485BPOS

AS FILED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION ON APRIL 11, 2014

1933 Act File No. 333-40455

1940 Act File No. 811-08495

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM N-1A

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933	x
Post-Effective Amendment No. 164	x

and/or

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940

Amendment No. 165 x

(Check appropriate box or boxes)

NATIONWIDE MUTUAL FUNDS

(EXACT NAME OF REGISTRANT AS SPECIFIED IN CHARTER)

1000 CONTINENTAL DRIVE, SUITE 400

KING OF PRUSSIA, PENNSYLVANIA 19406

(ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICE) (ZIP CODE)

Registrant’s Telephone Number, including Area Code: (610) 230-1300

Send Copies of Communications to:
ALLAN J. OSTER, ESQ.	PRUFESH MODHERA, ESQ.
1000 CONTINENTAL DRIVE, SUITE 400	STRADLEY RONON STEVENS & YOUNG, LLP
KING OF PRUSSIA, PENNSYLVANIA 19406	1250 CONNECTICUT AVENUE, N.W., SUITE 500
(NAME AND ADDRESS OF AGENT FOR SERVICE)	WASHINGTON, D.C. 20036

It is proposed that this filing will become effective: (check appropriate box)

x immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b)

¨ on [date] pursuant to paragraph (b)

¨ 60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)

¨ on [date] pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)

¨ 75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2)

¨ on [date] pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of rule 485.

If appropriate, check the following box:

¨ This post-effective amendment designated a new effective date for a previously filed post-effective amendment.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, Nationwide Mutual Funds (a Delaware Statutory Trust) certifies that it meets all of the requirements for effectiveness of this registration statement under Rule 485(b) under the Securities Act of 1933 and has duly caused this Post-Effective Amendment Nos. 164, 165 to the Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the Township of Upper Merion, and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, on this 11^th day of April, 2014.

NATIONWIDE MUTUAL FUNDS
BY:	/s/ Allan J. Oster
	Allan J. Oster, Attorney-In-Fact for Registrant

PURSUANT TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, THIS POST-EFFECTIVE

AMENDMENT NOS. 164, 165 TO THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT OF NATIONWIDE MUTUAL FUNDS HAS BEEN SIGNED BELOW BY THE FOLLOWING PERSONS IN THE CAPACITIES INDICATED ON THE 11^th DAY OF APRIL, 2014.

Signature & Title

Principal Executive Officer

/s/ Michael S. Spangler*

Michael S. Spangler, President and

Chief Executive Officer

Principal Accounting and Financial Officer

/s/ Joseph Finelli*

Joseph Finelli, Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer

/s/ Charles E. Allen*

Charles E. Allen, Trustee

/s/ Paula H.J. Cholmondeley*

Paula H.J. Cholmondeley, Trustee

/s/ Phyllis Kay Dryden*

Phyllis Kay Dryden, Trustee

/s/ Barbara L. Hennigar*

Barbara L. Hennigar, Trustee

/s/ Barbara I. Jacobs*

Barbara I. Jacobs, Trustee

/s/ Keith F. Karlawish*

Keith F. Karlawish, Trustee

/s/ Douglas F. Kridler*

Douglas F. Kridler, Trustee

/s/ David C. Wetmore*

David C. Wetmore, Trustee and Chairman

*BY:	/s/ Allan J. Oster
	Allan J. Oster, Attorney-In Fact

INDEX TO EXHIBITS

Exhibit No.	Exhibit
EX-101.INS	XBRL Instance Document
EX-101.SCH	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
EX-101.CALC	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase
EX-101.DEF	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase
EX-101.LAB	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Labels Linkbase
EX-101.PRE	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase

XML

Nationwide Diverse Managers Fund

FUND SUMMARY: NATIONWIDE DIVERSE MANAGERS FUND

Objective

The Fund seeks capital appreciation and income.

Conservation of capital is a secondary consideration in selecting portfolio investments.

Fees and Expenses

This table describes the fees and expenses you may pay when buying and holding shares of the Fund. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in Nationwide Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in “Investing with Nationwide Funds” commencing on page 14 of this Prospectus and in “Additional Information on Purchases and Sales” commencing on page 54 of the Statement of Additional Information.

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses		Nationwide Diverse Managers Fund Institutional Service Class Shares
Management Fees		0.60%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fee		none
Other Expenses	[1]	1.02%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses		1.62%
Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement	[2]	(0.53%)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement		1.09%

Example

This Example is intended to help you to compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. It assumes a 5% return each year and no change in expenses. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example (USD $)	1 Year	3 Years
Nationwide Diverse Managers Fund Institutional Service Class shares	111	459

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. No portfolio turnover rate is disclosed as the Fund has not commenced operations as of the date of this Prospectus.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund invests in a diversified portfolio of equity and fixed-income securities, and consists of four separate portions managed by different subadvisers. One portion invests primarily in equity securities issued by U.S. companies (“U.S. Equities Portion”). Another portion invests primarily in equity securities issued by companies that are located outside of the United States (“International Equities Portion”). A third portion invests primarily in equity securities issued by very small companies (“Small-Cap Portion”), and the fourth portion invests primarily in bonds and other fixed-income securities (“Fixed Income Portion”). Nationwide Fund Advisors (“NFA”) is the Fund’s investment adviser and, subject to the approval of the Board of Trustees of Nationwide Mutual Funds (the “Trust”), selects the Fund’s subadvisers and monitors their performance on an ongoing basis.

NFA has selected Herndon Capital Management, LLC (“Herndon”) to subadvise the U.S. Equities Portion. Herndon invests in common stocks issued by large-cap companies, utilizing a value style of investing. “Value” investing generally means investing in equity securities that a subadviser believes to be trading at prices that do not reflect a company’s intrinsic value. Companies issuing such securities may be currently out of favor, undervalued due to market declines, or experiencing poor operating conditions that the subadviser believes to be temporary. This portion is designed to provide the Fund’s shareholders with exposure to companies that the subadviser believes are undervalued versus their peers but which have demonstrated the ability to produce better than market returns. In managing this portion, Herndon emphasizes quality, liquidity and a disciplined investment process.

Strategic Global Advisors, LLC (“SGA”) is the subadviser for the Fund’s International Equities Portion. SGA seeks to provide long-term capital growth by investing in stocks of companies that are located or headquartered outside the United States or whose securities are traded primarily on foreign stock markets. The International Equities Portion may invest in the securities of companies of any market capitalization, including small- and mid-cap companies. SGA utilizes a quantitative strategy grounded in fundamental research in seeking to deliver maximum risk-adjusted returns. SGA focuses on security selection, rather than sector and country market timing.

Ariel Investments, LLC (“Ariel”) is the subadviser for the Fund’s Small-Cap Portion, which invests primarily in common stocks of companies with market capitalizations of less than $2 billion at the time of their initial purchase, some of which may be considered to be micro-cap companies. The Small-Cap Portion also may invest in initial public offerings (“IPOs”) of small companies to capitalize on the opportunity for growth. Ariel seeks to invest in companies that the subadviser believes are trading at low price-to-book ratios and have strong balance sheets. Using a strategy that combines patience and stock selection, Ariel purchases stocks of companies the market prices of which it believes to be trading at deep discounts to their intrinsic value. Some of these companies may be considered to be special situation companies and turnarounds, which are companies that have experienced significant business problems but which the subadviser believes have favorable prospects for recovery. Once a stock has been selected, Ariel seeks to hold such stocks for a relatively long period of time (generally five years or more).

NFA has selected Garcia Hamilton & Associates, L.P. (“Garcia Hamilton”) to subadvise the Fixed Income Portion. Garcia Hamilton employs an investment philosophy that focuses on the preservation of principal while maintaining high current income. Garcia Hamilton invests primarily in U.S. Treasury securities, U.S. government agency securities, and investment-grade mortgage-backed securities and corporate bonds.

Under normal market conditions, the Fund generally invests between 50% and 70% of its assets in equity securities, primarily common stocks, and at least 25% of its assets in fixed-income securities. In allocating assets to the four subadvisers, NFA pursues increased diversification among securities and investment styles in order to increase the potential for investment return while at the same time seeking to reduce risk and volatility.

Principal Risks

The Fund cannot guarantee that it will achieve its investment objective.

As with any fund, the value of the Fund’s investments—and therefore, the value of Fund shares—may fluctuate. These changes may occur because of:

Stock market risk – the Fund could lose value if the individual stocks in which it invests or overall stock markets in which such stocks trade go down.

Smaller company risk – smaller companies are usually less stable in price and less liquid than larger, more established companies. Smaller companies are more vulnerable than larger companies to adverse business and economic developments and may have more limited resources. Therefore, they generally involve greater risk.

Micro-cap risk – investing in micro-cap companies involves greater risk than investing in small, medium or large capitalization companies because the stocks of micro-cap companies tend to have greater price volatility and less liquidity than the stocks of larger companies. In addition, micro-cap companies tend to have smaller financial resources, less information available, more limited business lines and more geographic area concentration.

Value style risk – value investing carries the risk that the market will not recognize a security’s intrinsic value for a long time or that a stock judged to be undervalued may actually be appropriately priced. In addition, value stocks as a group may at times be out of favor and underperform the overall equity market for long periods while the market concentrates on other types of stocks, such as “growth” stocks.

Initial public offering risk – availability of IPOs may be limited and the Fund may not be able to buy any shares at the offering price, or may not be able to buy as many shares at the offering price as it would like, which may adversely impact Fund performance. Further, IPO prices often are subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than more established stocks.

Special situation companies risk – these are companies that may be involved in acquisitions, consolidations, mergers, reorganizations or other unusual developments that can affect a company’s market value. If the anticipated benefits of the developments do not ultimately materialize, the value of the special situation company may decline.

Foreign securities risk – foreign securities may be more volatile, harder to price and less liquid than U.S. securities. The prices of foreign securities may be further affected by other factors, such as changes in the exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and the currencies in which the securities are traded.

Fixed-income securities risk – investments in fixed-income securities, such as bonds or other investments with debt-like characteristics, subject the Fund to interest rate risk, credit risk and prepayment and call risk, which may affect the value of your investment. Interest rate risk is the risk that the value of fixed-income securities will decline when interest rates rise. Prices of longer-term securities generally change more in response to interest rate changes than prices of shorter-term securities. To the extent the Fund invests a substantial portion of its assets in fixed-income securities with longer-term maturities, rising interest rates are more likely to cause the value of the Fund’s investments to decline significantly. Credit risk is the risk that the issuer of a bond may be unable to pay interest or principal when due. If an issuer defaults, the Fund may lose money. Changes in a bond issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perceptions of an issuer’s creditworthiness may also affect the value of a bond.

Prepayment and call risk is the risk that certain fixed-income securities will be paid off by the issuer more quickly than anticipated. If this occurs, the Fund may be required to invest the proceeds in securities with lower yields.

Mortgage-backed securities risk – these securities are generally subject to the same types of risk that apply to other fixed-income securities, such as interest rate risk, credit risk, and prepayment and call risk. Mortgage-backed securities are also subject to extension risk, which is the risk that when interest rates rise, mortgage-backed securities will be paid in full by the issuer more slowly than anticipated. This can cause the market value of the security to fall because the market may view its interest rate as low for a longer-term investment. Through its investments in mortgage-backed securities, the Fund may have some exposure to subprime loans, as well as to the mortgage and credit markets generally. Subprime loans, which are loans made to borrowers with weakened credit histories, have higher default rates than loans that meet government underwriting requirements.

Liquidity risk – when there is little or no active trading market for specific types of securities or instruments, it can become more difficult to sell the securities or instruments at or near their perceived value. An inability to sell a portfolio position can adversely affect a Fund’s value or prevent the Fund from being able to take advantage of other investment opportunities. Liquidity risk also includes the risk that the Fund will experience significant net redemptions of its shares at a time when it cannot find willing buyers for its portfolio securities or can only sell its portfolio securities at a material loss. To meet redemption requests, the Fund may be forced to sell other securities or instruments that are more liquid, but at an unfavorable time and conditions.

Multi-manager risk – while NFA monitors each subadviser and the overall management of the Fund, each subadviser makes investment decisions independently from NFA and the other subadvisers. It is possible that the security selection process of one subadviser will not complement that of the other subadvisers. As a result, the Fund’s exposure to a given security, industry sector or market capitalization could be smaller or larger than if the Fund were managed by a single subadviser, which could affect the Fund’s performance.

In addition to these risks, the Fund’s portfolio managers may select securities that underperform the securities markets, the Fund’s benchmark or other mutual funds with similar investment objectives and strategies. If the value of the Fund’s investments goes down, you may lose money.

Performance

Performance information gives some indication of the risks of an investment in the Fund by comparing the Fund’s performance with a broad measure of market performance. Performance information is not provided because the Fund did not complete one full calendar year of operations as of the date of this Prospectus.

[1] "Other Expenses" are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.

[2] Nationwide Mutual Funds (the "Trust") and Nationwide Fund Advisors (the "Adviser") have entered into a written contract limiting annual fund operating expenses to 0.84% until at least November 30, 2015. Under the expense limitation agreement, the level to which operating expenses are limited applies to all share classes, excluding any taxes, interest, brokerage commissions, Rule 12b-1 fees, short-sale dividend expenses, administrative services fees, other expenses which are capitalized in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and expenses incurred by the Fund in connection with any merger or reorganization, and may exclude other non-routine expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of the Fund's business. The expense limitation agreement may be changed or eliminated at any time but only with the consent of the Board of Trustees of the Trust. The Trust is authorized to reimburse the Adviser for management fees previously waived and/or for expenses previously paid by the Adviser, provided, however, that any reimbursements must be paid at a date not more than three years after the fiscal year in which the Adviser waived the fees or reimbursed the expenses and the reimbursements do not cause the Fund to exceed the expense limitation that was in place at the time the Adviser waived the fees or reimbursed the expenses.

XML

Label	Element	Value
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Registrant Name	dei_EntityRegistrantName	NATIONWIDE MUTUAL FUNDS
Prospectus Date	rr_ProspectusDate	Mar. 25, 2014
Document Creation Date	dei_DocumentCreationDate	Mar. 25, 2014

XML

Label	Element	Value
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Document Type	dei_DocumentType	485BPOS
Document Period End Date	dei_DocumentPeriodEndDate	Mar. 25, 2014
Registrant Name	dei_EntityRegistrantName	NATIONWIDE MUTUAL FUNDS
Central Index Key	dei_EntityCentralIndexKey	0001048702
Amendment Flag	dei_AmendmentFlag	false
Document Creation Date	dei_DocumentCreationDate	Mar. 25, 2014
Document Effective Date	dei_DocumentEffectiveDate	Mar. 25, 2014
Prospectus Date	rr_ProspectusDate	Mar. 25, 2014

XML

Label	Element	Value
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Registrant Name	dei_EntityRegistrantName	NATIONWIDE MUTUAL FUNDS
Prospectus Date	rr_ProspectusDate	Mar. 25, 2014
Nationwide Diverse Managers Fund
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Risk/Return [Heading]	rr_RiskReturnHeading	FUND SUMMARY: NATIONWIDE DIVERSE MANAGERS FUND
Objective [Heading]	rr_ObjectiveHeading	Objective
Objective, Primary [Text Block]	rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock	The Fund seeks capital appreciation and income.
Objective, Secondary [Text Block]	rr_ObjectiveSecondaryTextBlock	Conservation of capital is a secondary consideration in selecting portfolio investments.
Expense [Heading]	rr_ExpenseHeading	Fees and Expenses
Expense Narrative [Text Block]	rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock	This table describes the fees and expenses you may pay when buying and holding shares of the Fund. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in Nationwide Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in “Investing with Nationwide Funds” commencing on page 14 of this Prospectus and in “Additional Information on Purchases and Sales” commencing on page 54 of the Statement of Additional Information.
Operating Expenses Caption [Text]	rr_OperatingExpensesCaption	Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement over Assets, Date of Termination	rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssetsDateOfTermination	November 30, 2015
Portfolio Turnover [Heading]	rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading	Portfolio Turnover
Portfolio Turnover [Text Block]	rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock	The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. No portfolio turnover rate is disclosed as the Fund has not commenced operations as of the date of this Prospectus.
Expense Breakpoint Discounts [Text]	rr_ExpenseBreakpointDiscounts	You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in Nationwide Funds.
Expense Breakpoint, Minimum Investment Required [Amount]	rr_ExpenseBreakpointMinimumInvestmentRequiredAmount	$ 50,000
Other Expenses, New Fund, Based on Estimates [Text]	rr_OtherExpensesNewFundBasedOnEstimates	“Other Expenses” are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.
Expense Example [Heading]	rr_ExpenseExampleHeading	Example
Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]	rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock	This Example is intended to help you to compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. It assumes a 5% return each year and no change in expenses. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Strategy [Heading]	rr_StrategyHeading	Principal Investment Strategies
Strategy Narrative [Text Block]	rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock	The Fund invests in a diversified portfolio of equity and fixed-income securities, and consists of four separate portions managed by different subadvisers. One portion invests primarily in equity securities issued by U.S. companies (“U.S. Equities Portion”). Another portion invests primarily in equity securities issued by companies that are located outside of the United States (“International Equities Portion”). A third portion invests primarily in equity securities issued by very small companies (“Small-Cap Portion”), and the fourth portion invests primarily in bonds and other fixed-income securities (“Fixed Income Portion”). Nationwide Fund Advisors (“NFA”) is the Fund’s investment adviser and, subject to the approval of the Board of Trustees of Nationwide Mutual Funds (the “Trust”), selects the Fund’s subadvisers and monitors their performance on an ongoing basis. NFA has selected Herndon Capital Management, LLC (“Herndon”) to subadvise the U.S. Equities Portion. Herndon invests in common stocks issued by large-cap companies, utilizing a value style of investing. “Value” investing generally means investing in equity securities that a subadviser believes to be trading at prices that do not reflect a company’s intrinsic value. Companies issuing such securities may be currently out of favor, undervalued due to market declines, or experiencing poor operating conditions that the subadviser believes to be temporary. This portion is designed to provide the Fund’s shareholders with exposure to companies that the subadviser believes are undervalued versus their peers but which have demonstrated the ability to produce better than market returns. In managing this portion, Herndon emphasizes quality, liquidity and a disciplined investment process. Strategic Global Advisors, LLC (“SGA”) is the subadviser for the Fund’s International Equities Portion. SGA seeks to provide long-term capital growth by investing in stocks of companies that are located or headquartered outside the United States or whose securities are traded primarily on foreign stock markets. The International Equities Portion may invest in the securities of companies of any market capitalization, including small- and mid-cap companies. SGA utilizes a quantitative strategy grounded in fundamental research in seeking to deliver maximum risk-adjusted returns. SGA focuses on security selection, rather than sector and country market timing. Ariel Investments, LLC (“Ariel”) is the subadviser for the Fund’s Small-Cap Portion, which invests primarily in common stocks of companies with market capitalizations of less than $2 billion at the time of their initial purchase, some of which may be considered to be micro-cap companies. The Small-Cap Portion also may invest in initial public offerings (“IPOs”) of small companies to capitalize on the opportunity for growth. Ariel seeks to invest in companies that the subadviser believes are trading at low price-to-book ratios and have strong balance sheets. Using a strategy that combines patience and stock selection, Ariel purchases stocks of companies the market prices of which it believes to be trading at deep discounts to their intrinsic value. Some of these companies may be considered to be special situation companies and turnarounds, which are companies that have experienced significant business problems but which the subadviser believes have favorable prospects for recovery. Once a stock has been selected, Ariel seeks to hold such stocks for a relatively long period of time (generally five years or more). NFA has selected Garcia Hamilton & Associates, L.P. (“Garcia Hamilton”) to subadvise the Fixed Income Portion. Garcia Hamilton employs an investment philosophy that focuses on the preservation of principal while maintaining high current income. Garcia Hamilton invests primarily in U.S. Treasury securities, U.S. government agency securities, and investment-grade mortgage-backed securities and corporate bonds. Under normal market conditions, the Fund generally invests between 50% and 70% of its assets in equity securities, primarily common stocks, and at least 25% of its assets in fixed-income securities. In allocating assets to the four subadvisers, NFA pursues increased diversification among securities and investment styles in order to increase the potential for investment return while at the same time seeking to reduce risk and volatility.
Risk [Heading]	rr_RiskHeading	Principal Risks
Risk Narrative [Text Block]	rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock	The Fund cannot guarantee that it will achieve its investment objective. As with any fund, the value of the Fund’s investments—and therefore, the value of Fund shares—may fluctuate. These changes may occur because of: Stock market risk – the Fund could lose value if the individual stocks in which it invests or overall stock markets in which such stocks trade go down. Smaller company risk – smaller companies are usually less stable in price and less liquid than larger, more established companies. Smaller companies are more vulnerable than larger companies to adverse business and economic developments and may have more limited resources. Therefore, they generally involve greater risk. Micro-cap risk – investing in micro-cap companies involves greater risk than investing in small, medium or large capitalization companies because the stocks of micro-cap companies tend to have greater price volatility and less liquidity than the stocks of larger companies. In addition, micro-cap companies tend to have smaller financial resources, less information available, more limited business lines and more geographic area concentration. Value style risk – value investing carries the risk that the market will not recognize a security’s intrinsic value for a long time or that a stock judged to be undervalued may actually be appropriately priced. In addition, value stocks as a group may at times be out of favor and underperform the overall equity market for long periods while the market concentrates on other types of stocks, such as “growth” stocks. Initial public offering risk – availability of IPOs may be limited and the Fund may not be able to buy any shares at the offering price, or may not be able to buy as many shares at the offering price as it would like, which may adversely impact Fund performance. Further, IPO prices often are subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than more established stocks. Special situation companies risk – these are companies that may be involved in acquisitions, consolidations, mergers, reorganizations or other unusual developments that can affect a company’s market value. If the anticipated benefits of the developments do not ultimately materialize, the value of the special situation company may decline. Foreign securities risk – foreign securities may be more volatile, harder to price and less liquid than U.S. securities. The prices of foreign securities may be further affected by other factors, such as changes in the exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and the currencies in which the securities are traded. Fixed-income securities risk – investments in fixed-income securities, such as bonds or other investments with debt-like characteristics, subject the Fund to interest rate risk, credit risk and prepayment and call risk, which may affect the value of your investment. Interest rate risk is the risk that the value of fixed-income securities will decline when interest rates rise. Prices of longer-term securities generally change more in response to interest rate changes than prices of shorter-term securities. To the extent the Fund invests a substantial portion of its assets in fixed-income securities with longer-term maturities, rising interest rates are more likely to cause the value of the Fund’s investments to decline significantly. Credit risk is the risk that the issuer of a bond may be unable to pay interest or principal when due. If an issuer defaults, the Fund may lose money. Changes in a bond issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perceptions of an issuer’s creditworthiness may also affect the value of a bond. Prepayment and call risk is the risk that certain fixed-income securities will be paid off by the issuer more quickly than anticipated. If this occurs, the Fund may be required to invest the proceeds in securities with lower yields. Mortgage-backed securities risk – these securities are generally subject to the same types of risk that apply to other fixed-income securities, such as interest rate risk, credit risk, and prepayment and call risk. Mortgage-backed securities are also subject to extension risk, which is the risk that when interest rates rise, mortgage-backed securities will be paid in full by the issuer more slowly than anticipated. This can cause the market value of the security to fall because the market may view its interest rate as low for a longer-term investment. Through its investments in mortgage-backed securities, the Fund may have some exposure to subprime loans, as well as to the mortgage and credit markets generally. Subprime loans, which are loans made to borrowers with weakened credit histories, have higher default rates than loans that meet government underwriting requirements. Liquidity risk – when there is little or no active trading market for specific types of securities or instruments, it can become more difficult to sell the securities or instruments at or near their perceived value. An inability to sell a portfolio position can adversely affect a Fund’s value or prevent the Fund from being able to take advantage of other investment opportunities. Liquidity risk also includes the risk that the Fund will experience significant net redemptions of its shares at a time when it cannot find willing buyers for its portfolio securities or can only sell its portfolio securities at a material loss. To meet redemption requests, the Fund may be forced to sell other securities or instruments that are more liquid, but at an unfavorable time and conditions. Multi-manager risk – while NFA monitors each subadviser and the overall management of the Fund, each subadviser makes investment decisions independently from NFA and the other subadvisers. It is possible that the security selection process of one subadviser will not complement that of the other subadvisers. As a result, the Fund’s exposure to a given security, industry sector or market capitalization could be smaller or larger than if the Fund were managed by a single subadviser, which could affect the Fund’s performance. In addition to these risks, the Fund’s portfolio managers may select securities that underperform the securities markets, the Fund’s benchmark or other mutual funds with similar investment objectives and strategies. If the value of the Fund’s investments goes down, you may lose money.
Risk Lose Money [Text]	rr_RiskLoseMoney	If the value of the Fund’s investments goes down, you may lose money.
Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]	rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading	Performance
Performance Narrative [Text Block]	rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock	Performance information gives some indication of the risks of an investment in the Fund by comparing the Fund’s performance with a broad measure of market performance. Performance information is not provided because the Fund did not complete one full calendar year of operations as of the date of this Prospectus.
Performance One Year or Less [Text]	rr_PerformanceOneYearOrLess	Performance information is not provided because the Fund did not complete one full calendar year of operations as of the date of this Prospectus.
Nationwide Diverse Managers Fund | Institutional Service Class Shares
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Management Fees	rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets	0.60%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fee	rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets	none
Other Expenses	rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets	1.02%	[1]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses	rr_ExpensesOverAssets	1.62%
Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement	rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets	(0.53%)	[2]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement	rr_NetExpensesOverAssets	1.09%
1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleYear01	111
3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear03	$ 459

[1] "Other Expenses" are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.

[2] Nationwide Mutual Funds (the "Trust") and Nationwide Fund Advisors (the "Adviser") have entered into a written contract limiting annual fund operating expenses to 0.84% until at least November 30, 2015. Under the expense limitation agreement, the level to which operating expenses are limited applies to all share classes, excluding any taxes, interest, brokerage commissions, Rule 12b-1 fees, short-sale dividend expenses, administrative services fees, other expenses which are capitalized in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and expenses incurred by the Fund in connection with any merger or reorganization, and may exclude other non-routine expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of the Fund's business. The expense limitation agreement may be changed or eliminated at any time but only with the consent of the Board of Trustees of the Trust. The Trust is authorized to reimburse the Adviser for management fees previously waived and/or for expenses previously paid by the Adviser, provided, however, that any reimbursements must be paid at a date not more than three years after the fiscal year in which the Adviser waived the fees or reimbursed the expenses and the reimbursements do not cause the Fund to exceed the expense limitation that was in place at the time the Adviser waived the fees or reimbursed the expenses.