Most Affordable Community Colleges in Ohio
Two-year colleges, ranked by what students actually pay after aid. These are usually the cheapest route to the first two years of a degree, and credits often transfer to a four-year school.
40 community colleges in Ohio are listed here, 40 of them reporting a net price. They run from $3,925 a year at Ohio University-Eastern Campus to $39,359 at The Modern College of Design, with a middle of about $9,674.
The cheapest are Ohio University-Eastern Campus, Lorain County Community College and Cuyahoga Community College District. A low average is not a low bill for everyone — aid depends on your family's income — but it is where to start.
Community colleges in Ohio, cheapest first · 40
Average net price per year after grants and scholarships, with the share of students on federal Pell grants where reported. Schools publishing no net price are listed last.
- Ohio University-Eastern Campus
- Lorain County Community College
- Cuyahoga Community College District
- North Central State College
- Cincinnati State Technical and Community College
- Ohio University-Lancaster Campus
- Ohio University-Zanesville Campus
- Ohio University-Chillicothe Campus
- Stark State College
- Sinclair Community College
- Ohio University-Southern Campus
- University of Akron Wayne College
- Belmont College
- Edison State Community College
- Marion Technical College
- Lakeland Community College
- Washington State College of Ohio
- Zane State College
- Columbus State Community College
- James A. Rhodes State College
- Southern State Community College
- Central Ohio Technical College
- Owens Community College
- Clark State College
- Northwest State Community College
- Hocking College
- Terra State Community College
- Bowling Green State University-Firelands
- Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute
- Professional Skills Institute
- Stautzenberger College-Maumee
- Fortis College-Cuyahoga Falls
- Davis College
- ATA College-Cincinnati
- Fortis College-Columbus
- Ohio Business College-Sheffield
- Galen College of Nursing-Cincinnati
- Fortis College-Centerville
- Fortis College-Cincinnati
- The Modern College of Design
Questions families ask
- What is the most affordable community college in Ohio?
- By average net price — what students actually pay per year after grants and scholarships — it is Ohio University-Eastern Campus at about $3,925 a year. That is an average across all students there; your own cost depends on your family's income, so check the school's net price calculator.
- What is the difference between sticker price and net price?
- Sticker price is the published tuition before any aid. Net price is what students actually pay after grants and scholarships are subtracted — not loans, which you pay back. Net price is usually far lower, and at expensive private colleges the gap can be tens of thousands a year, which is why every figure on this page is net price rather than tuition.
- How much do community colleges in Ohio cost on average?
- Across the 40 community colleges in Ohio that report a figure, the middle of the range is about $9,674 a year after aid, running from $3,925 to $39,359.
- What does the Pell grant percentage mean?
- It is the share of undergraduates at that school receiving a federal Pell grant — need-based aid that does not have to be repaid. A higher share usually means the school enrols more students from lower-income families. Across the community colleges listed here it runs from 10% to 83%, with a middle of about 27%. It is the only aid figure the Department of Education publishes per school, so it is the only one shown.
Which of these actually fits you?
A list is a starting point, not an answer. Two minutes of questions gives you a shortlist ranked on cost, academics, size and location — with the reaches labelled honestly.
Find your match — free