Ohio University again named #1 Best Value among state public universities

For the third year in a row, Ohio University has been named the best value among Ohio public universities by U.S. News and World Report.

"OHIO is committed to ensuring that our world-class education is available at an affordable price and provides a significant return on investment for our students,” Ohio University President Hugh Sherman said. “This continued improvement in our Best Value ranking shows we are living up to that promise.”

OHIO ranked 16th nationally among public universities, up from 30th a year ago, and 92nd overall, up from 116th the previous year, the rankings show. The ranking considers the ratio of quality to price, the percentage of full-time undergraduates receiving need-based scholarships or grants, the percent of need-based aid recipients awarded scholarships or grants, and the average discount covered by those scholarships or grants. And for the third year in a row, OHIO made the A+ for B students list, which considers the overall ranking, along with first-year student retention rate.

OHIO tied for 91st among public schools nationally in the Best National Universities category and ranked in a tie for 182nd among all universities nationally.

The news comes on the heels of the announcement that Ohio University enrolled its largest first-year student cohort on the Athens Campus in the University’s 218-year history and posted a record average high school GPA. It’s also the first year OHIO has been considered an R-1 Carnegie Classification university (very high research activity), placing the University in the top tier of research universities nationally.

Several individual programs ranked nationally, as well:

• Undergraduate Business Programs (tie for 164th);
• Undergraduate Computer Science (tie for 194th);
• Undergraduate Nursing (tie for 172nd);
• Best Universities for Veterans (tie for 121st);
• Undergraduate Engineering programs (tie for 147th)

Ohio University locks in its value for students with the OHIO Guarantee+ program, which provides a fixed cost of tuition, housing, and dining fees locked for 12 consecutive semesters. The Guarantee+ goes further than locking rates, however; it also delivers an individualized graduation plan for each student that ensures students graduate on time and on plan, or the University will make it right.