Cheap Colleges in Ohio for Out-of-State Students
Out-of-state students pay between $4,152 and $41,221 a year in tuition and fees at the 23 public colleges and universities we rank in Ohio, a gap of $37,069 between the cheapest and the most expensive. This list ranks the non-resident price, not the in-state price.
The median public college charges nonresidents $11,766, $1,020 (8%) below the national median of $12,786 for public colleges. Residents pay a median of $10,626, so the typical out-of-state premium is only $1,140 here, a ratio of 1.1 to 1.
Washington State College of Ohio ranks first at $4,152, ahead of Belmont College ($7,200) and Central Ohio Technical College ($8,016).
How this list is built
A college appears here only if it meets every condition below.
- Colleges considered
- All public colleges and universities, 4-year and 2-year (community colleges and state colleges included)
- Ranked by out-of-state tuition & fees, 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 out-of-state tuition & fees value (schools without one are not ranked)
- Schools that report no tuition or a $0 price are not ranked
- This page is published only when at least 15 schools qualify; Ohio has 23
- Data period
- Out-of-state tuition and fees: academic year 2024-25. Shown for public colleges only, because private colleges charge everyone the same price.
- In-state tuition and fees: full-time undergraduate sticker price, academic year 2024-25. Some community colleges report the in-district rate.
- Net price: average for students receiving aid, 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.
- Enrollment: undergraduate students, fall 2024.
- Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, June 2026 release.
Showing all 23 qualifying schools. Select a column heading to re-sort the table.
| 1 | Washington State College of Ohio Marietta, OH Public · 4-year | $4,152 | $4,128 | $7,714 | 32% | 1,484 |
| 2 | Belmont College St Clairsville, OH Public · 2-year | $7,200 | $4,698 | $6,995 | 41% | 600 |
| 3 | Central Ohio Technical College Newark, OH Public · 4-year | $8,016 | $5,256 | $9,948 | 27% | 1,941 |
| 4 | North Central State College Mansfield, OH Public · 4-year | $9,103 | $4,624 | $4,687 | 35% | 1,273 |
| 5 | Northwest State Community College Archbold, OH Public · 2-year | $9,170 | $4,698 | $13,555 | 46% | 1,115 |
| 6 | Lakeland Community College Kirtland, OH Public · 2-year | $9,235 | $3,872 | $7,606 | 23% | 2,773 |
| 7 | Central State University Wilberforce, OH Public · 4-year | $10,058 | $8,058 | $13,096 | 24% | 2,620 |
| 8 | Hocking College Nelsonville, OH Public · 2-year | $10,290 | $5,540 | $13,704 | 32% | 1,311 |
| 9 | Southern State Community College Hillsboro, OH Public · 2-year | $10,818 | $5,912 | $9,674 | 31% | 761 |
| 10 | Marion Technical College Marion, OH Public · 4-year | $11,225 | $6,595 | $7,417 | 28% | 1,475 |
| 11 | Youngstown State University Youngstown, OH Public · 4-year | $11,473 | $11,113 | $12,767 | 52% | 7,961 |
| 12 | Zane State College Zanesville, OH Public · 4-year | $11,766 | $6,006 | $8,062 | 49% | 715 |
| 13 | Shawnee State University Portsmouth, OH Public · 4-year | $17,358 | $10,626 | $14,381 | 45% | 2,247 |
| 14 | Cleveland State University Cleveland, OH Public · 4-year | $18,510 | $12,988 | $14,764 | 50% | 8,969 |
| 15 | University of Akron Main Campus Akron, OH Public · 4-year | $20,815 | $13,135 | $13,946 | 50% | 9,052 |
| 16 | Wright State University-Main Campus Dayton, OH Public · 4-year | $21,222 | $11,522 | $15,415 | 44% | 6,762 |
| 17 | University of Toledo Toledo, OH Public · 4-year | $22,104 | $12,744 | $17,249 | 56% | 9,770 |
| 18 | Bowling Green State University-Main Campus Bowling Green, OH Public · 4-year | $22,448 | $14,460 | $24,022 | 63% | 12,812 |
| 19 | Kent State University at Kent Kent, OH Public · 4-year | $23,082 | $13,232 | $20,787 | 65% | 19,320 |
| 20 | Ohio University-Main Campus Athens, OH Public · 4-year | $24,838 | $14,158 | $21,637 | 66% | 19,633 |
| 21 | University of Cincinnati-Main Campus Cincinnati, OH Public · 4-year | $29,310 | $13,976 | $25,648 | 73% | 29,882 |
| 22 | Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, OH Public · 4-year | $40,022 | $13,244 | $17,339 | 88% | 45,638 |
| 23 | Miami University-Oxford Oxford, OH Public · 4-year | $41,221 | $18,161 | $28,384 | 81% | 16,656 |
How to compare these colleges
The ranked column is the out-of-state price. The in-state price is shown for comparison, and net price is the average for students who receive aid, measured mostly for in-state students at public colleges, so it is not a good guide to what a nonresident will pay. Many states cut the non-resident rate through regional exchange programs, reciprocity agreements or merit awards, and residency can change after a year of living in the state, so check each college's non-resident aid page before ruling a school out.
Guides worth reading first
More lists for Ohio
Cheapest colleges in Ohio
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Community colleges in Ohio
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Best value colleges in Ohio
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Highest graduate earnings in Ohio
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Most affordable private colleges in Ohio
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Same list in nearby states
Cheap colleges in Michigan for out-of-state students
40 schools
Cheap colleges in Pennsylvania for out-of-state students
30 schools
Cheap colleges in West Virginia for out-of-state students
17 schools
All 113 colleges in Ohio See the national version of this ranking