Columbus is home to The Ohio State University, one of the nation's largest four-year universities. Ohio State is the No. 1 public university in the state according to U.S. News & World Report. If you prefer a smaller school, Otterbein University in suburban Columbus boasts a student to faculty ratio of 12-to-1 and a student body of just 3,100. Another small, private liberal arts option in Columbus is Capital University, which is one of the oldest schools in the country affiliated with the Lutheran church.
Northeast Ohio, home to the metropolitan areas of Cleveland and Akron, is also home to many four-year colleges and universities. Case Western Reserve University is a private four-year institution with many accolades to its name, including consistently high rankings with U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review. Kent State University, located outside of Akron, is well-known not only for events in the 1960s, but also for its rankings among the best public research institutions by the Carnegie Foundation. The University of Akron is another publicly funded institution in the area. Its campus features many newly-constructed buildings, including the campus student union and recreation center.
Cincinnati has several offerings for obtaining a four-year degree. Xavier University is a highly-ranked private college in Cincinnati that has also been noted as an excellent value by Kiplinger's Personal Finance. The city's namesake school, the University of Cincinnati, is famous for its College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning. Fittingly, its campus includes buildings designed by well-known architects. About 30 minutes outside the city, in the small town of Oxford, Miami University of Ohio is another Cincinnati-area public college that offers an undergraduate education. According to its website, this school prides itself on offering the strong academic programs of a large school with the personal attention found at much smaller institutions.
Some of Ohio's best four-year colleges and universities can be found in areas outside the three major cities. In fact, all member institutions in the prestigious "Ohio Five" consortium are located outside Cincinnati, Cleveland or Columbus. These selective and highly-regarded private liberal arts schools include The College of Wooster, in Wooster; Denison University, in Granville; Kenyon College, in Gambier; Oberlin College, in Oberlin; and Ohio Wesleyan University, in Delaware. Another option is The University of Dayton, which is affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church and houses the largest library collection in the country devoted to Mary, mother of Jesus.