Ohio University ranks at or above average in all categories — including annual cost, graduation rate and salary after attending — on the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard website.
Cara Carpenter knew she was going to be a cat, she just wasn’t sure if it would be a Wildcat or a Bobcat.
The freshman studying business knew her college decision was between Ohio University and the University of Kentucky.
“I definitely looked into academics a lot,” Carpenter said. “I knew I wanted to go into business. … OU’s business school has really taken off so that was one of the major factors that influenced me coming here.”
College Scorecard, a website tied to the U.S. Department of Education, is trying to make the college decision making process less stressful for students.
The purpose of College Scorecard is to “make it easier for you to search for a college that is a good fit for you,” according to a U.S. Department of Education website.
College Scorecard provides a wide range of facts, from student population statistics to average salary after graduation.
The website allows students find a school based on programs, location, size and name.
“The Federal Scorecard information comes primarily from the data that OU submits through the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) system,” Barbara Wharton, OU's associate provost for institutional research and effectiveness, said in an email.
OU did not review the scorecard in advance, but the enrollment data is based on information the university provided, Wharton said in an email.
“It is important for prospective students and their families to be fully informed when selecting a college or university,” OU President Roderick McDavis said in an email. “The Federal College Scorecard will help to ensure transparency and access to information — concepts that are fundamental to Ohio University and ones that will significantly enhance the college search process.”
On College Scorecard, OU is ranked at or above the national average in all categories.
According to the website 70 percent of OU students are paying down their debt. The national average is 67 percent.
However, OU ranked second nationally for three-year loan default rates among large public universities last year, according to a previous Post report.
Carpenter had never heard of College Scorecard, which was released in 2013, but recently revamped.
“If I had, I definitely would have used it,” Carpenter said. “That would have been a great thing, but I just didn’t know about it.”
Kaci Marvin transferred to OU this Fall from Alderson Broaddus University in West Virginia.
The sophomore studying integrated language arts education was attracted to OU because of the lower tuition and the proximity to her hometown of Lancaster, Ohio.
She said she did not look at the College Scorecard website before transferring.
“I just mainly looked at OU’s website, I didn’t really travel further into the Internet than that,” Maher said. “If I was a freshman coming in and I knew about those sites, then I would definitely use them.”
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