100%
of students receive
some type of aid
6,419
students
84% undergraduate
16% graduate
14:1
student-to-faculty ratio
COLLEGE OF DISTINCTION
AU was named a College of Distinction for the first time in 2025-26, recognizing its engaged students, great teaching, vibrant community and successful outcomes. Additionally, it was awarded program distinctions in five categories: business, education, nursing, career development and military support.
2026 BEST COLLEGE
AU was named a “2026 Best College” and ranked among the top 30% of Midwest regional universities (42nd of 161) in the U.S. News & World Report college rankings. Within the region, AU ranked No. 19 in “Best Colleges for Veterans,” No. 50 in “Best Value Schools” and No. 61 in “Top Performers on Social Mobility,” while nationally, AU’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and undergraduate business programs received “Best College” distinctions.
MONEY'S BEST COLLEGES
AU was selected as one of Money’s Best Colleges for 2025, a practical college ranking that focuses “on affordability and student outcomes to help families make informed decisions.” Only 30% of the four-year public and private colleges in the U.S. earned a Best Colleges distinction following Money’s deep analytical dive.
TOP NCAA DIVISION II ATHLETIC PROGRAM
Ashland is home to one of the top NCAA Division II athletic programs in the nation, having finished in the top-20 of the Directors’ Cup all-sports standings 20 times (17th in 2024-25), and its student-athletes are truly students first. Every Eagle team has finished with a GPA of at least 3.0 the last four semesters and eight individuals earned Academic All-American awards in 2024-25.
Katie Nageotte Moon ’13 has been one of the best professional pole vaulters in the world since graduating from Ashland. She won Olympic gold in Tokyo in 2020, then added a silver medal at the Paris Olympics in 2024, and is the first woman to win three straight pole vault titles at the World Athletics Championships.
Trevor Bassitt ’21, ’22 MBA also was a member of Team USA at the 2024 Summer Olympics, competing in the 400-meter hurdles. A five-time medalist at World Athletics Championship events, Bassitt advanced to the semifinals in Paris and continues to train for future international track races.
Hunter Allen ’25 changed his feathers from the Ashland Eagles to the Baltimore Orioles, as the hard-throwing right-handed pitcher was taken in the seventh round of the 2025 Major League Baseball Draft. Allen hopes to join Brandyn Sittinger ’16 and Art Warren ‘15 as the third recent AU baseball player to reach the big leagues.
Student Satisfaction
THE ASHBROOK CENTER
Offers a rigorous, top-rated program for students pursuing a major or minor in political science, history, and political economy. Students study primary source documents to develop a deep understanding of America’s founding principles and constitutional self-government.
TOP MAJORS
- Exercise Science
- Early Childhood Intervention Specialist
- Business Management
- Nursing
- Finance
- Sport Management
- Marketing
- Accounting
- Biology
- Criminal Justice
2026 Alumni Survey Results
(1,300 alumni responded)
96% of alumni still feel connected to the university
87% of alumni would be very likely or somewhat likely to recommend AU to a prospective high school or transfer student
79% of alumni felt AU prepared them extremely well or quite well for their career and life after graduation
Faculty & Staff
Cara Rogers Stevens, Ph.D., an associate professor of history, was named one of five finalists for the 2025 George Washington Prize, one of the nation’s most notable literary awards. Her work, “Thomas Jefferson and the Fight Against Slavery,” analyzes a book by Jefferson and helps to clarify one of America’s Founding Fathers true views on slavery. Stevens sought to research Jefferson’s composition to address the perplexing topic of “how the guy who wrote the Declaration of Independence could also have slaves.”
Janel Molnar ’04, director of recreation and wellness, achieved national distinction for her work as a leader and mentor, having been selected for the Outstanding Peer Education Advisor award at the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators’ (NASPA) Peer Education Conference earlier this year. Molnar was cited for bringing “exceptional insight, empathy and innovation to peer education, empowering students to grow into confident leaders and effective advocates.”
Campus Improvements
AU is undertaking the largest dormitory renovation project in its history, as Amstutz Hall, Jacobs Hall and the first floor of Andrews Hall will be completely renovated and ready for Fall 2026 occupancy. The three residence halls will include air conditioning, pod-style private bathrooms and extensive lobby and room updates featuring new flooring, LED lighting and furniture, all thanks to a $15 million gift from Dwight ’64 and Martha Schar. It marks the single largest gift in AU history.
This project comes on the heels of a $20 million campus beautification project that included a renovation of Clayton Hall, the addition of a café in Archer Library, a new outdoor plaza, redeveloped landscaping, parking lots and sidewalks and fresh signage across campus.
Other significant projects completed within the last 12 months include:
- A Crime Scene Lab, which mimics a one bedroom apartment and enables criminal justice students to process simulated crime scenes with all new evidence supplies.
- Delta Zeta suite, a complete renovation consisting of a kitchen remodel and new flooring, lighting, furniture and décor in the lounge area for one of the largest sororities.
- The Department of Music’s Sprunger Piano Lab, featuring 17 top-of-the-line Yamaha digital pianos.