Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium ProgramsPrivate nonprofit

Otterbein University

Westerville, Ohio·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Great Lakes·otterbein.edu
6-yr Graduation
68%
+0.5pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Total enrollment
2,332
peer median 1,551
Avg net price
$22,140
+$164 vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
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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
3,923
3,923 candidates competed
Admitted
3,316
84.5% acceptance rate
Enrolled
586
17.7% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

Overall completion
68%+0.5pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
4-year graduation
57%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
68%
Full-time retention
80%

Pell equity

5.0pp gap
Pell recipients
61%
Non-Pell
66%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 5.0-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 64 Title IV programs, 13 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 51 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
64
Passing
13
20.3% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

64programs
  • Passing13 · 20.3%
  • No Data51 · 79.7%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
1
Watch
2
Safe
10
No data
51

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.

13
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+9.2%
$38,023 vs $34,808
Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management
Bachelor Degree · Natural Resources And Conservation
+18.1%
$41,121 vs $34,808
Biology General
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
+22.4%
$42,619 vs $34,808
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
+33.7%
$46,521 vs $34,808
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
+36.1%
$47,383 vs $34,808
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
+41.0%
$49,090 vs $34,808
Communication and Media Studies
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
+46.5%
$51,006 vs $34,808
Public Relations Advertising and Applied Communication
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
+66.8%
$58,065 vs $34,808

Debt vs earnings

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

12
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
68%
$26,000 debt · $38,023 earn
Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management
Bachelor Degree · Natural Resources And Conservation
63%
$26,050 debt · $41,121 earn
Biology General
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
63%
$26,760 debt · $42,619 earn
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
58%
$27,000 debt · $46,521 earn
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
53%
$26,000 debt · $49,090 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
51%
$24,062 debt · $47,383 earn
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
46%
$58,017 debt · $125,033 earn
Communication and Media Studies
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
46%
$23,250 debt · $51,006 earn

Accreditation status & history

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

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1913Next review Aug 2035

Programmatic accreditations · 9

Action history · 5

  1. Nov 2024Renewal of Accreditation
    Higher Learning Commission
  2. May 2018Grant Substantive Change: Degree
    Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs · Nurse Anesthesia (ANEST) - Institutions and programs at the master's degree, post master's certificate or doctoral degree levels
  3. May 2015Renewal of Accreditation
    Higher Learning Commission
  4. Aug 2014Change in Agency recognition
    National Association of Schools of Music, Commission on Accreditation · Music (MUS) - Institutions and units within institutions offering degree-granting and/or non-degree-granting programs
  5. Aug 2014Change in Agency recognition
    National Association of Schools of Theatre, Commission on Accreditation · Theatre (THEA) - Institutions and units within institutions offering degree-granting and/or non-degree-granting programs

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$16,326
$30–48k$15,057
$48–75k$20,323
$75–110k$23,815
$110k+$25,227

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

Avg net price (private)
$22,140
+$164vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs median $21,976
Federal loans
83.0%
In-state tuition
$34,899
Out-of-state
$34,899

Federal aid volume & trends

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

In AY 2024–25, 859 students received $5.2M in Pell grants, alongside $11.2M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
859
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$5.2M
$5,152,064 total
Direct Loans
$11.2M
2,011 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

1k
20
1k
21
1k
22
1k
23
1k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$3.2M
771 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$3.8M
971 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$173K
24 loan awards
Parent PLUS$3.6M
223 loan awards
Grad PLUS$368K
22 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 652 borrowers who entered repayment, 3 (0.4%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.4%
-1.9pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
652
Defaulted
3
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
4.0%
2017
4.0%
2018
3.6%
2019
0.4%
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 Otterbein

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs77
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

504 total completions
01Health Professions
13927.6%
02Business
8516.9%
03Biological Sciences
428.3%
04Visual/Performing Arts
418.1%
05Education
407.9%
06Psychology
367.1%
07Natural Resources
367.1%
08Parks/Recreation
306.0%
09Social Sciences
306.0%
10Communication
255.0%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

Fall total
2,332
12-mo unduplicated
2,705
Undergraduate
2,224
Graduate
481

Gender split

Men
37%990
Women
63%1,715

Race / ethnicity composition

White
69.5%
Black
11.1%
Hispanic
6.0%
Two or more
5.5%
Asian
3.8%
Unknown
2.8%
Non-resident
0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

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

Athletes
496
331 M · 165 W
Women athletes
33.3%
Athletic aid
$0
Total student aid
Budget
$3.3M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$0
$0
Recruiting expense
$31K
$20K
Head-coach salaries
$50K
$43K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 11

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
143 M · 94 W
$314K
Football
84 M ·
$360K
Soccer
28 M · 33 W
$225K
Lacrosse
39 M · 22 W
$230K
Baseball
54 M ·
$253K
Basketball
18 M · 15 W
$380K

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
1.63
4 offenses · 2,458 students

3-year trend

1.512 yrs ago2.691 yr ago1.63Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
15
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
21
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Burglary
3
Motor vehicle theft
1

By location

4total
  • On campus4

Includes 3 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
1
Dating violence
2
Stalking
3 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons10
Drugs13
Liquor026

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
12.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
124

Otterbein vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Otterbein 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
SubjectOtterbein University
68%2,332$22,140Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Ursuline College
67%74.9%970$18,027Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Mount Vernon Nazarene University
68%84.1%1,671$21,812Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Ohio Christian University
50%38.0%1,431$21,607Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Franciscan University of Steubenville
75%58.4%3,976$23,987Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Malone University
45%75.9%1,256$22,881Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Peer group median68%74.9%1,551$21,976

Frequently asked questions about Otterbein University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Otterbein.

What is the graduation rate at Otterbein University?

Otterbein University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 68% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Otterbein University?

Otterbein University reports a total enrollment of 2,332 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Otterbein University?

The average net price at Otterbein University is $22,140 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Otterbein University?

Otterbein University's yield rate is 17.7%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Otterbein University located?

Otterbein University is located in Westerville, Ohio 43081.

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