,·Private (Non-Profit), Brethren Church-affiliated·Est. 1878
“A Brethren-rooted regional university in small-town Ohio with strong nursing, education, and constitutional studies through the renowned Ashbrook Center.”
Ashland University is a private, Brethren Church-affiliated university founded in 1878 in Ashland, Ohio, a small city of about 20,000 residents roughly midway between Cleveland and Columbus. Chartered by the German Baptist Brethren and dedicated by Ronald Reagan-era civic leaders to a values-rooted liberal education, the university enrolls around 5,500 students across its undergraduate, graduate, and online programs. The campus sits on a residential 135-acre site centered on the historic Founders Hall, with traditional brick architecture, a tight-knit campus feel, and easy access to both Cleveland and Columbus for internships and travel. Ashland's academic strengths cluster in four colleges: the Schar College of Nursing and Health Sciences (one of the university's largest and most respected programs), the Dauch College of Business and Economics, the Schar College of Education (among the largest education programs in Ohio, offering pathways from undergraduate licensure through a doctorate), and the College of Arts and Sciences. The university is best known nationally for the Ashbrook Center, an independent academic center founded in 1983 and dedicated by President Ronald Reagan, which runs the highly selective Ashbrook Scholar Program in political science, history, and political economy. Student life is anchored by NCAA Division II athletics in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC), where the Eagles field competitive purple-and-gold teams in football, basketball, and track. With about 1% of students coming from abroad (roughly 36 countries represented), Ashland offers international students a quieter, more affordable Midwestern experience than a large research university — best suited to applicants who want personal attention, faith-friendly community, and direct entry into nursing, business, education, or public-affairs careers rather than a brand-name research powerhouse.
Visa, OPT, H-1B alumni outcomes, and acceptance rates by country — sourced from FOIA, USCIS H-1B Hub, and DHS SEVIS.
Regional Universities Midwest
US News Best Colleges 2026
Best Colleges for Veterans (Regional Universities Midwest)
US News Best Colleges 2026
Test Optional — You can submit scores if they help your case, but they're not required.
Official SourceEarly Decision
Binding; earliest decision and priority scholarship review.
Priority Decision
Non-binding; rolling decisions begin.
Regular Decision
Rolling admission with monthly decisions starting in December.
The deep admissions playbook beyond the headline acceptance rate — round-by-round breakdowns, nationality data, requirements, and contact paths.
Domestic
$25,940
/yr
Out-of-State / Intl
$29,940 – $37,500
/yr
Beyond the sticker price — every named scholarship, the financial aid policy, need-aware notes, and a personalized net-cost estimate.
How life on campus actually feels — clubs, sports, traditions, housing realities, and how the school integrates with its city.
Ashland's flagship health-professions college, training the largest cohort of graduates each year. Includes traditional BSN, accelerated tracks, and graduate nursing programs.
AACSB-accredited business school offering undergraduate and graduate programs with hands-on focus on accounting, finance, marketing, supply chain, and analytics.
One of the largest education programs in Ohio, spanning licensure to doctorate. Strong specialty in special education and intervention specialist tracks.
Houses the liberal arts, STEM, and social sciences. Home to the Ashbrook Scholar Program in political science, plus strong tracks in criminal justice, biology, chemistry, and toxicology.
4 years
Selective, fully-funded program for ~14-25 students per cohort majoring in political science, history, or political economy. Run by the Ashbrook Center (dedicated by President Reagan in 1983), it features small seminars in American constitutional thought, political theory, and primary-source study, with summer internships in Washington D.C. and a national reputation in conservative civic education.
4 years
Ashland's signature pre-licensure program, producing 130+ graduates a year. Direct-admit pathway available; uses on-campus simulation labs and clinical rotations across north-central Ohio. Higher GPA threshold than general admission (3.0 minimum) and SAT/ACT required.
4 years
Uncommon undergraduate STEM major (most schools offer toxicology only at graduate level). Designated as STEM for OPT extension purposes; combines biology and chemistry with applied work in pharmaceutical, environmental, and forensic toxicology.
Where alumni go after graduation — top industries, grad-school continuation, and the qualitative outcomes story.
Sticker price (annual, out-of-state): $31,210
Net-cost estimate is US-resident-only — international applicants are typically excluded from need-based aid at most schools and should treat the sticker price as the planning baseline.
