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
- James A. Rhodes State College (47%)
- Most selective
- Gods Bible School and College (75% acceptance)
- Largest by enrollment
- Columbus State Community College (28,081 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% | Open admission | Public | Cleveland, OH |
| Sinclair Community College | $3,675 | $8,556 | $5,992 | 41% | Open admission | Public | Dayton, OH |
| Lakeland Community College | $3,872 | $9,235 | $7,606 | 24% | Open admission | Public | Kirtland, OH |
| Washington State Community College | $4,128 | $4,152 | $7,714 | 32% | Open admission | Public | Marietta, OH |
| Lorain County Community College | $4,265 | $8,860 | $3,967 | 31% | Open admission | Public | Elyria, OH |
| Clark State College | $4,393 | $8,049 | $8,615 | 22% | Open admission | Public | Springfield, OH |
| Edison State Community College | $4,499 | $8,346 | $7,142 | 38% | Open admission | Public | Piqua, OH |
| James A. Rhodes State College | $4,560 | $9,120 | $8,757 | 47% | Open admission | Public | Lima, OH |
| North Central State College | $4,624 | $9,103 | $4,687 | 36% | Open admission | Public | Mansfield, OH |
| Belmont College | $4,698 | $7,200 | $6,995 | 43% | Open admission | Public | St Clairsville, OH |
| Northwest State Community College | $4,698 | $9,170 | $13,555 | 46% | Open admission | Public | Archbold, OH |
| Stark State College | $4,790 | $7,886 | $5,986 | 23% | Open admission | Public | North Canton, OH |
| Central Ohio Technical College | $5,256 | $8,016 | $9,948 | 30% | Open admission | Public | Newark, OH |
| Columbus State Community College | $5,488 | $11,224 | $8,400 | 28% | Open admission | Public | Columbus, OH |
| Cincinnati State Technical and Community College | $5,517 | $10,044 | $4,968 | 16% | Open admission | Public | Cincinnati, OH |
| Hocking College | $5,540 | $10,290 | $13,704 | 37% | Open admission | Public | Nelsonville, OH |
| Terra State Community College | $5,748 | $8,544 | $11,691 | 39% | Open admission | Public | Fremont, OH |
| Owens Community College | $5,870 | $10,502 | $10,369 | 35% | Open admission | Public | Perrysburg, OH |
| Southern State Community College | $5,912 | $10,818 | $9,674 | 37% | Open admission | Public | Hillsboro, OH |
| Zane State College | $6,006 | $11,766 | $8,062 | 46% | Open admission | Public | Zanesville, OH |
| Ohio University-Chillicothe Campus | $6,362 | $9,444 | $5,755 | 14% | Open admission | Public | Chillicothe, OH |
| Ohio University-Eastern Campus | $6,362 | $9,444 | $3,925 | 21% | Open admission | Public | Saint Clairsville, OH |
| Ohio University-Lancaster Campus | $6,362 | $9,444 | $5,650 | 14% | Open admission | Public | Lancaster, OH |
| Ohio University-Southern Campus | $6,362 | $9,444 | $5,993 | 21% | Open admission | Public | Ironton, OH |
| Ohio University-Zanesville Campus | $6,362 | $9,444 | $5,746 | 22% | Open admission | Public | Zanesville, OH |
| Bowling Green State University-Firelands | $6,407 | $14,395 | $17,480 | 11% | Open admission | Public | Huron, OH |
| Marion Technical College | $6,595 | $11,225 | $5,114 | 31% | Open admission | Public | Marion, OH |
| University of Cincinnati-Clermont College | $6,750 | $13,982 | $9,457 | 24% | Open admission | Public | Batavia, OH |
| Allegheny Wesleyan College | $6,800 | $6,800 | $5,355 | 46% | Open admission | Private | Salem, OH |
| University of Cincinnati-Blue Ash College | $7,200 | $15,998 | $9,219 | 16% | Open admission | Public | Blue Ash, OH |
| Miami University-Hamilton | $7,491 | $19,407 | $11,286 | 25% | Open admission | Public | Hamilton, OH |
| Miami University-Middletown | $7,491 | $19,407 | $10,809 | 32% | Open admission | Public | Middletown, OH |
| Kent State University at Ashtabula | $7,492 | $17,342 | $12,205 | 25% | Open admission | Public | Ashtabula, OH |
| Kent State University at East Liverpool | $7,492 | $17,342 | $13,392 | 26% | Open admission | Public | East Liverpool, OH |
| Kent State University at Geauga | $7,492 | $17,342 | $12,044 | 20% | Open admission | Public | Burton, OH |
| Kent State University at Salem | $7,492 | $17,342 | $13,799 | 31% | Open admission | Public | Salem, OH |
| Kent State University at Stark | $7,492 | $17,342 | $10,897 | 37% | Open admission | Public | North Canton, OH |
| Kent State University at Trumbull | $7,492 | $17,342 | $11,135 | 32% | Open admission | Public | Warren, OH |
| Kent State University at Tuscarawas | $7,492 | $17,342 | $12,542 | 38% | Open admission | Public | New Philadelphia, OH |
| Gods Bible School and College | $7,710 | $7,710 | $3,138 | 40% | 75% | Private | Cincinnati, OH |
“Open admission” means the college reports an open-admission policy to the federal IPEDS survey (2024-25), or reported admitting every applicant. Programs such as nursing can still have their own entry requirements, so confirm with the college.
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.
More Midwest states
Keep going on CampusPin
Narrow this list with the full filter set, or put any two colleges side by side.
Costs change every academic year. Report a data issue.
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