Ohio University was deemed one of the most expensive universities in the nation to attend, but officials claim the numbers aren’t an accurate representation of its costs.
Four other public four-year universities in Ohio made the U.S. Department of Education’s annual list, including Miami University, which ranked No. 1. OU was No. 23.
“The College Affordability and Transparency Center’s list is based on an average of a small subset of Ohio University's Athens Campus population: first-time, full-time students who represent approximately 60 percent of the Athens campus freshman class and 14 percent of the Athens campus undergraduate student population,” said Renea Morris, OU’s executive director of communications and marketing in an email via OU spokesperson Katie Quaranta.
In its analysis, the department took the total cost of attendance and subtracted the average amount of federal, state and school scholarships and grant financial aid students receive to determine a net price.
The department used data — the most updated available — from the 2010-11 school year.
During this school year, OU’s net price was $18,142, and 60 percent of students received financial aid. In the same year, Miami’s net price was $22,210.
“The list does not describe the entire story of the costs of a quality education at Ohio University. The university has been intentional in increasing financial aid to those students who are least able to afford a college education and rewarding academic achievement,” Morris said.
OU’s total in-state expenses in 2010-11 were $24,069, according to the Institute of Education Sciences.
Other universities in Ohio on the list are Ohio State University’s main campus (which ranked No. 13), University of Cincinnati (No. 24) and Kent State University (No. 29).
dd195710@ohiou.edu
