For those interested in studying in Ohio, we have a very useful list. We selected the best Ohio institutions for prospective students. Please know that rankings are based on academic research, alumni reviews, graduation rates, as well as assessment from peer colleges. On the page, you will find major admissions stats such as acceptance rate, tuition fees, average SAT scores for each ranked college or university.
| Rankings | Schools |
| 1 | Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland, OH) Tuition: $40,490 Total enrollment: 9,636 Fall 2011 acceptance rate: 51.3% Average freshman retention rate: 92% 6-year graduation rate: 78% Classes with under 20 students: 62.1% SAT/ACT 25th-75th percentile: 1240-1440 |
| 2 | Ohio State University: Columbus Campus–Columbus (Columbus, OH) Tuition: in-state: $10,037, out-of-state: $25,445 Total enrollment: 56,867 Fall 2011 acceptance rate: 63.4% Average freshman retention rate: 93% 6-year graduation rate: 80% Classes with under 20 students: 30.7% SAT/ACT 25th-75th percentile: 26-30 |
| 3 | Miami University: Oxford Campus (Oxford, OH) Tuition: in-state: $13,595, out-of-state: $29,158 Total enrollment: 17,395 Fall 2011 acceptance rate: 74.1% Average freshman retention rate: 89% 6-year graduation rate: 81% Classes with under 20 students: 30.4% SAT/ACT 25th-75th percentile: 24-29 |
| 4 | University of Dayton (Dayton, OH) Tuition: $33,400 Total enrollment: 11,045 Fall 2011 acceptance rate: 75.6% Average freshman retention rate: 87% 6-year graduation rate: 74% Classes with under 20 students: 38.2% SAT/ACT 25th-75th percentile: 24-29 |
| 5 | Ohio University (Athens, OH) Tuition: in-state: $10,216, out-of-state: $19,180 Total enrollment: 26,201 Fall 2011 acceptance rate: 86.1% Average freshman retention rate: 81% 6-year graduation rate: 65% Classes with under 20 students: 40.5% SAT/ACT 25th-75th percentile: 21-26 |
| 6 | University of Cincinnati (Cincinnati, OH) Tuition: in-state: $10,784, out-of-state: $25,816 Total enrollment: 32,264 Fall 2011 acceptance rate: 64.8% Average freshman retention rate: 85% 6-year graduation rate: 59% Classes with under 20 students: 40.9% SAT/ACT 25th-75th percentile: 22-27 |
| 7 | Bowling Green State University (Bowling Green, OH) Tuition: in-state: $10,520, out-of-state: $17,828 Total enrollment: 17,577 Fall 2011 acceptance rate: 75.5% Average freshman retention rate: 74% 6-year graduation rate: 58% Classes with under 20 students: 34.3% SAT/ACT 25th-75th percentile: 19-24 |
| 8 | Ashland University (Ashland, OH) Tuition: N/A Total enrollment: N/A Fall 2011 acceptance rate: 72.3% Average freshman retention rate: 71% 6-year graduation rate: 61% Classes with under 20 students: 63.5% SAT/ACT 25th-75th percentile: 20-25 |
| 9 | Cleveland State University (Cleveland, OH) Tuition: in-state: $9,289, out-of-state: $12,411 Total enrollment: 17,446 Fall 2011 acceptance rate: 46.7% Average freshman retention rate: 64% 6-year graduation rate: 28% Classes with under 20 students: 24.6% SAT/ACT 25th-75th percentile: 18-24 |
| 10 | Kent State University (Kent, OH) Tuition: in-state: $9,672, out-of-state: $17,632 Total enrollment: 27,855 Fall 2011 acceptance rate: 87.5% Average freshman retention rate: 76% 6-year graduation rate: 50% Classes with under 20 students: 45.4% SAT/ACT 25th-75th percentile: 20-25 |
| 11 | University of Akron (Akron, OH) Tuition: in-state: $9,863, out-of-state: $18,063 Total enrollment: 27,470 Fall 2011 acceptance rate: 74.1% Average freshman retention rate: 70% 6-year graduation rate: 38% Classes with under 20 students: 39.0% SAT/ACT 25th-75th percentile: 18-24 |
| 12 | University of Toledo (Toledo, OH) Tuition: in-state: $9,054, out-of-state: $18,174 Total enrollment: 22,610 Fall 2011 acceptance rate: 95.7% Average freshman retention rate: 67% 6-year graduation rate: 46% Classes with under 20 students: 30.5% SAT/ACT 25th-75th percentile: 18-25 |
| 13 | Wright State University (Dayton, OH) Tuition: in-state: $8,354, out-of-state: $16,182 Total enrollment: 18,304 Fall 2011 acceptance rate: 75.3% Average freshman retention rate: 68% 6-year graduation rate: 40% Classes with under 20 students: 33.9% SAT/ACT 25th-75th percentile: 18-24 |
| 14 | Union Institute and University (Cincinnati, OH) Tuition: N/A Total enrollment: 1,821 Fall 2011 acceptance rate: N/A Average freshman retention rate: 68% 6-year graduation rate: 31% Classes with under 20 students: 97.7% SAT/ACT 25th-75th percentile: N/A |
Ohio State History
Over the territory of the modern state of Ohio, more than ten thousand years ago, tribes of the indigenous residents of the continent, the American Indians, roamed. Approximately two millennia ago, the first Indian settlements appeared here, and agriculture began to develop. Numerous material artifacts from this period have survived to this day, the most famous of which are the mounds of Hopewell National Historical Park near Chillicothe and Serpent Mound (“Snake Mound”), located near the town of Peebles.
In the middle of the 17th century, during armed clashes known as the “Beaver Wars”, the lands of Ohio were captured by the Iroquois. By the beginning of European colonization, the tribes of Miami Indians, Hurons (Wyandots), Delaware, Shawnee (Shoney), Ottawa and others lived here. Many of them moved here from the east under the pressure of actively developing new lands of European colonists. The main occupations of the Indians were hunting (including fur-bearing animals) and agriculture (corn, legumes, sunflowers).
The first European to explore Ohio was the famous French explorer René de La Salle in 1669. “Ohio Country”, as the lands of the modern state of Ohio, eastern Indiana, western Pennsylvania and northwestern West Virginia were then called, became part of the New France colony. The French actively developed trade with the Indians (mostly buying furs), built several trading posts and forts in Ohio.
In the lands of Ohio, primarily as in the richest hunting grounds, the English colonists were also extremely interested. In 1747, the Ohio Company was formed in Virginia to expand the British colonies in North America westward.
One of the first American explorers of Ohio was Christopher Gist, he also accompanied in 1753-54 George Washington, the future first President of the United States, during his expedition to the “Ohio Country”.
As a result of the victory of Great Britain in the French and Indian War and the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1763, France lost control of its North American colonies, but clashes between British colonists and Indians continued for several more decades. The most famous is the Pontiac Rebellion, when in 1763-64, under the leadership of the leader of the Ottawa Indians, Pontiac, a number of tribes opposed the British.
During the American War of Independence, the Ohio Indian tribes were divided – some sided with the British, and some supported the rebellious colonists. One of the worst episodes of the war was the Gnadenhutten Massacre, when on March 8, 1782, Pennsylvania militia scalped, killed and burned ninety-six Delaware Indians, including women and children, accusing them of attacks on European settlements. The killed Indians were Christians, engaged in agriculture and did not participate in hostilities. None of the killers was punished, and the Ohio Indians, outraged by the cruel massacre, took revenge on the Americans for a long time.