%

Percentiles compare Otterbein 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

2,278students
  • Undergraduate2,15795%
  • Graduate1215%

Undergraduates by gender

2,157undergrads
  • Women1,28159%
  • Men87641%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White69%
  • Black13%
  • Hispanic5.4%
  • Asian3.5%
  • Other or multiracial9.7%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
2,157
Graduate enrollment
121
Student–faculty ratio
12 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
31%
First-generation students
26%
Students over 25
3%
Median family income
$75,003
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$77,670
Endowment
$127,686,133

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

Admissions

Admission rate
84.5%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
1220
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite
22–28
Average GPA (estimated)
3.47

Cost

In-state tuition
$35,548
Room & board
$13,236
Books & supplies
$1,554
Total cost of attendance
$48,321
Average net price
$19,237

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)
68%
Graduated on time (4 years)
57%
First-year retention
80%
Transferred to another college
19%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$44,539
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$53,313
Median debt at graduation
$26,000
Students with federal loans
53%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
64%

About 11% 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
57%
Low-income (Pell)
53%
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
1,295
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
60%
Housing charge (year)
$6,574
Meal plan (year)
$6,394
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division III with football
Football conference
Ohio Athletic Conference
Varsity athletes
660 (415 men · 245 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)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)224
Football87
Lacrosse63
Soccer59
Baseball57
Wrestling41
Basketball40
Softball26
Volleyball26
Golf19
Tennis18

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.3 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
7
Property offenses (2022–2024)
9

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (2,332 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.

5.3reported offenses a year
2.3 violent a year3.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
2.3
Burglary
2.0
Motor vehicle theft
1.0

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
$12,458
$30–48k
$12,659
$48–75k
$16,478
$75–110k
$23,061
$110k+
$24,620

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
$69,896

$16,478/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
$22,484
average award, among those who get one

Otterbein University discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $22,484. 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 546 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)
$53,313
Typical debt at graduation
$26,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
49%
Out-earn a HS grad
67%

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
$49,678
Men
$59,235

Men out-earn women by $9,557 (19%) 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
86°F
Winter low
22°F
Annual rain
42.2″
Annual snow
19″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.55.0JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Westerville, OH US station (0.4 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 Otterbein University

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

Colleges near Otterbein 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.