If Blue Ash is Cincinnati's regional campus, Clermont is where Cincinnati-bound students literally start smaller—it's even more rural, even more commuter-oriented, even cheaper. You'll spend your first two years on a bucolic Greene County campus before the UC transfer. Some students prefer that quiet launch; others feel isolated.
The classes are genuinely small, and faculty actually remember who you are. That matters for recommendation letters and for getting real feedback instead of generic comments on a rubric. It's the anti-lecture experience.
Real story: Clermont works if you need a confidence-building first two years, do well in tight-knit communities, or refuse to pay flagship tuition. It doesn't work if you crave campus life or want internship networks that don't require driving an hour.