More than 200 colleges and universities throughout Ohio offer online education, many of which feature bachelor's and graduate degrees with distance learning options.
Ohio was among the first states to adopt the Quality Matters (QM) process to assess and certify online and hybrid programs. Currently, Ohio has the largest pool of faculty trained in accordance with the QM rubric, which may contribute to 30% of postsecondary students in the state receiving some amount of education in digital form.
Before exploring the best online colleges in Ohio, this guide covers the current state of higher education and online learning in Ohio.
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Overview of Online Colleges in Ohio
A Brief Overview of Higher Education in Ohio
During the 2021-2022 school year, Ohio hosted 156 degree-granting institutions; only five other states had more schools. These include 60 public institutions, 67 nonprofit institutions, and 29 for-profit institutions. Enrollment for the 156 institutions surpassed half of a million students, with a total of 646,311 students.[dataviz-stats public="60" non-profit="67" for-profit="29"]During the 2023-2024 school year, in-state students at public four-year universities in Ohio paid, on average, $13,016 for tuition and fees. Out-of-state students at public four-year schools in the state paid about triple that amount. At Ohio's flagship university, Ohio State University, in-state students paid an average of $12,859 for tuition and fees, while out-of-state students paid $38,365.To help students pursue postsecondary education, including at online colleges in Ohio, the state issued over $150 million in financial aid during the 2021-22 school year. Of this, it dedicated $104,307,033 to programs serving students who exhibited financial need.From the remaining funds, $45,548,808 went to non-need-based grant programs such as the Choose Ohio First Scholarship Grant Program, the War Orphans Scholarship, and Ohio National Guard Tuition Grants. Collectively, these programs served more than 50,000 students in Ohio.
Higher Education in Ohio
The State of Online Higher Education in Ohio
Two key organizations continue to drive success for online colleges in Ohio: OhioLearns and the Midwestern Higher Education Compact. OhioLearns is the definitive catalog of online programs and courses currently available throughout the state.The site's database is highly filterable, allowing students to narrow their choices by subject, school, method of delivery and start dates, to name only a few criteria. The tool makes it incredibly simple to identify single courses they'd like to audit remotely or to plan for the specific fully online program they'd like to pursue.The Midwest Higher Education Compact, meanwhile, is an organization that facilitates affordable online education opportunities for students residing in states throughout the region. Ohio has partnered with 11 other states, giving its students greater access to the entirety of the region's excellent online opportunities.One of the compact's biggest draws is decreased tuition, which lets students pursue online courses and programs outside Ohio at heavily reduced rates, bordering on in-state level pricing.[dataviz-nces online="16.4" undergrad="79" in-state="66"]Ohio boasts a healthy population of online learners. As of 2019, 274,039 students took at least one distance course at an online college in Ohio. These numbers represent 41.7% of the total population of enrolled students in the state, ranking Ohio 23rd for the proportion of students taking at least one distance course.The number of students who took all their courses at a distance sat at 108,019, or 16.4% of the enrolled student body in Ohio. This population of distance learners comprised 85,522 undergraduates and 22,497 graduate students. While 66% of these students came from Ohio, the remaining students lived out-of-state but enrolled in a course through an online school in Ohio.
Best Online Colleges in Ohio
Explore a ranked list of Ohio's best online four-year programs below. These profiles cover how schools approach accredited online education and list their services for distance students. After reviewing the best online schools in Ohio, explore our state resources, which include a database of every college and university in Ohio or our index of popular in-state scholarships.
Ranking Methodology
To determine the best online colleges in each state, we examined the factors most important to prospective students: Academic quality and reputation, online program strength, and cost and student aid. At the most basic level, we use the following formula to determine the best online colleges: Academic Quality + Online Offerings + Cost and Student Aid = Final Score. Of course, there's more to these calculations than meets the eye. Visit our methodology page to discover the data points that shape our formula and to learn more about the process we use to rank schools.
College Graduate Outlook in Ohio
Tuition Breaks for Out-of-State Students
Students who live outside of Ohio but want to attend school in the Buckeye State can take advantage of helpful programs to receive reduced tuition.The Midwestern Higher Education Compact oversees the Midwest Student Exchange Program (MSEP), an agreement between Ohio and seven other states, to offer out-of-state learners a tuition break on their education at participating schools. On average, eligible learners save about $7,000 per year.Ohio residents can also participate in MSEP to enjoy reduced tuition at participating schools in member states.Through the Forever Buckeyes program, Ohio high school graduates who leave the state but return to start or finish their degree in Ohio do not need to establish residency again to pay in-state tuition. All public higher learning institutions, including in-person and online colleges in Ohio, participate in the program.
Job Opportunities in Ohio for College Graduates
The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services projects a 1% increase in employment from 2022-2024, with potentially more than 28,000 new jobs for Ohio residents. However, as of March 2024, Ohio's unemployment rate of 3.8% falls below more than half the states, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).Still, income data from the U.S. Census Bureau is promising for degree-seekers. In 2022, bachelor's degree-holders in Ohio earned a median salary of $62,605, with some of the highest wages reserved for those with engineering, computing, and business degrees. To compare, the median salary in Ohio for people with high school diplomas but without college degrees is $36,920.Ohio employment growth is soaring in several industries, creating plenty of potential career paths for students. However, the healthcare, personal care services, and computer and mathematical sectors are projected to experience the fastest growth from 2018-2028.Healthcare practitioners, including dietitians, veterinarians, and medical records specialists, are among the most employed healthcare employees, holding over 388,000 jobs in Ohio as of May 2023.