Top Universities in Ohio

Ohio has one of the richest higher education ecosystems in the Midwest — anchored by Ohio State, Case Western, and Oberlin, with a dense network of private liberal arts colleges.

Ohio State University (Columbus)
The largest university in the US by enrollment (60,000+) — OSU is a major research university with national prominence in engineering (Ohio State's College of Engineering consistently ranks top 10 nationally), business (Fisher College of Business), medicine (Wexner Medical Center), and agriculture. OSU's athletic programs (the Buckeyes football team is one of the most storied in college football) generate extraordinary revenue and alumni engagement.

Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland)
A top-50 research university formed by the 1967 merger of Case Institute of Technology and Western Reserve University — Case Western is nationally prominent in engineering, biomedical engineering (the BME program is consistently #1 nationally), management (Weatherhead School), law, and medicine. The Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals are affiliated teaching hospitals.

Oberlin College (Oberlin)
One of the most historically significant liberal arts colleges in the US — the first college to admit women (1837), the first to admit Black students (1835), and a leading underground railroad station. Oberlin's Conservatory of Music (one of the finest independent music conservatories in the country) and the Allen Memorial Art Museum (one of the top college art museums in the US) make it exceptional.

University of Cincinnati
Ohio's second-largest university — Cincinnati's College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP) is nationally ranked for architecture and design. The medical school (the first cooperative education program in the US — "co-op" was invented here in 1906 in engineering) is nationally prominent. The UC campus's collection of buildings by contemporary architects (Morphosis, Frank Gehry, Michael Graves, Zaha Hadid) is remarkable.

Kenyon College (Gambier)
A small, selective liberal arts college in central Ohio with a nationally distinguished English department and creative writing program — alumni and faculty include E.L. Doctorow, Peter Taylor, Robert Lowell, and Bill Watterson (creator of Calvin and Hobbes).