Public · University

University of Cincinnati-Main Campus

Cincinnati, Ohio · Large city

85.3%
Admit rate
$25,648
Avg net price
75%
Graduation rate
$54,810
Median earnings

University of Cincinnati-Main Campus is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Cincinnati, Ohio (large city setting), enrolling 29,882 undergraduates.

PublicLarge · 29,882 undergradsLarge cityAccessible · 85% admitNCAA Division I-FBS · Big Twelve ConferenceCold winters

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against University of Cincinnati-Main Campus's admitted students.

Admit rate
85.3%
SAT (mid 50%)
1160–1370
Avg GPA (est.)
3.58

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

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

About Cincinnati, Ohio

Cincinnati is the most populous city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Two years after the founding of the settlement then known as "Losantiville", Arthur St. Clair, the governor of the Northwest Territory, changed its name to "Cincinnati", possibly at the suggestion of the surveyor Israel Ludlow, in honor of the Society of the Cincinnati. Cincinnati was platted and proliferated by American settlers, including Scotch Irish, frontiersmen, and keelboaters. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To Great Lakes shore
178 miles
Nearest airport
5 miles to Cincinnati Municipal Airport Lunken Field (LUK)

How University of Cincinnati-Main Campus compares

Selectivity85.3%

More selective than 35% · #47 most selective of 65 in Ohio

SAT average1282

Higher than 76%

Graduation rate75%

Higher than 85% · #11 of 73 in Ohio

First-year retention85%

Higher than 77%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$54,810

Higher than 53% · #28 of 74 in Ohio

Average net price$25,648

Cheaper than 27% · #54 cheapest of 73 in Ohio

Median debt at graduation$21,250

Lower than 65%

Student–faculty ratio19 : 1

Lower than 14%

Undergraduate enrollment29,882

Larger than 97%

Percentiles compare University of Cincinnati-Main Campus with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Ohio.

University of Cincinnati-Main Campus campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

41,875students
  • Undergraduate29,88271%
  • Graduate11,99329%

Undergraduates by gender

29,882undergrads
  • Women16,72856%
  • Men13,15444%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White69%
  • Black9.2%
  • Hispanic5.4%
  • Asian5.4%
  • Other or multiracial11%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
29,882
Graduate enrollment
11,993
Student–faculty ratio
19 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
19%
First-generation students
31%
Students over 25
9%
Median family income
$57,822
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$103,212
Endowment
$2,010,746,858

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 6,922 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Ohio77%
  • Other U.S. states20%
  • International3.3%

Most first-years stay in state — University of Cincinnati-Main Campus draws overwhelmingly from Ohio.

3% 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
85.3%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1160–1370
SAT average
1282
SAT reading
570–670
SAT math
590–700
ACT composite
24–29
Average GPA (estimated)
3.58

Cost

In-state tuition
$13,976
Out-of-state tuition
$29,310
Room & board
$13,564
Books & supplies
$1,300
Total cost of attendance
$32,171
Average net price
$25,648

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)
75%
Graduated on time (4 years)
42%
First-year retention
85%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$48,310
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$54,810
Median debt at graduation
$21,250
Students with federal loans
37%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
50%

About 33% 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
42%
Low-income (Pell)
38%
First-generation
41%

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
8,342
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
28%
Housing charge (year)
$7,992
Meal plan (year)
$5,056
Application fee
$50
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FBS
Football conference
Big Twelve Conference
Varsity athletes
529 (284 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 (10)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)155
Football120
Swimming and Diving (combined)69
Baseball40
Lacrosse39
Soccer32
Basketball29
Volleyball20
Golf17
Tennis8

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.6 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
158
Property offenses (2022–2024)
194

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (45,026 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.

117reported offenses a year
53 violent a year65 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
41
Rape
30
Burglary
23
Aggravated assault
11
Fondling
9.7
Robbery
2.0
Arson
0.3

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
$17,974
$30–48k
$18,092
$48–75k
$22,492
$75–110k
$27,596
$110k+
$29,616

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
$104,722

$22,492/year × about 4.7 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.

62%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$6,570
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 62% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $6,570. 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 6,278 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)
$54,810
Typical debt at graduation
$21,250
Debt vs. one year's pay
39%
Out-earn a HS grad
65%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.9 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
$49,079
Men
$62,665

Men out-earn women by $13,586 (28%) 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
87°F
Winter low
24°F
Annual rain
43.4″
Annual snow
16″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.44.7JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Cincinnati Lunken AP, OH US station (5.5 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 University of Cincinnati-Main Campus

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

Colleges near University of Cincinnati-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.