Ohio Northern University is ranked third among the top schools in the state of Ohio for its students’ greatest lifetime return on investment (ROI) according to “Affordable College Online: Highest Return on Investment Colleges in Ohio” ranking. ROI is a function of two things: how much students spend to earn a degree, and how much graduates earn.

This high ROI means that ONU graduates earn high starting salaries and are able to pay back student loan debt. With its top three showing, ONU ranked in the top tier among the 389 schools statewide that were part of the AC Online rankings. Graduates from the top ranked schools enjoy the largest earnings gap between non-degree holders, over a 30-year span.

“National rankings like this are measures of quality, value and position,” said Lawrence Lesick, vice president of enrollment management. “Many talented students find the rankings helpful in making choices about where to attend, and outstanding faculty often look to these institutions as desirable places to teach.”

The AC Online study ranked colleges based on several criteria including net tuition prices (provided by IPEDS/NCES), a graduate's average starting salaries and ROI calculation (provided by Payscale) and fully accredited, four-year, not-for-profit institutions (provided by the Carnegie Foundation).

AffordableCollegesOnline.org provides prospective college students and their parents with information and resources to help them manage the cost of obtaining an education. It’s the first website to offer comprehensive lists of “Most Affordable Colleges” in different categories.