University of Cincinnati Admission
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The Facts

The University of Cincinnati is a very large, public, state school located in the city of Cincinnati, Ohio, and is home to over 35,500 undergraduate, graduate, and part-time professional students. The University has seven branches throughout the state of Ohio, making it more convenient for students throughout the entire state to attend school. The university is actually divided up into several smaller colleges, including schools of arts and sciences, allied health and sciences, applied science, business, music (U of C is home to an acclaimed music conservatory), design, architecture, art and planning, education, criminal justice, human services, engineering, law, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and social work, and also encompasses Claremont College and Raymond Walters College. The university offers its students a wide variety of majors, both in the liberal arts and preprofessional areas; some of the most popular choices include psychology, architecture, nursing, pre-law, music, English, art, urban planning, and biology and the applied sciences.

Admission to the University of Cincinnati has been growing increasingly competitive with each passing admissions cycle. Last year, over 15,000 students applied for admission, approximately 9,000 of those students were admitted, and 5,000 matriculated. The admitted students had an average combined SAT score ranging from 1200 to 1320, and an average comprehensive ACT score ranging from 24 to 33. Additionally, more than 65% of those admitted were ranked in the top 25% of their high school graduating class with an average high school GPA of about a 3.62. Competitiveness in the admissions process varies somewhat between various schools and programs; for example, students wishing to attend the music conservatory must complete an audition, either in person or taped, and students wishing to attend the visual arts program must submit a comprehensive portfolio to be considered along with their application.

The University of Cincinnati has a student to faculty ratio of 18:1; most of the introductory classes are held in large lecture format, and many students complain that they feel quite anonymous. Some of the upper-level classes are much smaller, and are either discussion or laboratory based. In general, professors get high marks from students when it comes to accessibility and willingness to help students out, however, there are the occasional teachers who seem more interested in their own careers and research than in their students.

The Social Scene

The University of Cincinnati has a bit of a reputation as a party school, and there is definitely never a shortage of nighttime activities, particularly on the weekends. U of Cincinnati has quite a large Greek population, although students say they don’t really govern the on-campus social life. The city of Cincinnati itself is also quite vibrant, and offers students concerts, museums, good food, good shopping, and a great nightlife.

The school is quite diverse, and we hear the dating scene is awesome. There is a good mix of jocks and artsy folks, many of whom are quite attractive to boot...

What’s Good

“Even though the school is really big, it’s actually a very welcoming place, and when you first arrive, you get treated like royalty.”

“The research facilities here are state of the art. You get a lot of opportunities to do some real research with your professors, even as a freshman.”

“The party scene here is awesome, but if it isn’t your thing, you won’t be at a loss for activities.”

What’s Bad

“The classes are way too big, and you feel like just another number. It gets old very quickly.”

“There are some professors who never have office hours and are totally impossible to reach if you have even the smallest question.”

“There is a lot of red tape to hack through when it comes to the administration. It’s very frustrating sometimes.”

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