Ohio State University-Main Campus
Columbus, OH · Public · Large city · Carnegie R1/R2 · OSUMC
Public institution in Columbus, OH · 44,617 undergraduates · 51% acceptance rate · $60,409 median earnings 10 years after entry.
- Top 1%Undergraduates
- Top 5%Graduation rate (4-year)
- Top 8%Full-time retention
- Top 9%Average SAT
Stats
College Scorecard figures, each with where this school sits nationally among institutions that report the same measure. A dash means the school does not report it.
Cost
- Average net price
- $18,292929th cheapest of 1,985 reporting
- In-state tuition & fees
- $12,859831st cheapest of 2,042 reporting
- Out-of-state tuition & fees
- $38,3651,563rd cheapest of 2,042 reporting
- Cost of attendance
- $29,320909th cheapest of 1,985 reporting
- Median graduate debt
- $19,976628th lowest of 1,880 reporting
Outcomes
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $60,409526th highest of 1,969 reporting
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $51,438471st highest of 1,964 reporting
- Graduation rate (4-year)
- 87.7%108th highest of 2,031 reporting
- Full-time retention
- 94.1%149th highest of 1,853 reporting
Admissions
- Acceptance rate
- 50.8%286th most selective of 1,608 reporting
- Average SAT
- 140794th highest of 1,024 reporting
- Median ACT
- 29132nd highest of 954 reporting
Campus
- Undergraduates
- 44,61711th largest of 2,162 reporting
- Student-faculty ratio
- 18.0:11,713th smallest of 2,159 reporting
- Pell Grant share
- 19.4%1,743rd highest of 2,140 reporting
Nearest large-hub airport: 154 mi (DTW)
On 4 of our 111 lists
Every published ranking this school appears on, with its rank there.
Applying
- EANov 1
- RDJan 15
- Common App member
- Yes
- Application fee
- $60
- Personal essay
- Required
- Writing supplement
- No
Deadlines and essay flags come from the Common App Requirements Grid, joined by school name. Always confirm against the school’s own admissions page before applying.
Best-paying fields of study
Median earnings one and two years after graduating, by field. Showing 12 of 126 reported programs.
| Field | Level | 1 yr | 2 yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering, OtherEngineering | bachelors | $76,998 | $75,130 |
| Computer EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $76,365 | $70,931 |
| Industrial EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $75,413 | $75,667 |
| Electrical, Electronics and Communications EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $74,519 | $74,576 |
| Mechanical EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $73,123 | $73,052 |
| Materials EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $70,596 | $71,015 |
| Chemical EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $66,821 | $69,561 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralComputer Science | bachelors | $66,541 | $68,331 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $65,651 | $63,377 |
| Agriculture, Agriculture Operations, and Related Sciences, OtherAgriculture | bachelors | $63,749 | $59,576 |
| Management Information Systems and ServicesBusiness | bachelors | $63,005 | $61,350 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingHealth Professions | bachelors | $60,510 | $60,399 |
Campus facts
- Founded in 1870source
- Athletic nickname: "Buckeyes"source
- Mascot: Brutus Buckeyesource
- Ohio Stadium seats about 102,780source
- Competes in NCAA Division Isource
- Motto: "Disciplina in civitatem (Latin)"source
- Campus size: about 1,665 acressource
- Formerly known as "Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College" (1870–1878)source
- Athletic conference: Big Tensource
- A [[National Sea Grant College Program institutionsource
- A sea-grant]] institutionsource
- A [[National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program institutionsource
- A space-grant]]}} institutionsource
- Plays for the "Illibuck" (since 1902)source
- Football rivalry: Ohio State–Penn State (since 1912)source
- Football rivalry: The Game (since 1897)source
- 1 Nobel laureate affiliatedsource
- Fight song: ""Heidelberg Victory March""source
- Notable alum: Q185source
- Notable alum: JD Vancesource
- Notable alum: Jesse Owenssource
- Notable alum: William Alfred Fowlersource
- Notable alum: Jeffrey Dahmersource
Athletics — 21 sports
NCAA Division I-FBS · NCAA Division I
Athletic scholarships allowed · Athletic aid $29,622,164 (M $15,234,454 · W $13,816,950 · Coed $570,760)
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Diving
- Fencing
- Field Hockey
- Football
- Golf
- Gymnastics
- Ice Hockey
- Lacrosse
- Other Sports
- Rifle
- Rowing
- Soccer
- Softball
- Swimming
- Synchronized Swimming
- Tennis
- Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
- Volleyball
- Wrestling
- Ice Hockey: 2024, 2022
- Rowing: 2015, 2014, 2013
- Volleyball: 2017, 2016, 2011
- Wrestling: 2015
Self-reported EADA participants (2024-2025). Athletic aid is institution-level, not per sport.
Key links
- Official websiteosu.edu
- College ScorecardFederal source for every figure above (UNITID 204796)
- Compare colleges in OHRe-score with your weights
- The Most Selective Colleges in OhioEvery eligible four-year in this state, ranked by published admission rate
- Showdown: Ohio State University-Main Campus vs University of Cincinnati-Main CampusHigher-or-lower on real Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Sports directoryAll 21 EADA programs at this school
- Build an admissions plan8th–12th grade actions for this college — sports, activities, timeline
- MethodologyWhat these figures do and do not capture
- How to read a school page end to endStats, standings, lists, athletics, news — one profile, many jobs. Know which panel answers which question.
- Sticker price is a trapPublished tuition is a starting rumor. Net price is closer to what families actually pay.
- What acceptance rate actually measuresSelectivity is a competition statistic — not a quality score, and not your personal odds.
- A plan from eighth grade — without fake certaintySchool-anchored milestones, sports scarcity honesty, and EC playbooks — not invented admit odds.