University of Cincinnati vs. The Ohio State University

A side-by-side comparison of Cincinnati and Ohio State — acceptance rates (88.0% vs. 49.2%), SAT scores (1160–1340 vs. 1300–1440), tuition, financial aid, and majors, drawn from each school's official Common Data Set.

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CincinnatiCincinnati, OH

Acceptance rate

Overall acceptance rate, plus the in-state and out-of-state admit rates the school reports separately.

Cincinnati CDSIn-state vs. out-of-state admit rates from Cincinnati CDS (Fall 2025).
88.0%acceptance rate
Applied
33,750
Admitted
29,715
Enrolled
6,497

Admit rate by residency

% admitted
In-state90.5%
17,820 admitted of 19,700 applicants
Out-of-state85.0%
9,621 admitted of 11,319 applicants
International83.3%
2,274 admitted of 2,731 applicants

Early action

Cincinnati offers non-binding Early Action — an earlier decision with no commitment to enroll.

Fall 2027 datesEarly Action is published on Cincinnati's own Fall 2027 dates page. Cincinnati's 2025-2026 Common Data Set, which is cited for its other figures, does not report it.
Early Decision
Not offered
Early Action
Non-binding
Restrictive EA
Not offered

Standardized tests

Cincinnati is currently test-optional — you may apply without submitting scores.

SAT Accepted?

ACT Accepted?

Test Optional?

SAT Scores

4001600
25th Percentile
1160
50th Percentile
1250
75th Percentile
1340

ACT Scores

136
25th Percentile
24
50th Percentile
27
75th Percentile
30

Class rank

Where Cincinnati's enrolled first-years placed in their high school graduating class.

Top tenth of class22.1%
Top quarter of class47.28%
Top half of class81.32%

Based on the 43.59% of enrolled students who reported a class rank. Cincinnati does not publish an average GPA.

Admissions factors

How Cincinnati weighs each part of your application.

→ Importance

Rigor of High School Record

Academic GPA

Standardized Test Scores

Application Essay

Recommendations

Extracurricular Activities

Character / Personal Qualities

Talent / Ability

First Generation

Level of Applicant's Interest

Class Rank

Volunteer Work

Work Experience

Geographical Residence

State Residency

Alumni Relation

Racial / Ethnic Status

Religious Affiliation

Cost of attendance

Estimated full-time annual cost from Cincinnati's Common Data Set. Only tuition changes with residency.

UC Cost of AttendanceUC leaves CDS Section G (annual expenses) blank in its 2025-2026 edition, so this figure comes from UC's official published 2025-26 cost of attendance.
$37,254
In-State
$52,588
Out-of-State
In-StateOut-of-State
Tuition & Fees
$14,394$29,728
Room & Board
$16,136$16,136
Other Expenses
$6,724$6,724
Total
$37,254$52,588

What families actually pay

$0–30k~$18k
$30–48k~$18k
$48–75k~$22k
$75–110k~$28k
$110k+~$30k

Average net price — what was left to pay after grant aid — for students receiving federal financial aid, covering in-state students only.

% of undergrads with Pell grants18.8%

Source: College Scorecard (2026)

Financial aid

Need-based aid statistics for full-time first-year students.

Receiving Aid
48%
Avg. Package
$10,076
Avg. Need Met
39%

Popular majors

Bachelor's degrees awarded in the past year by academic major.

Business & Marketing
Health Professions
Engineering
Social Sciences & Psychology
Computer & Information Sciences
Biological & Life Sciences
Visual & Performing Arts
Communication & Journalism
Other
Business
20%
Health
14%
Engineering
12%
Social Sci
8%
Computing
8%
Life Sci
5%
Arts
5%
Comm
5%
Other
23%

Student-faculty ratio

The number of students for every one faculty member, indicating the average level of access students have to instructional staff.

19:1

Student outcomes

First-years who return86%
Graduate within six years75%
Median earnings, 4 yrs after graduation~$72k
Median federal loan debt at graduation~$21k

Median yearly income of former students who received federal aid, across every major, measured four years after graduating (2017–18 and 2018–19 graduates, earnings measured 2022–2023). Debt covers federal loans of students who completed.

Source: College Scorecard (2026)

Programs

Cincinnati’s most popular programs and median pay after graduation. Income data from the US Department of Education’s College Scorecard.

Show all 36 programs

Median pay data is measured from graduates who received federal student aid.

Source: College Scorecard (2026) · IPEDS (2023-24) · ABET

Campus life

On-campus housing and Greek life participation rates.

First-Years On Campus
77%
In Fraternities
7%
In Sororities
9%

Place

How the federal government classifies the area around the campus, and what a normal year of weather looks like there.

Setting
Large city
Location
Cincinnati, OH

Average temperature

Monthly high and low, °F
3722J
4225F
5233M
6543A
7453M
8262J
8565J
8564A
7857S
6645O
5335N
4227D
Snow a year
16 in
Precipitation a year
48 in
Days at 90°F or above
26
Days below 32°F
106

Thirty-year averages, measured at the nearest weather station rather than on campus — they describe the area, not the campus.

Source: IPEDS (HD2024) · NOAA 1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, CHEVIOT, OH US station, 6.1 mi from campus

Enrollment by gender

49%
51%
Male
16,784
Female
17,651

Student diversity

Racial and ethnic breakdown of enrolled undergraduate students.

White67.2%
Other11.1%
Black10.4%
Hispanic5.8%
Asian and Pacific Islander5.4%
Native American<1%
Ohio StateColumbus, OH

Acceptance rate

Overall acceptance rate, plus the in-state and out-of-state admit rates the school reports separately.

Ohio State CDSIn-state vs. out-of-state admit rates from Ohio State CDS (Fall 2023).
49.2%acceptance rate
Applied
81,392
Admitted
40,047
Enrolled
8,248

Admit rate by residency

% admitted
In-state49.1%
11,275 admitted of 22,947 applicants
Out-of-state49.7%
17,472 admitted of 35,133 applicants
International57.3%
6,841 admitted of 11,948 applicants

Early action

Ohio State offers non-binding Early Action — an earlier decision with no commitment to enroll.

Early Decision
Not offered
Early Action
Non-binding
Restrictive EA
Not offered

Standardized tests

Ohio State requires standardized test scores for all applicants.

SAT Accepted?

ACT Accepted?

Test Optional?

SAT Scores

4001600
25th Percentile
1300
50th Percentile
1380
75th Percentile
1440

ACT Scores

136
25th Percentile
27
50th Percentile
30
75th Percentile
32

Class rank

Where Ohio State's enrolled first-years placed in their high school graduating class.

Top tenth of class73%
Top quarter of class96%
Top half of class99%

Based on the 27% of enrolled students who reported a class rank. Ohio State does not publish an average GPA.

Admissions factors

How Ohio State weighs each part of your application.

→ Importance

Rigor of High School Record

Academic GPA

Standardized Test Scores

Application Essay

Recommendations

Extracurricular Activities

Character / Personal Qualities

Talent / Ability

First Generation

Level of Applicant's Interest

Class Rank

Volunteer Work

Work Experience

Geographical Residence

State Residency

Alumni Relation

Racial / Ethnic Status

Religious Affiliation

Cost of attendance

Estimated full-time annual cost from Ohio State's Common Data Set. Only tuition changes with residency.

$34,341
In-State
$63,123
Out-of-State
In-StateOut-of-State
Tuition & Fees
$13,641$42,423
Room & Board
$16,222$16,222
Other Expenses
$4,478$4,478
Total
$34,341$63,123

What families actually pay

$0–30k~$5k
$30–48k~$6k
$48–75k~$10k
$75–110k~$20k
$110k+~$27k

Average net price — what was left to pay after grant aid — for students receiving federal financial aid, covering in-state students only.

% of undergrads with Pell grants20.2%

Source: College Scorecard (2026)

Financial aid

Need-based aid statistics for full-time first-year students.

Receiving Aid
36%
Avg. Package
$20,792
Avg. Need Met
73%

Popular majors

Bachelor's degrees awarded in the past year by academic major.

Business & Marketing
Engineering
Health Professions
Biological & Life Sciences
Social Sciences
Liberal Arts & Humanities
Psychology
Other
Business
20%
Engineering
15%
Health
11%
Life Sci
9%
Social Sci
7%
Humanities
7%
Psychology
6%
Other
25%

Student-faculty ratio

The number of students for every one faculty member, indicating the average level of access students have to instructional staff.

13:1

Student outcomes

First-years who return93%
Graduate within six years87%
Median earnings, 4 yrs after graduation~$71k
Median federal loan debt at graduation~$20k

Median yearly income of former students who received federal aid, across every major, measured four years after graduating (2017–18 and 2018–19 graduates, earnings measured 2022–2023). Debt covers federal loans of students who completed.

Source: College Scorecard (2026)

Programs

Ohio State’s most popular programs and median pay after graduation. Income data from the US Department of Education’s College Scorecard.

Show all 39 programs

Median pay data is measured from graduates who received federal student aid.

Source: College Scorecard (2026) · IPEDS (2023-24) · ABET

Campus life

On-campus housing and Greek life participation rates.

First-Years On Campus
92%
In Fraternities
9%
In Sororities
13%

Place

How the federal government classifies the area around the campus, and what a normal year of weather looks like there.

Setting
Large city
Location
Columbus, OH

Average temperature

Monthly high and low, °F
3722J
4124F
5132M
6442A
7452M
8262J
8565J
8464A
7857S
6645O
5235N
4227D
Snow a year
28 in
Precipitation a year
42 in
Days at 90°F or above
21
Days below 32°F
103

Thirty-year averages, measured at the nearest weather station rather than on campus — they describe the area, not the campus.

Source: IPEDS (HD2024) · NOAA 1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, COLUMBUS PORT COLUMBUS INTL AP, OH US station, 6.7 mi from campus

Enrollment by gender

50%
50%
Male
23,121
Female
23,506

Student diversity

Racial and ethnic breakdown of enrolled undergraduate students.

White58.3%
Other15.4%
Asian and Pacific Islander11.4%
Black8.4%
Hispanic6.3%
Native American<1%

Writing your Cincinnati or Ohio State application essay?

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Cincinnati vs. Ohio State: frequently asked questions

Ohio State is more selective: it admits about 49.2% of applicants, compared with 88.0% at Cincinnati. Both are competitive, and your odds depend on far more than the overall rate.

The middle 50% of admitted students scored 1160–1340 at Cincinnati and 1300–1440 at Ohio State on the SAT. Treat the ranges as a benchmark — a score inside or above a school's range keeps you competitive there.

Cincinnati has the lower published price for out-of-state students — $29,728 in tuition and fees versus $42,423 at Ohio State, a gap of about $12,695 a year before financial aid.

Ohio State graduates a higher share of its students within six years — 87% versus 75% at Cincinnati.

Ohio State. Its Common Data Set rates the application essay important, against considered at Cincinnati, so the same draft carries more weight at Ohio State. Both still read essays as part of a full application review.

Source: University of Cincinnati Common Data Set 2025-2026. Figures transcribed 2026-08-20. In-State Tuition & Fees and Out-of-State Tuition & Fees are from UC Cost of Attendance. Esslo aggregates publicly reported data and is not affiliated with Cincinnati. Banner photo by Steinsky, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0).

Source: The Ohio State University Common Data Set 2025-2026. Figures transcribed 2026-06-25. Esslo aggregates publicly reported data and is not affiliated with Ohio State. Banner photo by Lectrician2, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).