Find out the [True] Facts

Understanding Costs of an Ohio Northern Education

These days the news is all about skyrocketing student debt. But the truth is that there are many factors involved and before ruling out a school for its perceived costs, it’s wise for families to get all the facts before making a decision that can impact their student’s future. With knowledge about the real cost of the education, making informed decisions with financial aid professionals and weighing the return on that investment, students can fulfill their dreams without the burden of unmanageable debt.

1. No one wants students to graduate with unmanageable debt.

• Ohio Northern University invests in the success of its students by offering more than $58 million in gift assistance annually.
• Ohio Northern University’s graduates are repaying their loans at a remarkable 99.3 percent rate, meaning that less than 1 percent has defaulted. This is far below national averages and was a part of the most recent federal cohort default rates released by the U.S. Department of Education in September of 2010.
• ONU’s professional financial aid staff offers an individualized approach to financial aid counseling, with a goal of making a Northern education possible while also keeping students informed about their investment and managing their finances.

>> See www.onu.edu/moneymatters

>>For more information on scholarships and our online cost calculator, go to www.onu.edu/finaid

2. ONU has historically high placement rates and evidence of successful outcomes.

After only six months, Ohio Northern’s 2011 graduates had an overall placement rate of 94 percent!

Sample of successful outcomes for ONU’s class of 2011:

• Megan Pierce, BA (theatre and music), has a company management position at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
• Mark Nicholas, BS (biochemistry ACS certified) was accepted into the University of Cincinnati’s College of Medicine.
• Kristen Smith, BSBA (accounting) interned at PricewaterhouseCoopers and after graduation was hired full time.
• Michael Krak, BSME is pursuing a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering at Ohio State University after receiving a graduate school fellowship from Tau Beta Pi, the national engineering honor society.
• Jordan Counts, PharmD, works in hospital administration for Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio Northern University

3.  ONU offers an education of quality.

An institution should offer rigorous academics and provide students with an unlimited number of opportunities for experiential learning that can ensure good placement and successful outcomes.

• At ONU, faculty-mentored undergraduate research, internships, experiential learning, study abroad and capstone projects are inherent in all programs.

Ohio Northern’s “Evidence of Excellence” relates the caliber and quality of ONU’s educational product.

• Ranked No.2 among baccalaureate colleges and universities in the Midwest by U.S. News & World Report in America’s Best Colleges 2011 and in the top five for the last nine years.
• Named in Colleges of Distinction (2012) a guide profiling America’s most distinguished teaching-centered colleges and universities.
• Listed in Princeton Review’s The Best 376 Colleges 2012 Edition.
• Among the top 100 private four-year colleges and small universities in Peterson’s Competitive College Guide (2012).

>>Find out more rankings and evidence of excellence at onu.edu/about

4. At ONU there is a strong return on investment.

Return on investment is a function of two things: how much students spend to earn a degree, and how much graduates earn over their lifetimes.

• Ohio Northern’s “Return on Investment” or ROI as calculated by a 2012 PayScale’s study, places ONU’s graduates and their earning power in the top 21 percent nationally and among the top 6 schools in Ohio. This ROI analysis is significant evidence that ONU graduates fare better than most in terms of earnings over time. This is another indication that the ONU debt load average (in comparison to earning potential) is a balanced and reasonable outlay.