“On many counts, Ohio Wesleyan is one of the best academic bargains in the country. A chemistry professor voiced a prevailing faculty attitude when he said, ‘Regardless of where a kid comes from, we can take him somewhere.’ “
– Colleges That Change Lives
Office of Admission
61 South Sandusky Street
Delaware, Ohio 43015
740.368.3020 / 800.922.8953
owuadmit@owu.edu
www.owu.edu
⋅ 55.4% female, 42.7% male, 1.9% Gender Non-Binary
⋅ Students represent 40 states and 27 countries
⋅ 25.3% international and U.S. multicultural students
⋅ 23.1% first generation college students
⋅ Room and Board: $13,288
⋅ 99% of students receive some type of merit and/or need-based aid.
- Founded in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan University is a private, coed, undergraduate, independent, liberal arts college that embraces students of all nationalities and all faiths.
- Through The OWU Connection – Ohio Wesleyan’s signature program – every student completes research, internships, off-campus study, or other hands-on learning experiences designed to enhance their classroom work and fully prepare them for their futures. The OWU Connection helps students think big (understand issues from multiple academic disciplines), do good (serve the community), go global (gain international perspective), and get real (translate classroom knowledge into real-world experience).
- Ohio Wesleyan’s campus blends uniquely traditional and contemporary buildings, including a science center with its own scanning transmission electron microscope and an environmentally friendly aquatics center that is heated and cooled with the aid of 90 geothermal wells.
- Nearly 80% of Ohio Wesleyan students participate in community service, logging some 40,000 hours each academic year. Examples of student service include mentoring young people through Big Brothers Big Sisters, removing debris from local rivers, and providing translation assistance for local agencies and residents.
- Ohio Wesleyan’s spacious 200-acre campus is located in the heart of Delaware, Ohio, a city of nearly 43,000 located just 20 miles north of Columbus, the state capital and the nation’s 14th-largest city. Combined, they offer small-town amenities and friendliness coupled with a rich cultural life, professional sports, fine dining and shopping, and myriad opportunities for internships and service learning.
- Ohio Wesleyan is included in the most recent “best colleges” lists published by The Princeton Review, U.S. News & World Report, The Fiske Guide to Colleges, Money magazine, and more. Ohio Wesleyan also is ranked as one of Payscale’s 2023 top national, state, and liberal arts colleges in salary potential for OWU graduates in their early and mid-careers.
- Ohio Wesleyan is accredited by National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), Ohio Department of Education, National Association of Schools of Music, and The Higher Learning Commission.
- OWU has a Phi Beta Kappa chapter and offers a superb honors program that challenges students with specially designed tutorials, honors courses, independent study, and one-to-one collaboration with faculty. An Honors House is a living option for upper-class honors students, and an honors residence hall offers 24/7 quiet hours, among other benefits.
- 15-20 top incoming first-year students interested in careers in economics and business are selected for the The Woltemade Economics and Business Fellows Program. Fellows receive exceptional opportunities including special classes, alumni networking, a generous bookstore allowance, and a fully funded study tour of a major U.S. city, allowing students to connect alumni in high-level business and government roles.
- Each year, the Thomas W. Palmer ’69 and Susan Palmer Global Scholars Program admits a small number of high-achieving first-year students who are passionate about global issues. As a Global Scholar, students receive a $4000 stipend to apply to their study abroad semester.
- A Summer Science Research Program offers students an opportunity to conduct original research with a faculty mentor for 10 weeks and then to present their work at a culminating symposium.
- Domestically, students augment curricular work through such hands-on programs as Wesleyan in Washington, which allows them to receive credit for working in government settings in Washington, D.C., and the New York Arts Program, in which students experience the world of professional artists and organizations in New York City.
- OWU offers a strong pre-professional course of study within a classic liberal arts curriculum, with professional school acceptance nearly double the national average.
- New in 2022: Ohio Wesleyan University is collaborating with Mount Carmel College of Nursing to offer two pre-nursing pathways that allow students to enjoy a traditional college experience while also earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree.
- Ohio Wesleyan has approximately 100 full-time faculty members, and 100% of tenure-track professors hold a Ph.D. or equivalent terminal degree in their field.
- OWU faculty members are dedicated to every student’s development and personally involved in every student’s progress.
- All class instruction is provided by faculty; OWU has no graduate teaching assistants.
- Ohio Wesleyan offers more than 70 majors – many more than most similarly sized schools – and awards Bachelor of Arts, Fine Arts, and Science degrees.
- All first-year students complete a course titled “The OWU Experience” to help them better understand and take advantage of all of the opportunities available to them at the University.
- The OWU Connection includes unique Travel-Learning Courses during which students complete a semester of classwork followed by a short trip with their professor to see how their theoretical learning applies in real-word situations. Recent examples include traveling to Italy to study the music of the Renaissance and Baroque Italian master composers and traveling to England, Denmark, and the Netherlands to analyze health care systems from those and several other countries.
- Through The OWU Connection, students also are able to write their own grant proposals, seeking University funding to support original research anywhere in the world. Since the program began, students have used these grants for academic experiences in more than 60 countries. Recent examples include traveling to Tahiti to study the long-term impact of nuclear testing in French Polynesia and to Spain to study female empowerment in Spanish Classical Theater.
Areas of Study
Ancient Studies
Astronomy
Astrophysics B.S.
Biochemistry B.A. or B.S.
Biology
Black World Studies
Botany
Business & Economics:
- Accounting
- Business Administration
- Economics
- Finance Economics
- International Business
- Management Economics
- Quantitative Economics
Chemistry B.A. or B.S.Classics
Communication
Computer Science
Computer Science (3-2 Program)
Data Analytics
East Asian Studies
Education:
– Elementary Education
– Inclusive Elementary Education
– Integrated Science
– Middle Childhood
– Special Education
English: Creative Writing
English: For Educators
English: Literature
Environmental Science
Environmental Studies
Film Studies
Fine Arts: Art Education
Fine Arts: Art History
Fine Arts: Studio B.A. or B.F.A.
French
Genetics
Geography
Health and Human Kinetics (HHK)
History
History: Education
Interdisciplinary (Self-Designed)
International Studies
Latin American Studies
Mathematics
Medical & Health Professions:
– Exercise Science
– Pre-Medicine / Pre-Dentistry
– Pre-Physical Therapy
– Pre-Veterinary Medicine
Medieval Studies
Microbiology B.A. or B.S.
Music
Music Education
Neuroscience: Behavioral and Cognitive
Neuroscience: Molecular and Cellular
Nutrition
Philosophy
Physics B.A. or B.S.
Physics: Pre-Engineering (3-2 Program)
Politics and Government
Pre-Law
Psychology
Renaissance Studies
Social Justice
Sociology / Anthropology
Spanish
Sports and Exercise Management
Theatre
Theatre Education
Women’s and Gender Studies
Zoology
Zoology: Pre-Professional
- Ohio Wesleyan is a residential campus, with nearly 90% of students residing in living-learning communities. Most of our first-year students will live in our newly renovated Smith Hall. Thereafter, you’ll select one of three residence halls, a house, one of eight Small Living Units (SLUs), or—just for seniors—an apartment in OWU’s brand new Bradford Milligan Hall. And, if Greek life speaks to you, you can move into a fraternity house; sorority chapter houses are nonresidential at OWU.
- The University typically attracts students from nearly every U.S. state and more than 30 countries, adding an international flavor to campus that includes an annual Culture Fest celebration.
- OWU’s dining program ensures students have 24/7 access to freshly made, small-batch, locally sourced food with options to support all dietary needs and choices. There’s even an option to enable students to dine off campus occasionally at nearby restaurants they’ve selected to be part of the program.
- The University offers nearly 100 student clubs and organizations that provide ample opportunities for students to get involved, make lifelong friends, and develop their leadership capabilities. Ohio Wesleyan also just launched an esports program offering scholarships and a new esports arena on campus!
Ohio Wesleyan is a competitive member of the NCAA Division III and North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC), offering 24 Battling Bishop varsity sports, including 12 for women and 12 for men. More than a third of OWU students typically participate in at least one varsity sport.
OWU has won the NCAC All-Sports Trophy nine times and boasts 155 conference titles – more than any other school in the conference. For four consecutive years, an Ohio Wesleyan man won the Don Hunsinger Award, the NCAC’s highest recognition for athletics, academics, leadership, and service.
Baseball (Men)
Basketball
Cross Country
Field Hockey (Women)
Football (Men)
Golf
Lacrosse
Soccer
Softball (Women)
Swimming and Diving
Tennis
Track and Field (Indoor and Outdoor)
Volleyball (Women)
Wrestling (Men)
- Ohio Wesleyan alumni see direct links between their undergraduate educations and OWU Connection experiences and their success in launching their careers or earning acceptance into graduate and professional programs. Read this for more details.
- Ohio Wesleyan is test optional. Find out what that means.
- Mid 50% SAT range: 1130-1320
- Mid 50% ACT range: 22-28
- 21.7% of students rank in the top 10% of their high school classes.