Cost comparison
Affordable colleges in Ohio
CampusPin lists 156 colleges in Ohio. The 40 below are ordered by lowest published in-state tuition, with a median of $6,184 and a median average net price of $8,508 among those reporting it. Tuition, total cost, and net price are three different numbers — the table keeps them separate.
Ohio college costs by the numbers
- Lowest published in-state tuition
- Cuyahoga Community College District ($3,249)
- Median in-state tuition (40 reporting)
- $6,184
- Median net price after aid (40 reporting)
- $8,508
- Highest graduation rate
- Marion Technical College (72%)
- Most selective
- Gods Bible School and College (75% acceptance)
- Largest by enrollment
- Columbus State Community College (17,549 students)
Ohio colleges by published in-state tuition
Lowest published in-state tuition first. Every figure is as reported by the institution to federal data collections; blank cells are unreported values, not zeros.
| College | In-state tuition | Out-of-state tuition | Avg. net price | Graduation rate | Acceptance rate | Public/private | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cuyahoga Community College District | $3,249 | $7,249 | $4,266 | 31% | 100% | Public | Cleveland, OH |
| Sinclair Community College | $3,675 | $8,556 | $5,992 | 41% | 100% | Public | Dayton, OH |
| Lakeland Community College | $3,872 | $9,235 | $7,606 | 24% | 100% | Public | Kirtland, OH |
| Washington State Community College | $4,128 | $4,152 | $7,714 | 32% | 100% | Public | Marietta, OH |
| Lorain County Community College | $4,265 | $8,860 | $3,967 | 31% | 100% | Public | Elyria, OH |
| Clark State College | $4,393 | $8,049 | $8,615 | 22% | 100% | Public | Springfield, OH |
| Edison State Community College | $4,499 | $8,346 | $7,142 | 31% | 100% | Public | Piqua, OH |
| James A. Rhodes State College | $4,560 | $9,120 | $8,757 | 47% | 100% | Public | Lima, OH |
| North Central State College | $4,624 | $9,103 | $4,687 | 36% | 100% | Public | Mansfield, OH |
| Belmont College | $4,698 | $7,200 | $6,995 | 43% | 100% | Public | St Clairsville, OH |
| Northwest State Community College | $4,698 | $9,170 | $13,555 | 46% | 100% | Public | Archbold, OH |
| Stark State College | $4,790 | $7,886 | $5,986 | 23% | 100% | Public | North Canton, OH |
| Central Ohio Technical College | $5,256 | $8,016 | $9,948 | 30% | 100% | Public | Newark, OH |
| Columbus State Community College | $5,488 | $11,224 | $8,400 | 25% | 100% | Public | Columbus, OH |
| Cincinnati State Technical and Community College | $5,517 | $10,044 | $4,968 | 16% | 100% | Public | Cincinnati, OH |
| Hocking College | $5,540 | $10,290 | $13,704 | 37% | 100% | Public | Nelsonville, OH |
| Terra State Community College | $5,748 | $8,544 | $11,691 | 39% | 100% | Public | Fremont, OH |
| Owens Community College | $5,870 | $10,502 | $10,369 | 35% | 100% | Public | Perrysburg, OH |
| Southern State Community College | $5,912 | $10,818 | $9,674 | 37% | 100% | Public | Hillsboro, OH |
| Zane State College | $6,006 | $11,766 | $8,062 | 46% | 100% | Public | Zanesville, OH |
| Ohio University-Chillicothe Campus | $6,362 | $9,444 | $5,755 | 14% | 100% | Public | Chillicothe, OH |
| Ohio University-Eastern Campus | $6,362 | $9,444 | $3,925 | 21% | 100% | Public | Saint Clairsville, OH |
| Ohio University-Lancaster Campus | $6,362 | $9,444 | $5,650 | 14% | 100% | Public | Lancaster, OH |
| Ohio University-Southern Campus | $6,362 | $9,444 | $5,993 | 21% | 100% | Public | Ironton, OH |
| Ohio University-Zanesville Campus | $6,362 | $9,444 | $5,746 | 22% | 100% | Public | Zanesville, OH |
| Bowling Green State University-Firelands | $6,407 | $14,395 | $17,480 | 11% | 100% | Public | Huron, OH |
| Marion Technical College | $6,475 | $11,065 | $5,114 | 72% | 100% | Public | Marion, OH |
| University of Cincinnati-Clermont College | $6,750 | $13,982 | $9,457 | 24% | 100% | Public | Batavia, OH |
| Allegheny Wesleyan College | $6,800 | $6,800 | $5,355 | 46% | 100% | Private | Salem, OH |
| University of Cincinnati-Blue Ash College | $7,200 | $15,998 | $9,219 | 16% | 100% | Public | Blue Ash, OH |
| Miami University-Hamilton | $7,491 | $19,407 | $11,286 | 25% | 100% | Public | Hamilton, OH |
| Miami University-Middletown | $7,491 | $19,407 | $10,809 | 32% | 100% | Public | Middletown, OH |
| Kent State University at Ashtabula | $7,492 | $17,342 | $12,205 | 25% | 100% | Public | Ashtabula, OH |
| Kent State University at East Liverpool | $7,492 | $17,342 | $13,392 | 26% | 100% | Public | East Liverpool, OH |
| Kent State University at Geauga | $7,492 | $17,342 | $12,044 | 20% | 100% | Public | Burton, OH |
| Kent State University at Salem | $7,492 | $17,342 | $13,799 | 31% | 100% | Public | Salem, OH |
| Kent State University at Stark | $7,492 | $17,342 | $10,897 | 37% | 100% | Public | North Canton, OH |
| Kent State University at Trumbull | $7,492 | $17,342 | $11,135 | 32% | 100% | Public | Warren, OH |
| Kent State University at Tuscarawas | $7,492 | $17,342 | $12,542 | 38% | 100% | Public | New Philadelphia, OH |
| Gods Bible School and College | $7,710 | $7,710 | $3,138 | 40% | 75% | Private | Cincinnati, OH |
What the Ohio cost data shows
- Cuyahoga Community College District has the lowest published in-state tuition on this page at $3,249 per year. Published tuition is the sticker price and excludes housing, food, books, and fees.
- Median published in-state tuition is $5,959 across the public colleges here and $7,255 across the private ones — a $1,296 difference at sticker price. Private colleges often discount heavily, so compare net price before ruling one out.
- Median average net price is $8,508 across the 40 colleges here that report it. Net price includes housing and other costs, so it can exceed tuition alone.
How this list was built
This page lists colleges CampusPin holds for Ohio, sorted by published in-state tuition, lowest first. That sort is the only ranking applied — there is no CampusPin score, no editorial ordering, and no “#1 cheapest” claim.
Published tuition is the sticker price for instruction. Total cost of attendance adds housing, food, books, and fees. Average net price is what students actually paid on average after grant and scholarship aid, reported to federal collections for a prior entering class. Net price is an average across a whole cohort and varies substantially by family income, so treat it as a comparison tool between colleges rather than a prediction of your own bill.
Figures come from the institution’s federal reporting (156 of 156 Ohio institutions report in-state tuition). Always confirm current costs with the college’s financial aid office before making a decision.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the cheapest college in Ohio?
- Of the 40 Ohio colleges on this page, Cuyahoga Community College District in Cleveland reports the lowest published in-state tuition at $3,249 per year. That is the sticker price before aid and before housing and food; the college's net price after grants may rank differently.
- Is tuition the same as the total cost of college?
- No. Published tuition covers instruction only. Total cost of attendance adds housing, food, books, transportation, and fees. Net price is what students actually paid on average after grant and scholarship aid was applied, and across the 40 Ohio colleges reporting it here the median is $8,508. Compare all three before deciding a college is or isn't affordable.
- Are public colleges cheaper than private colleges in Ohio?
- At sticker price, yes on this page: median published in-state tuition is $5,959 at the public colleges listed and $7,255 at the private ones. Private colleges typically discount more heavily through institutional grants, so the gap in net price is usually much smaller than the gap in tuition.
- Will I personally pay these amounts at a Ohio college?
- Almost certainly not exactly. Net price varies widely by family income, and the figures here are averages across a previous entering class reported to federal collections. Use them to compare colleges against each other, then run the numbers for your own situation with the net price estimator and confirm with each financial aid office.
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Data sources & methodology
Cost, aid, and outcome figures for Ohio colleges are compiled from federal datasets and each institution's own reporting.
Sources used across this page
Not every source informs every figure. Each data point draws on the source appropriate to it see the relevant section and the data dictionary for field-level provenance.
IPEDS / NCES College Navigator
Federal enrollment, admissions, tuition, retention, and program data. Released annually with a 1–2 year lag.
U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard
Net price by income band, post-graduation earnings, and federal aid context.
Institutional websites
Each school's official admissions, registrar, and financial-aid pages are the authoritative source for current details.
Where a value is unavailable it is shown as unavailable, never as 0, free, or a negative judgment. Always confirm final details with the institution before applying.
Suggested citation
CampusPin. Affordable Colleges in Ohio. Retrieved from https://campuspin.com/affordable-colleges/ohio