Private nonprofit · Community college

University of Northwestern Ohio

Lima, Ohio · Small suburb

6%
Transfer rate
$21,807
Avg net price
54%
Grad / completion
$50,968
Median earnings

University of Northwestern Ohio is a private nonprofit associate-granting institution in Lima, Ohio (small suburb setting), enrolling 2,494 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

Private nonprofitMidsize · 2,494 undergradsSmall suburbNAIA Division IICold winters

About Lima, Ohio

Lima is a city in Allen County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. In the years after the American Revolution, the Shawnee were the most prominent residents of west central Ohio, growing in numbers and permanency after the 1794 Treaty of Greenville. In January 1953, a committee composed of John LaRotonda, Ben Schultz, Dom Trovarelli and Fred Mills organized the Lima Symphony Orchestra. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small suburb
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To Great Lakes shore
75 miles
Nearest airport
56 miles to Fort Wayne (FWA)

How University of Northwestern Ohio compares

Graduation rate54%

Higher than 41% · #107 of 168 in Ohio

First-year retention61%

Higher than 25%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$50,968

Higher than 91% · #23 of 157 in Ohio

Average net price$21,807

Cheaper than 27% · #112 cheapest of 155 in Ohio

Median debt at graduation$17,084

Lower than 10%

Student–faculty ratio24 : 1

Lower than 16%

Undergraduate enrollment2,494

Larger than 84%

Percentiles compare University of Northwestern Ohio with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in Ohio.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

2,524students
  • Undergraduate2,49499%
  • Graduate301%

Undergraduates by gender

2,494undergrads
  • Women50020%
  • Men1,99480%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White79%
  • Black5.1%
  • Hispanic6.1%
  • Asian0.8%
  • Other or multiracial9.3%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
2,494
Graduate enrollment
30
Student–faculty ratio
24 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
34%
First-generation students
44%
Students over 25
7%
Median family income
$44,572
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$51,120

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 877 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Ohio34%
  • Other U.S. states63%
  • International3.0%

A national draw — only 34% of first-years come from Ohio; 63% arrive from other states.

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.

Cost

In-state tuition
$13,875
Room & board
$8,601
Books & supplies
$1,350
Total cost of attendance
$26,266
Average net price
$21,807

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)
54%
Graduated on time (4 years)
25%
First-year retention
61%
Transferred to another college
6%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$45,639
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$50,968
Median debt at graduation
$17,084
Students with federal loans
58%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
51%

About 29% 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
25%
Low-income (Pell)
36%
First-generation
38%

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
1,684
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
68%
Housing charge (year)
$3,600
Meal plan (year)
$4,820
Application fee
$20
Athletics
NAIA Division II
Varsity athletes
166 (83 men · 83 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 (8)

Soccer38
Baseball27
Basketball25
Bowling22
Softball20
Volleyball14
Golf11
Tennis9

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.7 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
2
Property offenses (2022–2024)
3

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (2,525 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.

1.7reported offenses a year
0.7 violent a year1.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling
0.7
Motor vehicle theft
0.7
Burglary
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
$16,009
$30–48k
$16,997
$48–75k
$20,391
$75–110k
$24,031
$110k+
$25,190

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
$97,729

$20,391/year × about 4.8 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.

23%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$3,703
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 23% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $3,703. 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 891 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)
$50,968
Typical debt at graduation
$17,084
Debt vs. one year's pay
34%
Out-earn a HS grad
64%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.4 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
$34,870
Men
$55,241

Men out-earn women by $20,371 (58%) 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
84°F
Winter low
19°F
Annual rain
41.2″
Annual snow
18.5″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.24.4JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Lima Wwtp, OH US station (3 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 Northwestern Ohio

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

Colleges near University of Northwestern Ohio

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.