Most Affordable Private Colleges in Ohio
Private nonprofit colleges rarely cost what their price tags say. Among the 46 we rank in Ohio, the average net price runs from $5,567 to $41,190 a year, a range of $35,623.
The median net price is $22,205, $1,656 (7%) below the national median of $23,860 for private nonprofit colleges. Median tuition and fees are $37,154, but the median net price, which also counts room, board and books after grants, is $22,205, so aid more than covers the housing and living costs added on top of tuition.
Wilberforce University ranks first at $5,567, ahead of Mount Carmel College of Nursing ($10,420) and Ursuline College ($16,164).
How this list is built
A college appears here only if it meets every condition below.
- Colleges considered
- Private nonprofit 4-year colleges whose main award is the bachelor's degree
- Ranked by net price, lowest first. Ties are broken by larger undergraduate enrollment, then by name.
- Main campuses only, with at least 60% of core data fields reported
- Main campus located in Ohio
- At least 500 undergraduate students enrolled (fall 2024)
- A reported net price value (schools without one are not ranked)
- This page is published only when at least 15 schools qualify; Ohio has 46
- Data period
- Net price: average for students receiving aid, academic year 2023-24.
- Tuition and fees: full-time undergraduate sticker price, academic year 2024-25 (the same for in-state and out-of-state students).
- Net price by income: students with family income of $0 to $30,000, academic year 2023-24.
- Graduation rate: first-time, full-time students who started in fall 2018 (4-year) or fall 2021 (2-year), finishing within 150% of normal time.
- Earnings: median earnings four years after completing, measured in 2022 and 2023 for the 2017-18 and 2018-19 cohorts, in 2024 dollars.
- Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, June 2026 release.
Showing all 46 qualifying schools. Select a column heading to re-sort the table.
| 1 | Wilberforce University Wilberforce, OH Private nonprofit · 4-year | $5,567 | $16,448 | $5,630 | 13% | $45,958 |
| 2 | Mount Carmel College of Nursing Columbus, OH Private nonprofit · 4-year | $10,420 | $22,080 | $6,312 | 64% | $79,807 |
| 3 | Ursuline College Pepper Pike, OH Private nonprofit · 4-year | $16,164 | $38,990 | $13,134 | 61% | $73,605 |
| 4 | Mount St. Joseph University Cincinnati, OH Private nonprofit · 4-year | $16,530 | $38,150 | $11,689 | 56% | $61,602 |
| 5 | Mercy College of Ohio Toledo, OH Private nonprofit · 4-year | $17,989 | $19,470 | $19,867 | 49% | $71,303 |
| 6 | The Christ College of Nursing and Health Sciences Cincinnati, OH Private nonprofit · 4-year | $18,378 | $16,836 | $17,255 | 58% | $74,804 |
| 7 | Wittenberg University Springfield, OH Private nonprofit · 4-year | $18,649 | $45,940 | $17,609 | 53% | $54,622 |
| 8 | Otterbein University Westerville, OH Private nonprofit · 4-year | $19,237 | $35,548 | $12,458 | 68% | $58,068 |
| 9 | Muskingum University New Concord, OH Private nonprofit · 4-year | $19,532 | $32,665 | $14,684 | 55% | $50,429 |
| 10 | Good Samaritan College of Nursing and Health Science Cincinnati, OH Private nonprofit · 4-year | $19,622 | $15,470 | $17,891 | 64% | $75,464 |
| 11 | Bluffton University Bluffton, OH Private nonprofit · 4-year | $19,943 | $37,362 | $16,363 | 51% | $49,053 |
| 12 | Ohio Dominican University Columbus, OH Private nonprofit · 4-year | $20,079 | $35,720 | $16,997 | 44% | $61,640 |
| 13 | Walsh University North Canton, OH Private nonprofit · 4-year | $20,493 | $35,745 | $20,458 | 60% | $63,410 |
| 14 | Heidelberg University Tiffin, OH Private nonprofit · 4-year | $20,556 | $33,650 | $18,217 | 51% | $52,647 |
| 15 | Ohio Christian University Circleville, OH Private nonprofit · 4-year | $20,607 | $24,600 | $22,113 | 35% | $49,508 |
| 16 | Ohio Wesleyan University Delaware, OH Private nonprofit · 4-year | $20,897 | $53,888 | $15,412 | 60% | $54,483 |
| 17 | Malone University Canton, OH Private nonprofit · 4-year | $20,948 | $37,160 | $13,290 | 48% | $51,485 |
| 18 | Lake Erie College Painesville, OH Private nonprofit · 4-year | $20,961 | $37,634 | $20,195 | 40% | $57,903 |
| 19 | Hiram College Hiram, OH Private nonprofit · 4-year | $21,058 | $27,600 | $16,550 | 57% | $52,304 |
| 20 | Marietta College Marietta, OH Private nonprofit · 4-year | $21,083 | $39,652 | $18,254 | 60% | $64,527 |
| 21 | Kettering College Kettering, OH Private nonprofit · 4-year | $21,650 | $16,320 | $16,000 | 65% | $80,027 |
| 22 | University of Northwestern Ohio Lima, OH Private nonprofit · 4-year | $21,807 | $13,875 | $16,009 | 54% | $56,340 |
| 23 | Ashland University Ashland, OH Private nonprofit · 4-year | $21,988 | $31,210 | $16,489 | 61% | $59,855 |
| 24 | Mount Vernon Nazarene University Mount Vernon, OH Private nonprofit · 4-year | $22,421 | $37,158 | $22,358 | 66% | $53,516 |
| 25 | Capital University Columbus, OH Private nonprofit · 4-year | $22,576 | $43,234 | $19,062 | 63% | $59,121 |
| 26 | Lourdes University Sylvania, OH Private nonprofit · 4-year | $23,206 | $29,500 | $22,220 | 35% | $55,959 |
| 27 | University of Mount Union Alliance, OH Private nonprofit · 4-year | $23,280 | $36,600 | $16,786 | 62% | $57,955 |
| 28 | The College of Wooster Wooster, OH Private nonprofit · 4-year | $23,458 | $61,640 | $12,512 | 74% | $57,840 |
| 29 | Franciscan University of Steubenville Steubenville, OH Private nonprofit · 4-year | $23,589 | $34,100 | $19,696 | 76% | $49,762 |
| 30 | University of Rio Grande Rio Grande, OH Private nonprofit · 4-year | $23,686 | $20,560 | $21,776 | 34% | $51,840 |
| 31 | Wilmington College Wilmington, OH Private nonprofit · 4-year | $24,153 | $32,082 | $19,820 | 51% | $52,364 |
| 32 | Cedarville University Cedarville, OH Private nonprofit · 4-year | $24,468 | $37,150 | $18,987 | 73% | $60,679 |
| 33 | Ohio Northern University Ada, OH Private nonprofit · 4-year | $24,478 | $39,800 | $18,525 | 75% | $72,080 |
| 34 | Franklin University Columbus, OH Private nonprofit · 4-year | $25,243 | $9,577 | $24,968 | 21% | $68,805 |
| 35 | Tiffin University Tiffin, OH Private nonprofit · 4-year | $26,500 | $34,790 | $24,278 | 41% | $63,797 |
| 36 | The University of Findlay Findlay, OH Private nonprofit · 4-year | $27,221 | $41,164 | $22,052 | 60% | $60,876 |
| 37 | Baldwin Wallace University Berea, OH Private nonprofit · 4-year | $27,603 | $39,832 | $21,296 | 68% | $59,094 |
| 38 | John Carroll University University Heights, OH Private nonprofit · 4-year | $28,746 | $50,500 | $19,945 | 78% | $67,580 |
| 39 | Cleveland Institute of Art Cleveland, OH Private nonprofit · 4-year | $29,208 | $49,400 | $23,423 | 62% | $41,829 |
| 40 | Columbus College of Art & Design Columbus, OH Private nonprofit · 4-year | $29,439 | $40,825 | $24,204 | 59% | $41,994 |
| 41 | University of Dayton Dayton, OH Private nonprofit · 4-year | $29,533 | $49,140 | $21,736 | 81% | $78,870 |
| 42 | Xavier University Cincinnati, OH Private nonprofit · 4-year | $32,997 | $50,640 | $26,728 | 70% | $71,477 |
| 43 | Kenyon College Gambier, OH Private nonprofit · 4-year | $38,512 | $71,520 | $18,242 | 84% | $57,786 |
| 44 | Oberlin College Oberlin, OH Private nonprofit · 4-year | $38,645 | $67,366 | $18,774 | 80% | $51,715 |
| 45 | Denison University Granville, OH Private nonprofit · 4-year | $40,007 | $67,000 | $16,656 | 79% | $62,838 |
| 46 | Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH Private nonprofit · 4-year | $41,190 | $66,608 | $19,025 | 87% | $94,237 |
How to compare these colleges
Do not rule out a private college because of its sticker price. Private colleges often discount heavily, and the net price shown here is what students who receive aid pay on average, including housing and books. Your own offer depends on your family income and the school's aid policy, so run each college's net price calculator and compare actual award letters.
Guides worth reading first
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Same list in nearby states
Most affordable private colleges in Pennsylvania
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Most affordable private colleges in Indiana
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Most affordable private colleges in Michigan
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All 113 colleges in Ohio See the national version of this ranking