2024 Best Colleges
Money Magazine Lists Ohio Wesleyan Among Nation's Top Schools for Quality, Affordability, Outcomes
DELAWARE, Ohio – Money magazine has selected Ohio Wesleyan University as one of the "Best Colleges in America 2024," noting that OWU provides financial aid to 100% of students and that they graduate to enjoy early career earnings of more than $53,500 a year.
Money based its selections on an analysis of 25 factors examining each school's quality, affordability, and graduate outcomes.
"College costs remain one of the primary reasons students choose not to attend college or struggle to graduate once they do," Money.com editor Kaitlin Mulhere said in announcing the 2024 Best Colleges list. "To help families make informed decisions about where to spend their tuition dollars, Money's latest Best Colleges offers a practical analysis of more than 700 four-year colleges, focusing on affordability and student outcomes."
Money started its review with a list of 2,400 public and private nonprofit colleges and then winnowed down the list to 745, fewer than a third of the nation's leading institutions of higher education.
In determining which schools earned the Best Colleges designation, Money collaborated with Witlytic to explore:
- Quality of education (30% of a college's score), including graduation rates, peer quality, and instructor access.
- Affordability (40%) including net price, debt, and ability to repay debt.
- Outcomes (30%), including earnings 10 years after college entry, earnings adjusted for majors, and economic mobility index.
Based on its analysis, the average Ohio Wesleyan student graduates in 4.1 years and sees early career earnings of $53,520. Practically every OWU student receives financial aid, and, on average, the university meets 89% of their need. An additional 27% receive merit grants in recognition of their academic success, with the average merit grant totaling $32,410 per year.
In April, Ohio Wesleyan also announced the Delaware County Promise program – which allows students from Delaware County who meet its financial and academic criteria to attend OWU tuition free.
Learn more about Money's new Best Colleges rankings at money.com/best-colleges and more about enrolling at Ohio Wesleyan, including the Delaware County Promise, at owu.edu/admission.
Founded in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation's premier liberal arts universities. Located in Delaware, Ohio, the private university offers more than 70 undergraduate majors and competes in 24 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Through its signature experience, the OWU Connection, Ohio Wesleyan teaches students to understand issues from multiple academic perspectives, volunteer in service to others, build a diverse and global perspective, and translate classroom knowledge into real-world experience through internships, research, and other hands-on learning. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book "Colleges That Change Lives" and included on the U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review "Best Colleges" lists. Connect with OWU expert interview sources at owu.edu/experts or learn more at owu.edu.