R2 ResearchPublic

Bowling Green State University-Main Campus

Bowling Green, Ohio·Public, 4-year or above·Great Lakes·bgsu.edu
6-yr Graduation
64%
+9.0pp vs R2 Research
Total enrollment
17,594
peer median 14,216
Avg net price
$20,918
+$4.2k vs R2 Research
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Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
21,153
21,153 candidates competed
Admitted
17,125
81.0% acceptance rate
Enrolled
3,521
20.6% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
64%+9.0pp vs R2 Research
4-year graduation
48%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
61%
Full-time retention
82%

Pell equity

13.0pp gap
Pell recipients
52%
Non-Pell
65%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 13.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 231 Title IV programs, 82 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 5 fail. 144 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
231
Passing
82
35.5% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
5
2.2% of portfolio
Fail rate
2.2%
+1.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

231programs
  • Passing82 · 35.5%
  • No Data144 · 62.3%
  • Failing5 · 2.2%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
2
Recoverable
3
At Risk
5
Watch
12
Safe
65
No data
144

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

87
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences General
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
-10.0%
$51,035 vs $56,700
Public Administration
Master's Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
-5.5%
$43,632 vs $46,158
Biology General
Master's Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
-2.7%
$50,914 vs $52,303
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
-0.6%
$56,349 vs $56,700
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
-0.2%
$56,571 vs $56,700
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+1.4%
$57,515 vs $56,700
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+3.5%
$36,036 vs $34,808
Chemistry
Master's Degree · Physical Sciences
+5.7%
$59,919 vs $56,700

Near the line (±5%)

Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.

5
Biology General
Master's Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
-2.7%
$1,389
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
-0.6%
$351
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
-0.2%
$129
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+1.4%
+$815
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+3.5%
+$1,228

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

76
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
75%
$27,000 debt · $36,036 earn
Sociology
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
70%
$27,000 debt · $38,346 earn
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
69%
$25,755 debt · $37,094 earn
Film/Video and Photographic Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
68%
$27,000 debt · $39,707 earn
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Bachelor Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
67%
$28,499 debt · $42,463 earn
Music
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
61%
$27,000 debt · $44,037 earn
Student Counseling and Personnel Services
Master's Degree · Education
61%
$33,530 debt · $54,974 earn
English Language and Literature General
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
61%
$25,340 debt · $41,578 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1916Next review Aug 2033

Programmatic accreditations · 15

Action history · 16

  1. Jul 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    American Psychological Association, Commission on Accreditation · Professional Psychology (IPSY) - Predoctoral internship programs
  2. Oct 2024Initial Accreditation
    American Physical Therapy Association, Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education · Physical Therapy (PT) - Professional programs for the physical therapist
  3. Apr 2024Renewal of Accreditation
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Dietetics (DIETI) - Dietetic Internship
  4. Jul 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Dietetics (DIETI) - Dietetic Internship
  5. Jan 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    Higher Learning Commission

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$15,611
$30–48k$16,496
$48–75k$20,316
$75–110k$23,010
$110k+$23,945

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price
$20,918
+$4,156vs R2 Research median $16,763
Federal loans
48.8%
In-state tuition
$14,081
Out-of-state
$22,070

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 5,124 students received $28.6M in Pell grants, alongside $91.5M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
5,124
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$28.6M
$28,618,408 total
Direct Loans
$91.5M
15,357 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

4k
20
4k
21
4k
22
4k
23
5k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$21.8M
5,595 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$27.3M
7,207 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$15.0M
963 loan awards
Parent PLUS$24.3M
1,472 loan awards
Grad PLUS$3.1M
120 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 4,475 borrowers who entered repayment, 102 (2.2%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
2.2%
-0.1pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
4,475
Defaulted
102
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
8.6%
2017
7.6%
2018
6.8%
2019
2.2%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at BGSU

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs146
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

3,053 total completions
01Business
77325.3%
02Education
63420.8%
03Health Professions
40413.2%
04Visual/Performing Arts
30710.1%
05Parks/Recreation
1886.2%
06Engineering Tech
1805.9%
07Biological Sciences
1605.2%
08Psychology
1494.9%
09English Language
1334.4%
10Engineering
1254.1%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
17,594
12-mo unduplicated
19,958
Undergraduate
15,910
Graduate
4,048

Gender split

Men
43%8,544
Women
57%11,414

Race / ethnicity composition

White
79.8%
Black
6.5%
Hispanic
5.1%
Two or more
3.6%
Unknown
2.4%
Non-resident
1.3%
Asian
1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
439
232 M · 207 W
Women athletes
47.2%
Athletic aid
$7.7M
Total student aid
Budget
$31.9M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$4.7M
$3.0M
Recruiting expense
$623K
$176K
Head-coach salaries
$218K
$106K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 13

Football
108 M ·
$10.1M
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
· 92 W
$970K
Soccer
26 M · 30 W
$1.6M
Swimming and Diving (combined)
· 39 W
$956K
Baseball
36 M ·
$880K
Basketball
14 M · 14 W
$4.5M

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
1.12
19 offenses · 16,920 students

3-year trend

0.722 yrs ago1.021 yr ago1.12Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
50
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
19
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
1
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
12

Criminal offenses by type

Rape
8
Motor vehicle theft
5
Burglary
3
Fondling
2
Robbery
1

By location

19total
  • On campus17
  • Non-campus1
  • Public property1

Includes 10 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
10
Dating violence
1
Stalking
11 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

  • Race1

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons10
Drugs2430
Liquor3692

Residence-hall fires

  • Founders Hall1 fire
    CookingDamage $0-$99
  • Kreischer - Ashley Hall1 fire
    OtherDamage $0-$99
  • Conklin North1 fire
    OtherDamage $0-$99
  • Offenhauer West1 fire
    OtherDamage $0-$99
  • Centennial Hall1 fire
    OtherDamage $0-$99

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
17.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
745

BGSU vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions BGSU selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectBowling Green State University-Main Campus
64%17,594$20,918R2 Research
Miami University-Oxford
80%75.4%18,838$27,662R2 Research
University of Toledo
58%92.0%14,358$17,460R2 Research
Cleveland State University
51%91.3%14,074$16,065R2 Research
University of Akron Main Campus
52%59.7%13,332$14,981R2 Research
Wright State University-Main Campus
42%96.3%10,603$15,216R2 Research
Peer group median55%91.3%14,216$16,763

Frequently asked questions about Bowling Green State University-Main Campus

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about BGSU.

What is the graduation rate at Bowling Green State University-Main Campus?

Bowling Green State University-Main Campus reports a 6-year graduation rate of 64% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Bowling Green State University-Main Campus?

Bowling Green State University-Main Campus reports a total enrollment of 17,594 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Bowling Green State University-Main Campus?

The average net price at Bowling Green State University-Main Campus is $20,918 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Bowling Green State University-Main Campus?

Bowling Green State University-Main Campus's yield rate is 20.6%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Bowling Green State University-Main Campus located?

Bowling Green State University-Main Campus is located in Bowling Green, Ohio 43403.

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