Student Achievement

Retention Rates

Ohio Wesleyan University welcomes each fall semester a new group of students starting their first full-time college experience seeking a degree. These are our first-time full-time students. In the subsequent fall semester one year later, we determine the percent of these students who have returned. Over the past six years, an average of 79% of first-time full-time students have returned to OWU for their second year. This is our retention rate.

Graduation Rates

Ohio Wesleyan also measures the percent of students starting their first full-time college experience who graduate in four years and in six years. Over the past six years, an average of 60% of OWU first-time full-time students have graduated in 4 years, and 67% of first-time full-time students have graduated in 6 years.

Student Destinations

Ohio Wesleyan University annually collects information from graduates about their career plans following graduation. Over the past six years, an average of 94% of graduates who respond to the survey report they are either employed or on their way to graduate school. Find more information in OWU's Yearly Outcome Reports.

Program Placement Rates

Ohio Wesleyan University offers a variety of pre-professional programs, including pre-medicine, pre-dentistry, and pre-law. Given the nature of pre-professional programs, it is anticipated that these students will continue on to graduate institutions to become a professional in their field. To understand the number of these students who are continuing their professional studies, we use placement rates. A placement rate at OWU is defined as the percentage of students accepted to a specific professional program out of all students applying to that specific professional program.

Between 2018 and 2023, pre-medicine students had a 58% placement rate. More information on where these students went in pursuit of their professional degree can be found here.
Between 2018 and 2023, pre-dentistry students had an 85% placement rate. More information on where these students went in pursuit of their professional degree can be found here.
Between 2012 and 2022, pre-law students had a 90% placement rate. More information on where these students went in pursuit of their professional degree can be found here.

Completing a pre-professional program does not guarantee admission to a professional program. Professional programs often have a preferred set of requirements, such as specific GPA thresholds, proficiency exam scores, and recommendations by faculty or professionals in the field. Students at OWU often choose to apply to professional programs regardless of whether or not they meet the preferred requirements. This is important to keep in mind when reviewing placement rates. Also important to keep in mind for pre-law placement rates specifically is that the data reported here is provided by the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC). Students may opt out of having the LSAC share scores and application outcomes with OWU, therefore the placement rate calculation reported is representative of only the students who allowed LSAC to share scores and application outcomes with OWU.

Licensure Pass Rate

Education license completers must take and pass the edTPA Portfolio Based Assessment. Each year, Ohio Wesleyan University has seen a 100% pass rate for all students participating in this assessment. The Ohio Department of Higher Education requires a minimum score of 37 to obtain a license. Additional licensure assessment data from the Education Department that aligns to the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) can be found on OWU's CAEP Accreditation Page under Measure 3.

Note: For all years and programs reported in the table above, 100% of students have passed their licensure exam.

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