Ohio’s Best Colleges and Universities by Academic Stewardship

Ohio’s Best Colleges and Universities by Academic Stewardship

What are the best colleges and universities in Ohio if you reward schools for making the best use of their limited resources? Academic Stewardship asks how effectively schools manage their financial and human resources to gain the influence that makes them academically excellent. Schools that are exemplary in Academic Stewardship are doing everything in their power to help students and faculty achieve their full potential.

Colleges and universities in Ohio deserve to be recognized when they do more with less. It’s impressive when a large wealthy school can spend money lavishly on expensive buildings and programs. But it’s even more impressive when a small school with limited means is able to train and inspire students that the larger wealthier schools tend to ignore.

The American Association of Colleges and Universities reported in late 2021 that almost 75 percent of higher-education professionals at US colleges and universities felt financial constraints prevented their schools from effectively attracting students. Distracted by the size and amenities of larger schools, prospective students tended especially to be overawed by the big research universities.

Ohio’s smaller colleges, especially its liberal arts colleges, need effective ways of communicating their value to a world that celebrates “bigger is better” and “you need the best.” Unfortunately, most college ranking companies, such as U.S. News & World Report, define “best” in a way that devalues schools with smaller budgets and fewer students even when these schools do remarkable work in advancing their students’ education. By and large, college rankings penalize schools that serve underserved populations.

Inspired by Malcolm Gladwell, who for years now has criticized conventional college rankings for misrepresenting what’s good and valuable in education, we decided to construct a new ranking metric that highlights those schools that do more with less. That metric—called the Academic Stewardship metric—takes away both the size and the wealth advantage of schools, and focuses instead on how well schools use the resources available to them to advance the education of their students.

How We Measure the Academic Stewardship of Ohio’s Colleges and Universities

Ohio's Best Colleges and Universities by Academic Stewardship
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As a metric, Academic Stewardship is defined by a precise mathematical formula, which can be found in our Academic Stewardship white paper. Measuring the Academic Stewardship of Ohio’s colleges requires measuring two forms of stewardship: 1) Stewardship of financial resources (using the money they have responsibility without waste) and 2) Stewardship of human resources (doing their best to help students, faculty, and administration to flourish). Together, these two types of stewardship form what we call  Academic Stewardship. If you want to learn more about the factors involved in Academic Stewardship, click the more button below.

  1. Stewardship of financial resources: To determine a school’s stewardship of financial resources, we factored in its undergraduate size, budget, endowments and reserves, as well as tuition and fees. All these data are available from the National Center for Educational Statistics Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. In addition, we factored in a school’s financial responsibility as gauged by the Federal Student Aid Office at the US Department of Education through its financial responsibility composite scores.
  2. Stewardship of human resources: To determine a school’s stewardship of human resources, we used our InfluenceRanking engine to track the influence of the school’s faculty and alumni but also to control for size of the undergraduate student body. We’ve found that measuring a school’s influence based on the contributions of faculty and alumni make in their fields of study but then also controlling for size of the undergraduate population is the single best indicator of academic excellence. We call this Concentrated Influence. Schools that rank highly in Concentrated Influence are schools that, given their available human resources, invest heavily in their students and faculty, and the results are demonstrable.
    • We measure the influence of colleges and universities based on the publications and citations of the schools’ faculty and alumni who are teaching in and working in areas related to their degrees. To do this, we take publicly available databases, such as Semantic Scholar, Crossref, and Wikipedia and use these to measure the influence of academics in their disciplines. Having measured the influence of persons, we then identify the schools that they’re affiliated with, adding up the influence scores of the faculty and alumni to measure the influence of the schools and their disciplinary programs. Finally, we control these influence scores by size of undergraduate student body so that schools do not score high in influence simply because of a size advantage. We lay out these methodological considerations on our methodology page.
  3. Academic Stewardship: Having measured a school’s stewardship of financial and human resources in the two previous points, we now divide the second measure by the first to define the Academic Stewardship metric. This metric spotlights smaller schools, with fewer financial resources and people, that invest wisely and do proportionately better in building influence than large wealthy schools. Many of these smaller, less wealthy schools are incentivized to make better use of their resources but would never get recognized in conventional school rankings, which directly or indirectly put a premium on the wealth of schools.

Academic Stewardship as so defined is connected to keeping tuition and other costs down, but it should not be confused with affordability or frugality. The schools that this metric ranks as exemplary academic stewards tend to be all over the map when it comes to tuition and other costs. At issue is the influence of schools given the financial and human resources they have on hand. If a school is going to charge more for tuition, then that needs to be reflected in the school having proportionately greater influence.

Why Academic Stewardship Matters to Students and Their Families

The benefits of attending a school with strong academic stewardship include:

  • A clear reason for why students are at the school in the first place. Without the distraction of amenities and luxuries, these schools are at once unpretentious but also passionately committed to their educational mission. The schools in this ranking are financially efficient and academically rigorous. By avoiding frills, these schools take the most direct path to accomplishing their mission of educating students.
  • Valuing character over prestige and self-indulgence. A school that’s a good steward of its resources doesn’t instill shame in its students over what they are missing (such as elite cuisine) but rather pride in what they have and making the most of it. These schools exhibit a culture of good stewardship, which tends to build good character in the students that attend these schools.
  • Avoiding the spoiled-student syndrome. It’s easy to think that offering students endless options and opportunities will enrich their time at school in every way. But spoiling people—whether in business, sports, or academics—has the opposite effect, causing people to take their advantages for granted and in the end achieving less than they might otherwise, a point well-documented in Daniel Coyle’s The Talent Code. Schools exhibiting academic stewardship avoid this pitfall.
  • The best schools vs. the schools that help students to be their best. Students at schools demonstrating outstanding academic stewardship aren’t so much concerned about being at the “best” school, whatever that may mean, as about being at a school that helps them to be their best. These schools pay attention to their students, hoping that any glory goes to them rather than to the school. Small schools, and especially liberal arts colleges, help themselves by communicating this advantage to prospective students.
  • Emphasizing development over talent and achievement. Schools like Harvard and Stanford have their pick of academic talent, and their students have a long record of achievement even before they apply to such elite schools. But if a school doesn’t have the resources of a Harvard or Stanford, how does it build a great team of students? In that case, it must focus on student development. Colleges exemplifying academic stewardship emphasize student growth and development, ensuring that the schools are doing everything in their power to help students reach their full potential and thereby become their best selves.
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Ohio’s Best Colleges and Universities by Academic Stewardship

  1. #1

    Hiram College

    Hiram , OH

    Tuition + fees

    $25K

    Acceptance

    93%

    Graduation

    53%

    Student body

    1K

    Median SAT/ACT

    995/20

    Career Outlook for degree at Hiram College

    Cost of Degree: $25,500
    Expenses: $13,972
    Starting Salary: $46,900
    Cost Recoup Time: 14 years
    Paid back at 15% of annual salary

    Hiram College’s Online Degrees

    BS in Accounting And Financial Management
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Management
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
  2. #3

    Marietta College

    Marietta , OH

    Tuition + fees

    $37K

    Acceptance

    83%

    Graduation

    51%

    Student body

    2K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1115/22

    Career Outlook for degree at Marietta College

    Cost of Degree: $38,022
    Expenses: $15,022
    Starting Salary: $57,700
    Cost Recoup Time: 15 years
    Paid back at 15% of annual salary
  3. #4

    Wittenberg University

    Springfield , OH

    Tuition + fees

    $42K

    Acceptance

    92%

    Graduation

    64%

    Student body

    2K

    Career Outlook for degree at Wittenberg University

    Cost of Degree: $43,106
    Expenses: $14,480
    Starting Salary: $49,000
    Cost Recoup Time: 18 years
    Paid back at 15% of annual salary
  4. #5

    Central State University

    Wilberforce , OH

    Tuition + fees

    $7K

    Acceptance

    59%

    Graduation

    23%

    Student body

    7K

    Career Outlook for degree at Central State University

    Cost of Degree: $7,596
    Expenses: $13,600
    Starting Salary: $28,600
    Cost Recoup Time: 13 years
    Paid back at 15% of annual salary
  5. #6

    Tiffin University

    Tiffin , OH

    Tuition + fees

    $28K

    Acceptance

    74%

    Graduation

    45%

    Student body

    4K

    Career Outlook for degree at Tiffin University

    Cost of Degree: $30,120
    Expenses: $15,970
    Starting Salary: $47,900
    Cost Recoup Time: 16 years
    Paid back at 15% of annual salary
    What is Tiffin University known for?

    Tiffin University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

    Most Influential Alumni

  6. #7

    Muskingum University

    New Concord , OH

    Tuition + fees

    $30K

    Acceptance

    86%

    Graduation

    51%

    Student body

    3K

    Career Outlook for degree at Muskingum University

    Cost of Degree: $30,690
    Expenses: $15,318
    Starting Salary: $43,500
    Cost Recoup Time: 17 years
    Paid back at 15% of annual salary
    What is Muskingum University known for?

    Muskingum University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

    Most Influential Alumni

    Muskingum University’s Online Degrees

    BS in Accounting
    Degree Concentrations
    • Public
    • Required Credits: 124
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Business Management
    • Required Credits: 124
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Human Resource Management
    • Required Credits: 124
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Marketing
    • Required Credits: 124
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Occupational Science
    • Required Credits: 124
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Information Systems
    • Required Credits: 124
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Criminal Justice
    • Required Credits: 124
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Early Childhood Education
    • Required Credits: 124
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Intervention Specialist
    • Required Credits: 124
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Communication
    • Required Credits: 124
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BSN in Nursing
    Degree Concentrations
    • Accelerated
    • Required Credits: 71
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Community Health And Wellness
    • Required Credits: 124
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Health Science
    • Required Credits: 124
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Healthcare Management
    • Required Credits: 124
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Medical Laboratory Studies
    • Required Credits: 124
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Sport And Fitness Science
    • Required Credits: 124
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
  7. #8

    Kenyon College

    Gambier , OH
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $63K

    Acceptance

    37%

    Graduation

    87%

    Student body

    2K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1370/31

    Career Outlook for degree at Kenyon College

    Cost of Degree: $66,490
    Expenses: $17,310
    Starting Salary: $54,500
    Cost Recoup Time: 21 years
    Paid back at 15% of annual salary
  8. #9

    Denison University

    Granville , OH

    Tuition + fees

    $58K

    Acceptance

    28%

    Graduation

    81%

    Student body

    2K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1325/30

    Career Outlook for degree at Denison University

    Cost of Degree: $60,000
    Expenses: $16,900
    Starting Salary: $57,600
    Cost Recoup Time: 19 years
    Paid back at 15% of annual salary
  9. #10

    Oberlin College

    Oberlin , OH
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $60K

    Acceptance

    34%

    Graduation

    82%

    Student body

    3K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1315/30

    Career Outlook for degree at Oberlin College

    Cost of Degree: $62,024
    Expenses: $22,206
    Starting Salary: $45,500
    Cost Recoup Time: 23 years
    Paid back at 15% of annual salary
  10. Tuition + fees

    $33K

    Acceptance

    80%

    Graduation

    68%

    Student body

    2K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1057/22

    Career Outlook for degree at University of Mount Union

    Cost of Degree: $34,400
    Expenses: $13,056
    Starting Salary: $48,600
    Cost Recoup Time: 16 years
    Paid back at 15% of annual salary
  11. #13

    College of Wooster

    Wooster , OH

    Tuition + fees

    $56K

    Acceptance

    61%

    Graduation

    77%

    Student body

    2K

    Career Outlook for degree at College of Wooster

    Cost of Degree: $57,500
    Expenses: $15,750
    Starting Salary: $53,000
    Cost Recoup Time: 19 years
    Paid back at 15% of annual salary
  12. Tuition + fees

    $30K

    Acceptance

    68%

    Graduation

    75%

    Student body

    4K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1180/25

    Career Outlook for degree at Franciscan University of Steubenville

    Cost of Degree: $31,080
    Expenses: $12,460
    Starting Salary: $42,700
    Cost Recoup Time: 16 years
    Paid back at 15% of annual salary
    What is Franciscan University of Steubenville known for?

    Franciscan University of Steubenville’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

    Most Influential Alumni

  13. Tuition + fees

    $35K

    Acceptance

    69%

    Graduation

    76%

    Student body

    3K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1210/25

    Career Outlook for degree at Ohio Northern University

    Cost of Degree: $36,530
    Expenses: $16,433
    Starting Salary: $72,600
    Cost Recoup Time: 13 years
    Paid back at 15% of annual salary
  14. #17

    Capital University

    Columbus , OH

    Tuition + fees

    $39K

    Acceptance

    74%

    Graduation

    62%

    Student body

    4K

    Career Outlook for degree at Capital University

    Cost of Degree: $40,350
    Expenses: $16,632
    Starting Salary: $48,400
    Cost Recoup Time: 18 years
    Paid back at 15% of annual salary
    What is Capital University known for?

    Capital University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

    Most Influential Alumni

  15. #18

    Otterbein University

    Westerville , OH

    Tuition + fees

    $34K

    Acceptance

    83%

    Graduation

    69%

    Student body

    3K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1107/23

    Career Outlook for degree at Otterbein University

    Cost of Degree: $34,274
    Expenses: $16,356
    Starting Salary: $46,900
    Cost Recoup Time: 17 years
    Paid back at 15% of annual salary
  16. Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $55K

    Acceptance

    30%

    Graduation

    84%

    Student body

    12K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1430/32

    Career Outlook for degree at Case Western Reserve University

    Cost of Degree: $61,584
    Expenses: $20,420
    Starting Salary: $89,300
    Cost Recoup Time: 15 years
    Paid back at 15% of annual salary
  17. Tuition + fees

    $36K

    Acceptance

    79%

    Graduation

    66%

    Student body

    4K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1150/24

    Career Outlook for degree at Baldwin Wallace University

    Cost of Degree: $36,975
    Expenses: $20,696
    Starting Salary: $49,200
    Cost Recoup Time: 18 years
    Paid back at 15% of annual salary
  18. #21

    Xavier University

    Cincinnati , OH
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $42K

    Acceptance

    84%

    Graduation

    75%

    Student body

    8K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1155/25

    Career Outlook for degree at Xavier University

    Cost of Degree: $45,000
    Expenses: $18,320
    Starting Salary: $58,200
    Cost Recoup Time: 17 years
    Paid back at 15% of annual salary

    Xavier University’s Online Degrees

    BA in Organizational Leadership
    Degree Concentrations
    • Business
    • Communication
    • Information Systems
    • Required Credits: 105-11
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
  19. Tuition + fees

    $10K

    Acceptance

    96%

    Graduation

    44%

    Student body

    13K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1089/21

    Career Outlook for degree at Wright State University

    Cost of Degree: $10,224
    Expenses: $15,256
    Starting Salary: $46,100
    Cost Recoup Time: 11 years
    Paid back at 15% of annual salary
  20. #23

    University of Akron

    Akron , OH
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $12K

    Acceptance

    85%

    Graduation

    60%

    Student body

    18K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1110/22

    Career Outlook for degree at University of Akron

    Cost of Degree: $12,427
    Expenses: $15,930
    Starting Salary: $41,800
    Cost Recoup Time: 13 years
    Paid back at 15% of annual salary

    University of Akron’s Online Degrees

    BS in Organizational Supervision
    • Required Credits: 62
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Criminology And Criminal Justice
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Emergency Management And Homeland Security
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BA in Public Communication
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BA in Public Relations
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BA in Sociology
    • Required Credits: 120
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Nursing: RN to BSN
    • Required Credits: 31
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
  21. Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $12K

    Acceptance

    91%

    Graduation

    51%

    Student body

    18K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1055/21

    Career Outlook for degree at Cleveland State University

    Cost of Degree: $12,254
    Expenses: $18,567
    Starting Salary: $46,400
    Cost Recoup Time: 12 years
    Paid back at 15% of annual salary
  22. #25

    Youngstown State University

    Youngstown , OH
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $9K

    Acceptance

    78%

    Graduation

    47%

    Student body

    13K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1075/21

    Career Outlook for degree at Youngstown State University

    Cost of Degree: $9,585
    Expenses: $14,566
    Starting Salary: $40,200
    Cost Recoup Time: 12 years
    Paid back at 15% of annual salary

    Youngstown State University’s Online Degrees

    BS in Criminal Justice
    Degree Concentrations
    • Generalist Track
    • Required Credits: 57
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: None Reported
    BS in General Studies
    • Required Credits: 60
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BS in Nursing
    • Required Credits: 28
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    BSAS in Applied Science
    Degree Concentrations
    • Allied Health
    • Required Credits: 60
    • Completion Time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
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Ohio’s Best Colleges in Your Area of Interest

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Colleges and Universities in Ohio

Ohio offers over 120 colleges and universities for students to earn their associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree. The largest school in the state, Ohio State University, a public institution, serves almost 55,000 students. This university has five regional campuses, which have graduated alumni like writer Harlan Ellison and Wikipedia cofounder Larry Sanger. The majority of Ohio’s schools, however, are private.

Find college admissions consultants in your state.

Tuition at these schools varies greatly, with costs as low as $7,000 at God’s Bible School and College, and as high as $56,000 at Kenyon University. The state is also home to nearly 40 higher education institutes with religious affiliations, offering plenty of options for students aiming to blend their faith with higher education. Although tuition costs in Ohio are higher than the national average, Ohio provides several loan forgiveness programs to those pursuing careers as public defenders and prosecutors, dentists, nurses, primary care physicians, and mental health providers. Many of these programs require individuals to work in shortage areas around the state for a certain time period in order to qualify.

If you’re someone with a wide variety of interests, Ohio might just be the place for you. In The Buckeye State, individuals can visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, take a trip through Amish Country, attend a professional sporting event, and hike waterfalls in Cuyahoga Valley National Park. It seems this state has something for everyone, including those pursuing a higher education degree.

Learn more about the numerous excellent degree paths and career prospects available in Ohio.


What are Ohio’s Colleges & Universities?

Ohio’s Best Overall

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