Ohio University-Main Campus

Public · Moderately Selective · OH

Photo: Kayura Mendonza (CC BY-SA 3.0)

School data & stats

TypePublic

LocationOH · Midwest

SettingRural

Undergrads19,633

Student:faculty18:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate50%

6-yr grad rate65.5%

Drop-out rate16.1%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$14k

Out-of-state tuition$25k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity18.4%

Gender diversity61.6%

International1.1%

Identity—

Overview

Chartered in 1804, Ohio University in Athens is the state's oldest university and one of its most residential, set on a classic red-brick campus in the Appalachian foothills far from any major city. Its relative isolation has produced an unusually tight-knit, all-in campus culture, centered historically on College Green, the oldest cluster of buildings on campus.

Academics

The Scripps College of Communication, especially journalism, is the best-known program and draws students specifically for its media pipeline. Osteopathic medicine is another notable strength through the Heritage College, and the Honors Tutorial College offers an Oxford-style one-on-one tutorial model that is genuinely unusual among American public universities. The Marching 110, nationally known as one of the most acclaimed college marching bands in the country, reflects a broader institutional strength in performance and media programs beyond journalism alone.

Campus & student life

Athens is a small, remote college town, and with few outside distractions, campus life is famously spirited and tight-knit — homecoming and an enormous, historically famous Halloween block party in particular are long-standing, large-scale traditions. The red-brick, hilly campus has a distinctly old, historic character compared to most public universities of its size, with Baker University Center serving as the social hub and the Ping Recreation Center anchoring a strong club and intramural sports culture alongside the Marching 110's home football game performances.

Getting in

Admissions is generally accessible, though the Honors Tutorial College requires a separate, more selective application and interview process distinct from general admission, given its small cohort and intensive tutorial model. Osteopathic medicine follows its own separate professional-school admissions track.

After graduation

Journalism and communication graduates place into media and broadcast careers at a rate the university is genuinely known for nationally, and Heritage College graduates enter osteopathic medical practice directly, often in underserved and rural parts of Ohio and Appalachia.

Worth knowing

The Honors Tutorial College is worth knowing about specifically: it functions almost as a separate small college within the university, with one-on-one faculty tutorials modeled directly on Oxford and Cambridge, and it's a serious option for strong students who want that intensity within a large public university's price and setting.

ohio.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate85%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 1090–1290 · ACT 22–28

Test policyoptional

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying