FAFSA lower earnings list

Ohio schools on the FAFSA “lower earnings” list

41 schools in Ohio are flagged "lower earnings" in the Department of Education's March 2026 release, the list the 2027-28 FAFSA uses, out of 238 Ohio schools with an earnings figure. The December 2025 release, which earlier news coverage reported, flagged 59: 21 came off and 3 were added.

A Ohio school is flagged when its graduates’ median earnings four years after completing are below $33,962, the median for Ohio high school graduates aged 25 to 34 (March 2026 release, January 2026 dollars). A school that mostly enrolls out-of-state students or operates in several states is compared with the national median, $34,635, instead.

Data period: March 2026 release, completers of 2017-18 and 2018-19, earnings measured in 2022 and 2023. Nationally: 999 schools flagged now, 1,365 in December 2025. National report and method

Last verified: September 25, 2026.

Flagged in the March 2026 release (41)

Names as the Department lists them. A linked name opens the school’s CampusPin profile, which shows its earnings and benchmark.

  • Allstate Hairstyling & Barber College
  • Aveda Institute-Columbus
  • Brown Aveda Institute-Mentor
  • Brown Aveda Institute-Strongsville
  • Casal Aveda Institute
  • Creative Images Institute of Cosmetology-North Dayton
  • Creative Images Institute of Cosmetology-South Dayton
  • Dayton School of Medical Massage
  • Elite School of Cosmetology
  • Empire Beauty School-Cincinnati
  • Gerbers Akron Beauty School, new since December (had no figure)
  • Gods Bible School and College, new since December (was not flagged)
  • LaBarberia Institute of Hair
  • Madison Adult Career Center
  • Moler-Pickens Beauty Academy
  • National Beauty College
  • Ohio Business College-Dayton-Driving Academy
  • Ohio Business College-Sandusky
  • Ohio Business College-Sheffield
  • Ohio Media School-Cincinnati
  • Ohio Media School-Columbus
  • Ohio Media School-Valley View
  • Ohio State Beauty Academy
  • Ohio State College of Barber Styling
  • Ohio State School of Cosmetology-Heath
  • Orion Institute
  • Paramount Beauty Academy
  • Paul Mitchell the School-Cincinnati
  • Paul Mitchell the School-Cleveland
  • Paul Mitchell the School-Toledo
  • Raphael's School of Beauty Culture Inc-Alliance
  • Raphael's School of Beauty Culture Inc-Boardman
  • Raphael's School of Beauty Culture Inc-Brunswick
  • Raphael's School of Beauty Culture Inc-Niles
  • Ross Medical Education Center-Elyria
  • Salon Institute-Toledo Campus
  • Summit Salon Academy-Perrysburg
  • The Spa School
  • Tiffin Academy of Hair Design
  • Valley College-Cleveland
  • Vanguard-Sentinel Adult Career and Technology Center, new since December (was not flagged)

Flagged in December 2025, not now (21)

The reason is given for each. Because the benchmark and the graduating cohort changed too, coming off is not by itself evidence that graduates earn more.

  • Arizona College of Nursing-Cincinnati, now above the benchmark
  • Arizona College of Nursing-Cleveland, now above the benchmark
  • Aveda Fredric's Institute-Cincinnati, now above the benchmark
  • Brown & Clermont Adult Career Campuses, now above the benchmark
  • Cleveland Institute of Music, now above the benchmark
  • Dayton Barber College, no earnings figure now
  • East Ohio College, now above the benchmark
  • International College of Broadcasting, not in the March 2026 list
  • Moler Hollywood Beauty Academy, no earnings figure now
  • Northern Institute of Cosmetology, no earnings figure now
  • Ohio State School of Cosmetology-Canal Winchester, now above the benchmark
  • Paul Mitchell the School-Columbus, now above the benchmark
  • Remington College-Cleveland Campus, now above the benchmark
  • Ross College-Canton, now above the benchmark
  • Ross College-Sylvania, now above the benchmark
  • Ross Medical Education Center-Cincinnati, now above the benchmark
  • Ross Medical Education Center-Dayton, now above the benchmark
  • Ross Medical Education Center-Niles, now above the benchmark
  • Ross Medical Education Center-Ontario, now above the benchmark
  • Tri-County Adult Career Center, now above the benchmark
  • Valor Christian College, now above the benchmark

What the notice does and does not mean

  • It is informational: it does not affect federal aid eligibility, and a flagged school can still be listed and attended.
  • It describes a whole school, not a program. The Department says earnings differ by credential and field.
  • It covers graduates who received federal aid and were working and not enrolled when earnings were measured.
  • A school with no earnings figure shows no notice. That is an absence of data, not a pass.
Add the Ohio FAFSA notice card to your website (counselors, college-access programs, schools)

Plain HTML with no script and no tracking: the state's flagged count, the previous release and the benchmark, with the notice's caveats and the source, linking back to this page and its full list of schools.

Questions about Ohio

How many Ohio schools are on the FAFSA lower earnings list?
41 schools in Ohio are flagged "lower earnings" in the Department of Education's March 2026 release, the list the 2027-28 FAFSA uses, out of 238 Ohio schools with an earnings figure. The December 2025 release, which earlier news coverage reported, flagged 59: 21 came off and 3 were added. Every one is named on this page.
Why did 21 schools in Ohio come off the list?
Of the 21 schools flagged in December 2025 and not now, 17 now clear the benchmark, 3 no longer have an earnings figure, 1 is not in the March 2026 list at all. The Department replaced the data on 22 March 2026 with a newer group of graduates (completers of 2017-18 and 2018-19, earnings measured in 2022 and 2023) and a re-estimated high school benchmark, so coming off the list is not by itself evidence that a school's graduates earn more.
What earnings benchmark are Ohio schools compared with?
$33,962: the median earnings of Ohio high school graduates aged 25 to 34 in the March 2026 release, in January 2026 dollars. The December 2025 release used $34,524, in June 2025 dollars and from an earlier survey, so the two are not a like-for-like comparison. A school that mostly enrolls out-of-state students or operates in several states is compared with the national median instead, $34,635.
Does the lower earnings notice affect financial aid?
No. The Department says the notice is informational only. It does not affect eligibility for federal aid, the Student Aid Index or how the FAFSA is processed, and students can still list and attend a flagged school. It is shown only to first-year undergraduates.

More on Ohio colleges

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Sources, methodology & citation

Data snapshot: March 22, 2026. Last verified: September 25, 2026.

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.

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.

Methodology Data dictionary Report a correction

Suggested citation

CampusPin. (2026). Ohio schools on the FAFSA "lower earnings" list. Retrieved from https://campuspin.com/research/fafsa-lower-earnings-colleges/ohio