| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Private, for-profit career college; in-person programs only |
| Teaching sites | 5, all in Ohio: 3 campuses (Sheffield Village main campus, Dayton, Columbus) and 2 Trades Academy extensions in Elyria and Lorain |
| Credentials | Diplomas (4 programs); no degree programs currently listed |
| Program length | About 9 months (electrical, HVAC) to 12 months (nursing) |
| Accreditation | Council on Occupational Education, reaffirmed June 2023 through 2029, per the college; Practical Nursing fully and LPN to RN conditionally approved by the Ohio Board of Nursing |
| Federal aid | Yes |
| Cost | $16,675 to $23,517 per program on the tuition sheet effective 1 October 2024 (no 2026-27 sheet published) |
| Founded / owner | 1903, as Lorain Business College; renamed in 1998; owned by Tri-State Educational Systems, Inc. |
| Facts checked | October 2026 |
Ohio Business College: nursing and trade diplomas at five Ohio sites
Ohio Business College is a private career college that began in 1903 as Lorain Business College. Tri-State Educational Systems, a company based in Middletown, Ohio, bought it in 1997 and renamed it Ohio Business College in 1998. Despite the name, it no longer lists any business programs: its four current programs are diplomas in practical nursing, LPN to RN, electrical and HVAC work. Nursing is taught at the Sheffield Village main campus in Lorain County, and the trades at two nearby Trades Academy sites and at campuses in Dayton (added in 2019) and Columbus.
The college has changed a good deal recently. Its Sandusky campus closed after a teach-out in March 2025, electrical training moved to Elyria the same month, and truck driving, the business associate degrees and Medical Assisting are no longer listed.
Four diploma programs
| Program | Credential | Length | Schedule | Where offered | Prepares for | Total (Oct 2024 sheet) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Practical Nursing | Diploma; 69 credits (70 on the cost sheet) | 12 months (44 weeks, four quarters) | Full time, day | Sheffield Village | NCLEX-PN (LPN licence) | $22,508 |
| LPN to RN | Diploma; 81 quarter credits | About 12 months (four 10-week quarters) | Full time, day | Sheffield Village | NCLEX-RN; for licensed LPNs only | $23,517 |
| Electrical Applications | Diploma; 48 credits (55 on the cost sheet) | 9 months | Full time, day or evening | Elyria, Dayton, Columbus | No licence or certification named | $16,785 |
| HVAC Applications | Diploma; 54 credits | 9 months (12 in the program page’s summary) | Full time, day or evening | Lorain, Dayton; Columbus pending COE approval | No certification named | $16,675 |
All four programs are taught in person; there is no online option. There are four starts a year. Nursing quarters are 10 weeks and trades quarters 12 weeks. We found no programmatic accreditation, such as ACEN or CNEA, for either nursing program. The college’s website still has a page and a cost-sheet line for an older 64-credit HVAC/R diploma; HVAC Applications is the version on its programs list.
What the main programs cover
Practical Nursing
Practical Nursing runs 44 weeks over four quarters, full time in the day, at the Sheffield Village campus. It combines 450 clock hours of theory with 420 hours of clinical experience, plus practice in the campus’s nursing skills and simulation labs. Graduates sit the NCLEX-PN to be licensed as practical nurses. Applicants need a high-school diploma or GED, a 2.0 GPA, an entrance assessment score, a criminal record check and a drug screen. Nursing students must attend at least 80% of classes.
LPN to RN
The LPN to RN program is for practical nurses who already hold an active, unencumbered Ohio or multistate PN licence. It runs four 10-week quarters, about a year, full time in the day at Sheffield Village, and totals 1,012 clock hours: 700 of theory, 120 of clinical experience and 192 in skills and simulation labs. Graduates take the NCLEX-RN. Besides the licence, applicants need an entrance essay, health screenings and transcripts from high school and their PN program. The program is new and has no published completion or pass rates yet.
Electrical Applications
Electrical Applications is a nine-month diploma taught full time in day or evening classes. Its core courses are Wiring, Cabling & Connections; Motors & Controls; Low Voltage; Residential Installation; and Commercial Installation. The program also covers transformers, motor-control circuits, instrumentation and programmable logic controllers (PLCs). The college describes the goal as entry-level electrician or electrical technician work, but its program page names no licence or certification that graduates prepare for. Trades students must attend at least 75% of classes.
HVAC Applications
HVAC Applications is a 54-credit diploma taught full time in day or evening classes. It covers heating and cooling systems for homes and commercial buildings, along with customer service, and is aimed at entry-level HVAC technician jobs. The program page gives its length as nine months in the text but 12 months in its summary, so ask which applies. The page does not mention the EPA 608 refrigerant certification exam. An older, 64-credit HVAC/R version of the program still has its own page on the college’s website.
Tuition by program area: latest sheet from October 2024
Ohio Business College charges tuition per credit hour, at a different rate for each program area, with no in-state or out-of-state tiers. It has not published a 2026-27 tuition schedule: the 2026-27 catalog refers to a tuition and fees schedule that is not in the PDF’s text. The figures below come from the college’s latest cost of attendance sheet, for terms beginning on or after 1 October 2024. Confirm current prices with the college before you budget.
| Program | Credits | Rate per credit | Tuition | Total with books, lab fee and supplies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Practical Nursing | 70 | $260 | $18,200 | $22,508 |
| LPN to RN | 81 | $230 | $18,630 | $23,517 |
| Electrical Applications | 55 | $242 | $13,310 | $16,785 |
| HVAC Applications | 54 | $240 | $12,960 | $16,675 |
Nursing students also pay a $100 registration fee that is not in the totals, and every student pays a $60 technology fee each quarter. The college can change tuition with 60 days’ notice.
The college takes federal student aid and has posted its FSEOG grant policy for 2025-26. It also lists a route for WIOA dislocated-worker funding, approval by the Ohio State Approving Agency for veterans’ education and vocational rehabilitation, and VA education benefits. It names the Ohio Academic Scholarship and the Ohio National Guard Scholarship but gives no amounts, and we found no college scholarships with stated amounts. A net price calculator is on the college’s website.
Admissions, starts and schedules
Applicants need a high-school diploma or GED and begin with a tour and an interview. There are no application deadlines, but some programs have limited seats, and students apply before the quarter in which they want to start. Nursing applicants also go through the screening described above. Electrical and HVAC run day or evening sessions; both nursing programs are full-time day programs. To graduate, students need a 2.00 cumulative GPA and must complete at least 67% of the credits they attempt.
Accreditation and school-reported results
Ohio Business College is accredited by the Council on Occupational Education (COE), which first approved it in February 2018. According to the college’s 2025 accreditation and approvals document, COE reaffirmed its accreditation in June 2023 through 2029; we did not check those dates in COE’s own directory. The college is registered with the Ohio State Board of Career Colleges and Schools.
Practical Nursing is fully approved by the Ohio Board of Nursing. LPN to RN has conditional approval, with initial approval granted on 23 July 2025, according to the Ohio Board of Nursing’s approved RN program list. The college’s own program page says only that it is approved.
The college publishes completion, placement and licensure rates for each campus for the year ending 30 June 2025. The reports give no definitions and no cohort sizes, so it is not clear how many students each figure covers.
| Program and site | Completion | Placement | Licensure | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical Applications, Lorain County | 69% | 81% | – | Sheffield and Trades Academy report |
| HVAC/Refrigeration (as the report names it), Lorain County | 62% | 72% | – | Same report |
| Practical Nursing, Sheffield Village | 58% | 75% | 94% | Same report |
| Electrical Applications, Dayton | 85% | 75% | – | Dayton report |
| Electrical Applications, Columbus (new program) | 15% | 100% | – | Columbus report |
The 94% licensure rate is the college’s own figure; we found no Ohio Board of Nursing pass-rate figure for the school, and LPN to RN has no results yet. Separately, the 2026-27 catalog reports that 85.6% of the 104 full-time, first-time students who started in fall 2023 had completed or graduated by 1 July 2026.
Before you enroll
- LPN to RN has only conditional Board of Nursing approval (July 2025) and no published NCLEX-RN results yet. Ask the college what conditions apply and when full approval is expected.
- Results vary widely by program and site. In 2025 the college reported 58% completion for Practical Nursing and 15% for electrical in Columbus, and its reports give no cohort sizes.
- Neither trade program names a licence or certification it prepares for, and the HVAC page does not mention the EPA 608 exam. Ask what exams, if any, are included.
- The latest published prices date from October 2024 and can change with 60 days’ notice. The program pages and the cost sheet also disagree on credits for Practical Nursing (69 or 70) and Electrical Applications (48 or 55).
- Columbus does not teach HVAC yet, because the program is pending COE approval, and nursing is taught only at Sheffield Village.
Five teaching sites: what each teaches
| Site | Address | Programs |
|---|---|---|
| Lorain County main campus | 5095 Waterford Drive, Sheffield Village, OH 44035 | Practical Nursing, LPN to RN |
| Trades Academy, Elyria | 1555 West River Road N., Elyria, OH 44035 | Electrical Applications |
| Trades Academy, Lorain | 5075 Pearl Avenue, Lorain, OH 44055 | HVAC Applications |
| Dayton campus | 5450 Salem Avenue, Dayton, OH 45426 | Electrical Applications, HVAC Applications |
| Columbus campus | 1590 Alum Creek Drive, Columbus, OH 43209 | Electrical Applications; HVAC pending COE approval |
The two Trades Academy sites are extensions of the Lorain County campus, which is why the college describes itself as having three campuses. Its Sandusky campus closed in March 2025 after a teach-out, according to the same 2025 accreditation and approvals document.
Career help and testing
The college says it makes no guarantee of placement but will help graduates make initial contact with employers, and its program pages mention job placement assistance. It is an authorized Pearson VUE and Certiport testing site. There is no student housing.
Facts checked October 2026.
Programs & Courses
Nursing
- Practical Nursing (diploma)
- LPN to RN (diploma, for licensed practical nurses)
Skilled Trades
- Electrical Applications (diploma)
- HVAC Applications (diploma)
Campus Locations
Cleveland (Sheffield Village), OH 5095 Waterford Drive, Sheffield Village, OH 44035
Elyria, OH 1555 West River Road N., Elyria, OH 44035
Lorain, OH 5075 Pearl Avenue, Lorain, OH 44055
Dayton, OH 5450 Salem Avenue, Dayton, OH 45426
Columbus, OH 1590 Alum Creek Drive, Columbus, OH 43209