Wall Street Journal ranks Wright State top public university in Ohio for social mobility

Wright State University was ranked the top public university in Ohio for social mobility in the Wall Street Journal’s 2025 America’s Best Colleges rankings.

The social mobility ranking, which acknowledges how much a university enhances students’ social mobility after graduation, considers the number of years it takes to pay off the net tuition price, how much a university boosts its graduates’ salaries, the proportion of students at the university who receive Pell Grants and the graduation rates of those students.

Wright State ranked No. 3 for students’ social mobility among all private and public colleges and universities in Ohio, just behind Muskingum University and Ohio Northern University, but ahead of all public institutions including Ohio State.

“Wright State is committed to providing all students with access to a high-quality education, no matter what walk of life they come from, and helping them get across the finish line with a degree,” said Wright State President Susan Edwards. “The Wall Street Journal’s social mobility ranking recognizes how impactful a Wright State degree can be for our students and acknowledges that the investment in a degree from Wright State pays social and economic dividends for a lifetime and changes the trajectory of a student’s life.”

More than 40% of first-time undergraduate students at Wright State for the fall 2024 semester are Pell Grant recipients. Overall, 2,983 undergraduate students at Wright State, or 39.2%, are Pell Grant recipients, exceeding the national average of 34%, according to 2023 data from the Educational Data Initiative.

Wright State’s Take Flight Program, which provides eligible students with a tuition-free education, continues to be a success, with 245 students in the program’s third cohort, a 52% increase in students since it launched in 2022.

The Wall Street Journal ranked Wright State highly in several other categories:

• 2 in best salaries among public universities in Ohio
• 4 in best value among public universities in Ohio

The best salaries ranking reflects the impact a university has on its graduates’ salaries in relation to tuition, while the best value ranking is based on the years it takes graduates to pay off their university’s net tuition price.

The Wall Street Journal’s America’s Best Colleges 2025 rankings recognize universities doing an outstanding job in higher education. The rankings of the top 500 universities are based on a survey of more than 110,000 undergraduate students and recent alumni and student outcome metrics.

Join us for Raider Open House

Future students and their families can explore the Dayton Campus, connect with faculty and current students, and learn why it’s a great time to be a Raider at Wright State University’s next open house on Saturday, Oct. 19.

Future students can choose to begin their open house experience at 9:30 or 11 a.m.

Registration information is available at wright.edu/raideropenhouse.

Raider Open House is open to any student interested in pursuing a four-year or bachelor’s degree at Wright State University.