Ohio Wesleyan University

Welcome to Ohio Wesleyan University!

What do you care about? Where do you want to go? Who do you want to be?

Ohio Wesleyan University’s robust and supportive approach to higher education helps students answer those questions and turn their answers into reality. Through an academic program called The OWU Connection, they learn to think creatively and critically, communicate with authority, solve complex problems, and apply their knowledge in settings around the world.

OWU is one of the top liberal arts schools in the country, and students come here because they want a full experience that will help them find their passion and build a pathway to a fulfilling career and life. In fact, OWU is one of only 44 schools listed as Colleges That Change Lives and is ranked in the top 100 national liberal arts colleges by U.S. News & World Report. At OWU (pronounced Oh-Woo by students), you will combine the deep learning of traditional liberal arts with real-world practice and global experience in a personalized program.

A feast for your mind

With over 70 majors, Ohio Wesleyan is one of the most comprehensive liberal arts universities in the nation. OWU has long been regarded as a leading university in the traditional liberal arts, providing small classes and rich learning and research opportunities, and helping students develop skills in critical thinking, communication, and leadership. 

At the same time, Ohio Wesleyan offers a breadth of majors that is difficult to find in a school of its size, with programs in areas such as Business, Data Analytics, Fine Arts, Communication, and Education; scientific fields such as Neuroscience and Zoology; and a wide range of pre-professional areas, including Medicine, Dentistry, Physical Therapy, Law, Public Administration, and Engineering.

Liberal arts for the 21^st century

What makes OWU distinctive is its focus on the concept of connection—it’s the foundation of The OWU Connection.

• You will “think big” as you span academic disciplines to explore the world’s important challenges. About one-third of OWU students graduate with two or more majors.
• You will “go global” as you participate in off-campus programs and courses and interact with a diverse student body on the OWU campus. More than 400 students a year have travel-learning experiences, from New York to Japan, Alaska to the Galapagos Islands.
• You will “get real” as you connect theory to practice with hands-on learning in real-world situations through internships and mentored research. Innovative OWU Connection Grants provide full funding to students to take their classroom learning into practical and research experiences in laboratories, field studies, arts and community organizations, and other settings around the world.

OWU is alive

OWU students are uber-involved. With more than 100 student clubs and organizations, campus life at Ohio Wesleyan is seemingly non-stop activity. Clubs range from Active Minds and OWtsiders to Sisters United and Ultimate Frisbee. About one-third of OWU students are on one of 25 varsity sports teams (with women’s rowing and men’s wrestling added in 2018), and about one-third are in a fraternity or sorority.

The spirit of service is big at OWU, with students contributing more than 40,000 hours a year in volunteer service. Many spend their spring breaks on interfaith service trips to sites in the United States and abroad.

Nearly all students live on campus, and the heart of student life beats around the fountain on the JAYwalk, the pathway that connects the residential and academic ends of campus. Beeghly Library and Hamilton-Williams Campus Center stand on either side of the fountain, and students are always meeting there. That’s also the site for Day on the JAY—a twice-a-year campus celebration widely known as “the best day at OWU.”

The beautiful Ohio Wesleyan campus stretches across 200 acres. Students learn in historic buildings from the 19^th century as well as modern labs with state-of-the-art technology. They enjoy wide-open green spaces with hundreds of trees, a variety of dining options, and great athletic and performing arts facilities. A new fitness center opened in 2015.

Vibrant community 

Ohio Wesleyan students live a few blocks from historic downtown Delaware, a friendly city of 38,000 with more than 25 dining options within walking distance. You can attend a movie at the historic Strand Theatre, visit a locally owned coffee shop, or take a stroll on First Fridays, Delaware’s monthly street fair. Columbus, the 14^th-largest city in America, is just a 30-minute drive, with great internship opportunities and vibrant entertainment and shopping options.

Infinite opportunities

Employers covet OWU’s well-prepared graduates. Last year 95% of reporting graduates were employed or in grad school within six months. In addition, OWU is rated among the top liberal arts colleges for salary potential for mid-career graduates by PayScale, Inc., and is #17 in Forbes’s list of America’s “Most Entrepreneurial” colleges.

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