Bowling Green State University-Main Campus
Bowling Green, Ohio · Public · 81.0% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 32/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Bowling Green State University scores 32 (Below Benchmark). The 18.3-year payback period, $33,500 average 6-year earnings, and a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.746 tell a consistent story of weak return on a $24,022 average net price. The completion rate of 63.7% is passable, but the repayment rate of 66.9% indicates meaningful debt distress among graduates. Engineering programs produce B-grade outcomes; performing arts, film, music, and many humanities programs earn F-grade ROI grades with debt-to-earnings ratios well above 1.0.
How Bowling Green State University-Main Campus scores under our methodology
These are the College Scorecard measures that pull this school's CampusROI score down. They describe the published figures, not the quality of the education, and they are our reading of the data. Check them against your own aid offer and intended major.
- ROI Score32/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Payback period18.3 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Bowling Green State University-Main Campus
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $14,460/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $22,448/yr |
| Average net price | $24,022/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $96,088 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $47,896 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $33,500 |
| Median debt at graduation | $25,000 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $265 |
| Estimated payback period | 18.3 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 63.7% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 12,812 |
Data as of 2024-2025. Source: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education).
The Full Financial Picture
The first number you'll see is the sticker price: $14,460/year ($22,448/year out-of-state), which covers tuition and fees only. The net price counts books, supplies, and average living costs on top of tuition and fees, then subtracts grants and scholarships. For the average student here it comes to $24,022/year, or roughly $96,088 over four years. That's the number to plan around.
What you actually pay depends a lot on what your family earns. Families making under $30,000/year pay an average of $18,396/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $27,414/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $25,000, which works out to about $265 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($33,500) and comes to 0.75, under 1.0, meaning median debt is less than a full year of those earnings.
Net Price by Family Income
What families actually pay after grants and scholarships, by income bracket.
| Family Income | Avg Net Price/Year |
|---|---|
| $0 - $30,000 | $18,396 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $18,547 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $21,820 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $25,741 |
| $110,001+ | $27,414 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30,000 pay $18,396 net price per year - about $73,584 over four years. At $33,500 average 6-year earnings, the payback extends past 18 years on the median. Low-income students who enter engineering or nursing can significantly outperform this median; others face a difficult financial trajectory.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Middle-income families ($48,001-$75,000) pay $21,820 per year. Families in the $75,001-$110,000 bracket pay $25,741. Middle-income students at BGSU face a similar challenge: program selection determines whether the investment is defensible.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families earning $110,000+ pay $27,414 per year - roughly $110,000 over four years. Average 6-year earnings are $33,500, and the payback period is 18.3 years. Engineering and nursing students can construct a reasonable case; most other programs cannot.
Earnings by Major
Top 10 most popular majors at Bowling Green State University-Main Campus with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Special Education and Teaching | $45,224 | C |
| Teacher Education | $45,168 | C |
| Psychology | $46,481 | D |
| Kinesiology and Exercise Science | $52,818 | D |
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $79,291 | B |
| Biology | $47,131 | D |
| Marketing | $65,926 | C+ |
| Registered Nursing | $78,798 | B |
| Education, Other | $45,147 | D |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | $52,068 | D |
Earnings reflect median 4-year post-completion (or 1-year where 4-year unavailable). Grades based on debt-to-earnings ratio.
Program Analysis
Why these programs deliver their earnings outcomes.
Computer Engineering
Computer Engineering (51 graduates) earns $67,949 year-one and $93,626 at year four with a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.397 (ROI grade B). BGSU's engineering programs are the clearest value in the catalog. The four-year trajectory to $93k reflects Toledo and regional Midwest employer demand for engineering graduates.
Registered Nursing
Registered Nursing (101 graduates) earns $68,261 year-one and $78,798 at year four with a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.379 (ROI grade B). Nursing is a consistent performer across Ohio regionals. At BGSU's net price, the B grade represents an acceptable value for healthcare-career-focused students.
Business Administration, Management, and Operations
Business Administration (122 graduates) earns $60,807 year-one and $79,291 at year four with a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.411 (ROI grade B). BGSU's Schmidthorst College of Business provides placement into Toledo and regional Ohio business markets.
Music
Music (17 graduates) earns $20,632 year-one and $44,037 at year four with a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.309 (ROI grade F). BGSU's music program is well-regarded nationally, but the labor market for music graduates is structurally weak. Graduates owe 1.3 times their first-year income. Students choosing this path should have a financial plan that does not depend on music earnings to service the debt.
Film/Video and Photographic Arts
Film/Video (31 graduates) earns $19,803 year-one and $39,707 at year four with a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.313 (ROI grade F). BGSU operates one of Ohio's larger film programs, but the earnings data reflects the structural oversupply in the film and media labor market. At a $24,022 net price, this program produces debt that exceeds a year's income.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 61.3% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 66.9% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 58.3% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 68.5% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Bowling Green State University-Main Campus’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2009-2024).
Average Net Price
Completion Rate
Median Earnings, 10 Years After Entry (as reported)
Earnings reflect borrowers measured 10 years after entry and publish on an irregular cadence with a multi-year reporting lag, so this series shows only the years the Department of Education reported - the data is never interpolated.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, release years shown. Net price and completion are reported annually.
Admissions Snapshot
| Acceptance rate | 81.0% |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 500-600 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 500-610 |
| ACT Composite (25th-75th) | 19-26 |
| Enrollment | 12,812 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 23.1% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $10,477 |
BGSU's 81.0% admission rate and ACT 19-26 range place it in the broadly accessible tier. No SAT/ACT selectivity advantage accrues to the BGSU credential in competitive labor markets.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
The performing arts and film programs give BGSU a distinctive identity but do not translate into ROI advantage - they are subsidized by the engineering and business programs.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowling Green State University-Main Campus (this school) | 32 | $24,022 | $47,896 |
| University of Akron Wayne College | 48 | $6,032 | $46,600 |
| University of Akron Main Campus | 38 | $13,946 | $46,600 |
| Morgan State University | 34 | $14,985 | $50,698 |
| Arkansas State University | 33 | $12,366 | $42,617 |
| New Mexico State University-Main Campus | 31 | $8,889 | $39,067 |
Who Thrives Here
BGSU admits 81.0% of applicants with ACT mid-range 19-26 and SAT 500-610 in both sections - broadly accessible. At 12,812 students it is a medium-sized regional university in northwest Ohio. Students targeting engineering, construction, information science, or business get B-grade or better outcomes. Students choosing performing arts, film, drama, music, or visual arts face F-grade ROI results with debt-to-earnings ratios exceeding 1.0. BGSU's arts identity should not obscure how poorly arts programs perform on the data.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Bowling Green State University-Main Campus scores 32/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $24,022 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $47,896 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 18.3 years. In our view that makes the financial case a hard one to make on the numbers alone, but those numbers are averages: your major, your aid package and what you want from a degree all change the picture, so run your own numbers before you commit.
What to keep an eye on: weak earnings relative to cost, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.75 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 66.9% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $25,000 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $33,500 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.75. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. Your major - and how much you borrow - really matters.
Bowling Green State University-Main Campus: Common Questions
Is Bowling Green State University-Main Campus worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Bowling Green State University-Main Campus scores 32/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $24,022 a year after aid against $47,896 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 18.3 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Bowling Green State University-Main Campus cost after financial aid?
The average net price - the cost of attendance (tuition, fees, books, supplies and average living costs) minus grants and scholarships, for full-time, first-time students receiving federal aid - is about $24,022 a year, or roughly $96,088 over four years. Because it counts living costs, it can run above tuition alone. That is the number to plan around. Actual cost varies by family income, per the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
What do Bowling Green State University-Main Campus graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $47,896 ten years after enrolling, roughly $6,096 a year more than the median high-school graduate ($41,800, per NCES, 2022). That earnings gap is what has to cover the cost of the degree.
How long does it take to pay off Bowling Green State University-Main Campus?
We estimate the payback period - the time it takes for the earnings bump over a high-school graduate to cover what you spent - at about 18.3 years for Bowling Green State University-Main Campus. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Bowling Green State University-Main Campus graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $25,000, against average earnings of $33,500 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.75. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. How much you borrow really matters.
What is the graduation rate at Bowling Green State University-Main Campus?
The six-year graduation rate is 63.7%. The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our ROI score, since a degree you don't finish rarely pays back.
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Data: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education)
Vintage: 2024-2025 · Last updated: 2026-03-25
Earnings reflect median outcomes for all federal financial aid recipients. Individual results vary by major, effort, and career path.