Data released earlier this year by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center shows that, despite rising costs, higher education enrollment rose nationwide in fall 2025 compared to the previous year. Enrollment at public 4-year colleges rose nearly 1.5%, while community colleges saw the largest increase at 3%.
WVXU spoke with a handful of high school students at Cincinnati Public Schools' annual college fair to get a sense of what they hope to get from a college education and how they plan to afford it.
Marshawn Sally is a senior at Oyler High School in Lower Price Hill. He wants to study health science and eventually become a nurse. He's considering Ohio University and Kentucky State University, an HBCU (Historically Black College and University), but he's keeping his options open and is working on a strategy to pay for it.
"I was actually thinking about going into the military, the National Guard, so it can help me pay for college," Sally said.
Other students, like Walnut Hills High School junior Braylen Morgan, say they're looking to land scholarships to lessen or eliminate the financial burden of college tuition. Morgan says he's keeping his GPA up, joining clubs, and running track to increase his chances. Right now, he's likely to enroll at a state school, but is also open to out-of-state options.
"I do see schools that I can see myself going to," he said. "UC, OSU, and maybe North Carolina A&T."
Several colleges and universities in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana want to attract more local students with new free or reduced tuition programs.
This fall, the University of Cincinnati launched the Bearcat Affordability Grant, which awards free tuition to accepted students whose families live in Ohio and earn $75,000 a year or less. Wright State is introducing a similar program for fall 2027 for in-state students eligible for Federal Pell Grants who also have a 3.2 GPA or higher.
Xavier University recently introduced a program offering automatic admission to every Greater Cincinnati high school student with a 3.5 GPA or higher and awards each student a $30,000 annual scholarship if they choose to attend. Ohio University is also starting a guaranteed admission program that comes with a $2,000 annual scholarship.
Since 2025, Northern Kentucky University has offered in-state tuition rates to all Ohio and Indiana students.
Even with these close-by options, some Cincinnati high school students still want to attend out-of-state institutions.
Sydney Cooper, a senior at Diamond Oaks Career High School, hasn't settled on where she'll attend school next fall, but she's certain it will be an out-of-state HBCU. For her, having a learning environment where she feels welcome and comfortable is a top priority.
"Being a minority, I feel like I need to be around my people," Cooper told WVXU. "I don't think I'd be able to succeed to my best potential at a PWI (Predominantly White Institution)."
She says she already has a few scholarships and is applying for more to make going to out-of-state school possible.
Walnut Hills sophomore Durga Rao-Bedi wants to escape Ohio's cold weather and enroll in school in Florida. She still has a few years before that decision and says her parents want her to consider in-state options.
"Like UC and OSU, because it's cheaper and closer to home," Rao-Bedi said.
Out-of-state tuition can get expensive, so another Walnut Hills student, Aubrey Goodwin, a junior, plans to use money from her college savings and scholarships to attend a big college in the South.
"I think they look more fun," she said. "Social life definitely matters to me too. Obviously, the education part matters because it's college, but the social life definitely matters."
Several other students told WVXU that they preferred larger institutions that offer new experiences over smaller schools. That follows a national trend. While public universities and community colleges are seeing some gains, the National Student Clearinghouse's data indicates small private schools are seeing the opposite. In fall 2025, private 4-year institutions saw about a 2% decline in enrollment.
That's pushing some of these schools to offer generous tuition packages. Starting in 2027, Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana, will give free tuition to every Indiana student from a family making $100,000 or less a year. Denison University in Granville, Ohio, is doing the same and is offering it to any U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
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