Most Affordable Public Universities in Ohio
State-run four-year universities, ranked by net price after aid. In-state students usually pay far less than the published out-of-state rate.
29 public universities in Ohio are listed here, 29 of them reporting a net price. They run from $10,809 a year at Miami University-Middletown to $28,384 at Miami University-Oxford, with a middle of about $13,803.
The cheapest are Miami University-Middletown, Kent State University at Stark and Wright State University-Lake Campus. A low average is not a low bill for everyone — aid depends on your family's income — but it is where to start.
Public universities in Ohio, cheapest first · 29
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.
- Miami University-Middletown
- Kent State University at Stark
- Wright State University-Lake Campus
- Kent State University at Trumbull
- Miami University-Hamilton
- Ohio State University-Marion Campus
- Kent State University at Geauga
- Kent State University at Ashtabula
- Kent State University at Tuscarawas
- Youngstown State University
- Ohio State University-Lima Campus
- Central State University
- Kent State University at East Liverpool
- Kent State University at Salem
- University of Cincinnati-Clermont College
- University of Akron Main Campus
- Shawnee State University
- Cleveland State University
- Ohio State University-Newark Campus
- Wright State University-Main Campus
- Ohio State University-Mansfield Campus
- University of Cincinnati-Blue Ash College
- University of Toledo
- Ohio State University-Main Campus
- Kent State University at Kent
- Ohio University-Main Campus
- Bowling Green State University-Main Campus
- University of Cincinnati-Main Campus
- Miami University-Oxford
Questions families ask
- What is the most affordable public university in Ohio?
- By average net price — what students actually pay per year after grants and scholarships — it is Miami University-Middletown at about $10,809 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 public universities in Ohio cost on average?
- Across the 29 public universities in Ohio that report a figure, the middle of the range is about $13,803 a year after aid, running from $10,809 to $28,384.
- 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 public universities listed here it runs from 13% to 53%, with a middle of about 29%. 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