Best Private Colleges in Ohio 2023

Best Private Colleges in Ohio 2023

By James Barham

Published: May 3, 2021
Updated: Mar 13, 2023

Private colleges, unlike large public institutions, can be a great option for students wanting a more intimate campus experience, more personal attention from excellent professors, and more immediate access to support services. Here is our list of the best private colleges in Ohio.

10 Best Private Colleges in Ohio

Case Western Reserve University

63%

Oberlin College

61%

48%

University of Dayton

44%

Denison University

44%

Ohio Wesleyan University

44%

Wilberforce University

40%

College of Wooster

39%

Xavier University

38%

Ashland University

38%

93%

Wittenberg University

92%

John Carroll University

88%

Muskingum University

86%

Xavier University

84%

Marietta College

83%

Notre Dame College

82%

University of Dayton

81%

University of Mount Union

80%

Walsh University

80%

Ashland University

16 to 1

Cedarville University

15 to 1

Franciscan University of Steubenville

15 to 1

University of Dayton

15 to 1

Walsh University

15 to 1

Tiffin University

15 to 1

John Carroll University

13 to 1

Malone University

13 to 1

Notre Dame College

13 to 1

Muskingum University

13 to 1

$63,310

Oberlin College

$60,240

Denison University

$57,500

College of Wooster

$55,500

Case Western Reserve University

$54,532

Ohio Wesleyan University

$48,832

John Carroll University

$45,514

University of Dayton

$44,890

Xavier University

$42,460

Wittenberg University

$42,288

Case Western Reserve University

$49,358

University of Mount Union

$36,000

Oberlin College

$29,692

Ohio Northern University

$29,250

University of Dayton

$18,090

John Carroll University

$16,082

Union Institute & University

$15,911

Marietta College

$14,220

Walsh University

$13,410

Wilberforce University

$12,830

Malone University

21%

Notre Dame College

23%

Walsh University

24%

Muskingum University

24%

Cedarville University

25%

Capital University

26%

Franciscan University of Steubenville

28%

University of Mount Union

30%

30%

Union Institute & University

30%

Denison University

28%

Case Western Reserve University

30%

Oberlin College

34%

37%

Wilberforce University

39%

College of Wooster

61%

Cedarville University

62%

Franciscan University of Steubenville

68%

Ohio Northern University

69%

Ashland University

70%

Union Institute & University

7 to 1

Marietta College

8 to 1

Denison University

9 to 1

9 to 1

Oberlin College

9 to 1

Ohio Wesleyan University

10 to 1

Wilberforce University

10 to 1

Case Western Reserve University

11 to 1

11 to 1

Wittenberg University

11 to 1

Wilberforce University

$13,250

Union Institute & University

$17,141

Ashland University

$23,090

$25,000

Tiffin University

$28,480

Muskingum University

$30,090

Franciscan University of Steubenville

$30,180

Notre Dame College

$31,350

Walsh University

$32,315

Cedarville University

$33,374

$6,612

Ashland University

$6,972

Wittenberg University

$8,352

Cedarville University

$9,864

Muskingum University

$10,350

Malone University

$11,700

Xavier University

$12,060

Franciscan University of Steubenville

$12,600

Tiffin University

$12,600

Capital University

$12,780

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

What is the difference between public and private colleges?

Public and private colleges and universities operate under different business models. Public colleges and universities are owned by the state and receive both state and federal funding to operate. Private colleges and universities are private companies with private funding. If you’re looking at the pros and cons of private vs. public colleges, consider that many public colleges provide diverse course offerings, influential professors, and an excellent return on your investment.

Public colleges are schools that receive most of their funding from tax revenues. As a result, the cost of a bachelor’s degree at a public university is often lower than the equivalent cost at a private college — especially for students attending a public school in their home state. Attending a college in-state is usually the cheapest option. Private universities and colleges can be very competitive with their funding opportunities, so do not simply believe that private colleges are always going to be more expensive. According to National Center for Educational Statistics, the average annual cost (tuition, fees, room and board for full-time students) at a public university was slightly over $20,000. In contrast, private universities cost, on average, nearly $43,000 annually. But in the end, the cost of college comes down to each student’s academic and financial situation.

Ohio's Best Private Colleges and Universities Badge — Download Badge

How do we determine Ohio's best private colleges and universities?

The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great! If you are serious about finding the best colleges and universities for a bachelor’s degree, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching and whether their graduates are themselves advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence in their fields of study.

Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Concentrated Influence provides a ranking that is freer from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.

To rank the influence of schools, we first determine the influence of scholars and professionals based on the number of citations and publications they have had over the past 10 years. In addition to publications and citations, we consider the web links to and from these sources, and the page views of those sources. We then match the influential people to their alma maters and institutions of employment, so that their influence is attributed to those schools. Our machine-learning Influence Ranking algorithm produces a numerical score of academic achievements, merits, and citations across Wikipedia, wikidata, Crossref, Semantic Scholar and an ever-growing body of data. If you are interested in exploring how and why we rank by influence, explore our methodology in more depth.

This list is composed entirely of private colleges and universities that offer bachelor’s degrees. We’ve identified 41 private universities in Ohio. To be included in the list below of the best private universities in Ohio, schools must be fully accredited, private, non-profit institution, and must offer a broad range of bachelor’s degrees.

Best Private Colleges in Ohio

Ohio’s Best Private Colleges in Your Area Interest

2021 Ranking Archive

Many of our 2022 undergraduate focused rankings look considerably different than 2021. That’s because we took a fundamentally different apporach. For 2021 we utilized our Concentrated Influence algorithm, designed to take away the size advantage larger schools have when we rank their faculty and alumni’s academic influence. Concentrated influence highlights smaller schools that are proportionally as successful as larger universities at cultivating influential alumni and faculty.

Check out our directory of private colleges throughout the U.S. for a look at the top private schools in every state.