---
title: Otterbein University — cost, debt & earnings (College Scorecard)
location: Westerville, OH
control: Private nonprofit
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2026-06-10 release)
sourceUrl: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
---

# Otterbein University

Westerville, OH · Private nonprofit · Bachelor-granting

> Federal College Scorecard institution **medians** — not a prediction of any one student's outcome, and not a figure for any single program. Earnings/debt cover federally-aided students.

## The bottom line

| Figure | Value | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Typical earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $53,313 | recorded |
| Earnings range (25th–75th pct) | $36,344 – $77,271 | recorded |
| Typical federal debt | $20,500 | recorded |
| Debt of students who withdrew | $12,375 | recorded |
| Completion rate | 68% | recorded |
| Average annual net cost | $48,321 | recorded |
| % earning above a $28k HS-grad wage | 76% | recorded |
| Debt ÷ a year's earnings | 0.39× | derived |
| Earnings premium vs $28k HS benchmark | $25,313 | derived |

**68% of students finish** — the loans are owed whether or not you graduate, so read every figure below next to this number.

Typical **federal** loan debt is $20,500 (≈ 39% of a year's typical earnings here). Note: this counts federal loans only — not private loans, Parent PLUS, or family savings — so true borrowing is usually higher; and because dropouts borrow less, low-completion schools can show a deceptively low debt figure.

## Earnings by major (the number that decides "worth it")

> **Different measure — read on its own terms.** These are median earnings **1 year after completing the program** (early career, graduates only) — NOT the 10-years-after-entry school-wide figure above. Do not compare a program figure to the school figure; compare majors to each other. The Dept. of Education omits programs with too few graduates.

By program, early-career pay ranges from $22,912 to $102,659 across 12 program(s).

| Major | Credential | Pay (1 yr out) | Median debt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | Master's Degree | $102,659 | $60,824 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | Bachelor's Degree | $59,815 | $27,000 |
| Marketing. | Bachelor's Degree | $42,237 | not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Bachelor's Degree | $38,332 | $26,000 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods. | Bachelor's Degree | $34,439 | $21,025 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness. | Bachelor's Degree | $33,872 | $25,000 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication. | Bachelor's Degree | $32,792 | $20,500 |
| Communication and Media Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $30,547 | $18,500 |
| Psychology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $30,081 | $25,000 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas. | Bachelor's Degree | $29,416 | not reported |
| Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management. | Bachelor's Degree | $26,871 | $25,850 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft. | Bachelor's Degree | $22,912 | $26,822 |

## What this is — and is NOT

Institution-wide medians from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. **Not** a prediction of what you would earn or owe, **not** a figure for any single program (a CS and a fine-arts graduate of the same school diverge enormously), **not** proof the school caused the outcome (selection, not causation), and **not** a "best college" ranking. Explore Otterbein University by field of study at the official Scorecard: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?204936

---

Structured data (JSON-LD), each figure labeled by epistemic status: `/education/otterbein-university-oh.jsonld` · all schools: `/education`