College · Private nonprofit · Westerville, OH · Suburb
Otterbein University
Westerville, OH
Religious affiliation
Admit rate85%
6-yr median pay$45k
Net price / yr$19k
Undergrad size2,157
§ I · The real read
What it's actually like.
The bet
Net price of $19k/yr for a shot at a $45k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.
Getting in
Admit rate of 85% means this is workable if your grades and essays are solid. Admitted students average SAT 1220 · ACT 23.
If you get in
2,157 undergrads. Small. You will know your cohort.
Where you live
Suburban — a short drive to the nearest city, greener but still connected.
§ II · Cost & aid
Sticker vs. real.
Sticker cost of attendance is $48k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $19k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.
Sticker · 4 yrs$193k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$77k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$116k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback1.7x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.
Where the money goes · annual sticker.
- Tuition · in-state
- $35.5k
- Room & board
- $13.2k
- Books & supplies
- $1,554
How students pay for it.
Pell grants31%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans53%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$26k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $12k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes
Do people finish? Do they land?
Graduation · 6 yr68%
Majority finish.
6-yr median pay$45k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$53k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out19%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity
Setting, size, and who this school is.
- Setting
- Suburb
- Control
- Private nonprofit
- Undergrad size
- 2,157
- Location
- Westerville, OH
- Region
- Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI)
- Carnegie class
- Master's Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
- Size & setting
- Four-year · small · highly residential
- Undergrad program
- Four-year · full-time, selective, lower transfer-in
- Accreditor
- Higher Learning Commission
Identity
Religious affiliation
§ · Who studies here
The student body at a glance.
- White69%
- Black13%
- Two or more races6%
- Hispanic5%
- Asian4%
- Unknown3%
- Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander1%
- International1%
First-gen students26%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time4%
Mostly a full-time student body.
Median family income$75k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 56
What you can study.