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Reporting on the state of education in your community and across the country.

Colleges in Ohio Among Least Affordable, Study Finds

by Michelle Faust

Ohio ranks 45th in the nation in terms of college affordability, according to a new study out of the University Of Pennsylvania.

The report defines “affordability” as the percent of a family’s income that’s spent on higher education costs.  

For an Ohio family with an annual income of $30,000, the study estimates the family would spend 81% of its income to attend a public research university, like Ohio State.  

Part of the problem, according to the study’s co-author Darcie Harvey, is the amount of financial aid that Ohio provides its low income students.

“Ohio State contributes about $97 per student in need-based financial aid, and nationally the average is about $474,” says Harvey.

The report ranks colleges in Pennsylvania and New Hampshire as the least affordable, while Alaska and Wyoming colleges ranked most affordable.