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.
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
More selective than 36% · #45 most selective of 65 in Ohio
Higher than 64%
Higher than 74% · #17 of 73 in Ohio
Higher than 62%
Higher than 48% · #32 of 74 in Ohio
Cheaper than 53% · #26 cheapest of 73 in Ohio
Lower than 24%
Lower than 59%
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
- Undergraduate2,15795%
- Graduate1215%
Undergraduates by gender
- 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)
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)
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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
$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.
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.
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.
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
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Westerville, OH US station (0.4 mi from campus).
What Otterbein University graduates study — and earn
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 →
Oglethorpe University
Atlanta, Georgia · Large suburb · 9 mi to Atlanta
- Students
- 1,352
- Admission
- 88%
- Net price
- $20k
- SAT
- 1227
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $55k
Nebraska Wesleyan University
Lincoln, Nebraska · Large city · 3 mi to Lincoln
- Students
- 1,453
- Admission
- 80%
- Net price
- $18k
- SAT
- 1189
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $56k
Roanoke College
Salem, Virginia · Midsize suburb · 6 mi to Roanoke
- Students
- 1,767
- Admission
- 83%
- Net price
- $25k
- SAT
- 1211
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $58k
John Brown University
Siloam Springs, Arkansas · Distant town · 24 mi to Fayetteville
- Students
- 1,471
- Admission
- 76%
- Net price
- $20k
- SAT
- 1195
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $54k
Hanover College
Hanover, Indiana · Distant town · 36 mi to Louisville
- Students
- 1,031
- Admission
- 84%
- Net price
- $22k
- SAT
- 1201
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $54k
Niagara University
Niagara University, New York · Large suburb · 19 mi to Buffalo
- Students
- 2,653
- Admission
- 87%
- Net price
- $17k
- SAT
- 1168
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $56k
Colleges near Otterbein University
Dental Assistant Pro LLC-Columbus
Westerville, OH · Private for-profit · Certificate · 10 students
Felbry College
Columbus, OH · Private for-profit · Associate · 192 students
Hondros College of Nursing
Columbus, OH · Private for-profit · Certificate · 3,857 students
American Institute of Alternative Medicine
Columbus, OH · Private for-profit · Certificate · 231 students
Fortis College-Columbus
Westerville, OH · Private for-profit · Certificate · 766 students
Pontifical College Josephinum
Columbus, OH · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 60 students
Paul Mitchell the School-Columbus
Columbus, OH · Private for-profit · Certificate · 200 students
Chamberlain University-Ohio
Columbus, OH · Private for-profit · Bachelor's · 257 students
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.











