With a score of 93/100, Ohio Northern University has been moved up to #2 in the midwest (and therefore #1 in Ohio) in the U.S. News and World Report’s ranking of “regional colleges”–rather the satellite branches of larger schools, U.S. News and World identifies “regional” colleges as those which “focus on undergraduate education but grant fewer than half their degrees in liberal arts disciplines.” As of the 2022-2023 academic year, Ohio Northern’s enrollment is approximately 60% concentrated outside the College of Arts and Sciences.
Per a university press release, President Melissa Baumann says the following on the matter: “These latest accolades are a reflection of who we are as a community…We attract students who are ready to learn and ready to work hard, and our faculty and staff support them each step of the way. That’s what makes us special and ensures that an ONU education is an outstanding value.”
Valuated by U.S. News and World Report at $37,600, Ohio Northern’s tuition is 5th highest among the top 10 midwest regional colleges (the spot of third place was given to two institutions as a tie). Last year, the Office of the President identified tuition for the 2023-2024 academic year as $36,500 with a $1,100 general student fee for the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Business Administration, but Tuition and Fees of $42,900 for the College of Engineering and $44,000 for the College of Pharmacy. Despite this cost, however, Ohio Northern is ranked #3 for Best Value among regional colleges in the Midwest.
Interestingly, U.S. News and World Report gives Ohio Northern’s acceptance rate as 54%. This is significantly more selective than the 69% cited by Niche.com, 66.1% provided by PrepScholar, and 65% given by CollegeFactual (The Princeton Review also shares the 54% figure). The Princeton Review and U.S. News and World Report also exhibit minor discrepancies over metrics like ACT scores, listing a 25th-75th percentile spread of 25-30 and 21-28, respectively. Per the complete national rankings given by ACT, the 4-point split between the two figures for the 25th percentile constitutes a 17-percentile point difference.
While Ohio Northern’s academics are strong, there are weaknesses in social life. While U.S. News and World Report’s ratings are not freely available, other popular raking services already mentioned give poor ratings. Niche.com gives ONU a “C-” for food and a “B” for dorms. CollegeFactual ranks us #1627 out of 3,451 for overall diversity, and The Princeton Review gives Ohio Northern an 88 on a scale from 60 to 99 for quality of life.