The Ohio State University (Ohio State, tOSU, or OSU) is a public research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1870, it is the flagship institution of the University System of Ohio. It is designated a land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant university by the government of Ohio.
Ohio State is one of the largest universities by enrollment in the United States, with over 50,000 undergraduate students and 15,000 graduate students. Ohio State is a member of the Association of American Universities and is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity spending and doctorate production". In 2026 the university had research and development (R&D) expenditures of $1.58 billion, the 12th largest in the United States.
The university consists of sixteen colleges, including of Arts and Sciences, Business, Dentistry, Engineering, Public Affairs, and Law, and offers study in a wide range of degree programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels. It has five satellite campuses in Lima, Mansfield, Marion, Newark, and Wooster. Its athletic teams compete in NCAA Division I within the Big Ten Conference for the large majority of sports.
Alumni and faculty include 6 Nobel Prize laureates, 9 Rhodes Scholars, 7 Churchill Scholars, 1 Fields Medalist, 8 Pulitzer Prize winners, 77 Goldwater scholars, 1 U.S. vice president, 7 U.S. senators, 15 U.S. representatives, and 118 Olympic medalists.
History
19th century
The university was established in 1870 as a land-grant university named Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College. The proposal of a manufacturing and agriculture university in central Ohio was initially met in the 1870s with hostility from the state's agricultural interests, and with competition for resources from Ohio University and Miami University. The university opened its doors to 24 students on September 17, 1873. In 1878, the first class of six men graduated. The first woman graduated the following year. Also in 1878, the Ohio legislature recognized an expanded scope for the university by changing its name to "the Ohio State University".
20th century
In 1906, Ohio State president and segregationist William Oxley Thompson, along with the university's supporters in the state legislature, put forth the Lybarger Bill with the aim of shifting virtually all higher education support to the continued development of Ohio State while funding only the "normal school" functions of the state's other public universities. Although the Lybarger Bill failed narrowly to gain passage, in its place the Eagleson Bill was passed as a compromise, which determined that all doctoral education and research functions would be the role of Ohio State, and that Miami University and Ohio University would not offer instruction beyond the master's degree level – an agreement that would remain in place until the 1950s. In 1916, Ohio State was elected into membership in the Association of American Universities.With the onset of the Great Depression, Ohio State would face many of the challenges affecting universities throughout America as budget support was slashed, and students without the means of paying tuition returned home to support families. By the mid-1930s, however, enrollment had stabilized due in large part to the role of the Federal Emergency Relief Administration and later the National Youth Administration. By the end of the decade, enrollment had still managed to grow to over 17,500. In 1934, the Ohio State Research Foundation was founded to bring in outside funding for faculty research projects. In 1938, a development office was opened to begin raising funds privately to offset reductions in state support. In 1952, Ohio State founded the interdisciplinary Mershon Center for International Security Studies, which it still houses. In 1986, Ohio State ended its historic open enrollment policy and moved towards selective admissions.
The university jointed several other grants in the late 1980s. It was designated a space-grant institution in 1988. It was designated a sea-grant institution one year later, in 1989.
21st century
The 2020s were marked by internal divisions over politics and corruption allegations.
Johnson years (2020–2023)
In 2020, Kristina M. Johnson took office as the 16th president. Her tenure was marked by the university incorporating various diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, which led to criticism from conservatives.
In 2023, there was a power struggle between Johnson and Les Wexner, a billionaire and close affiliate of Jeffrey Epstein. Wexner was formerly a member of the OSU Board of Trustees, and some sources claim his exertion of political influence over the Board of Trustees caused the power struggle. Shortly after, Johnson resigned from her role.
Carter years to present
In 2023, Walter E. Carter Jr. took office as the 17th president. His tenure has been described as more conservative than Johnson's, rolling back many of her perceived progressive policies. His appointment was the result of a power struggle between Johnson and Les Wexner, a billionaire and close affiliate of Jeffrey Epstein who has significant influence on the Board of Trustees.
Protests at Ohio State University by pro-Palestinian demonstrators occurred during the Gaza war, demanding "financial divestment, academic boycott, financial disclosure, acknowledging the genocide, and ending targeted policing". A solidarity encampment was constructed on the South Oval on April 25, 2025 during which there were at least 36 arrests. Many controversies surrounded the university's handling of the protests, including allowing state troopers to aim sniper rifles at student protesters from atop the Ohio Union.
Along with other public universities in the state, DEI policies were banned in 2025 with the Advance Ohio Higher Education Act, which passed the Ohio State Legislature and was signed by Governor Mike DeWine. In 2026, the university's expulsion of Guy Christensen for criticism of the Gaza genocide was ruled by a federal judge as a "likely violation" of the student's First Amendment rights. Scholars at Risk noted "a chilling effect on academic freedom" in 2024 due to political interference from the university's Board of Trustees and Government of Ohio.
In January 2025, the defense technology company Anduril Industries announced a hyperscaling computer facilities for autonomous sensors and weapons that has been noted for its close ties with Ohio State University and its administration, with the company sponsoring the football program and many of Anduril's employees hailing from the applied science programs at the university.
On March 8, 2026, Carter resigned, after admitting to an "inappropriate relationship", marking a continuation of abrupt departures and controversy at the university Protests against Les Wexner's influence and relationship with the university are ongoing. In April 2026, The New York Times published an article about OSU named A Football School Striving to Be More Keeps Dropping the Ball, with the opening sentence "Ohio State isn’t the only university in turmoil, but few others have faced so many issues lately."
Campuses
Main (Columbus)
Ohio State's 1,764-acre (7.14 km2) main campus is about 2.5 miles (4.0 km) north of Columbus' downtown. The historical center of campus is the Oval, a quad of about 11 acres (4.5 ha). The original campus was laid out in the English country style with University Hall overlooking what would become the Oval. From 1905 to 1913, the Olmsted brothers, who had designed New York City's Central Park, were contracted as architectural consultants. Under their leadership, a more formal landscape plan was created with its center axis through the Oval. This axis shifted the university's street grid 12.25 degrees from the City of Columbus' street grid. Construction of the main library in 1915 reinforced this grid shift.
Ohio State's research library system has a combined collection of over 5.8 million volumes. Along with 21 libraries on its Columbus campus, the university has eight branches at off-campus research facilities and regional campuses, and a book storage depository near campus. In all, the Ohio State library system encompasses 55 branches and specialty collections. Some more significant collections include the Byrd Polar Research Center Archival Program, which has the archives of Admiral Richard E. Byrd and other polar research materials; the Hilandar Research Library, which has the world's largest collection of medieval Slavic manuscripts on microform; the Ohio State Cartoon Library & Museum, the world's largest repository of original cartoons; the Lawrence and Lee Theatre Research Institute.
And the archives of Senator John Glenn Anchoring the traditional campus gateway at the eastern end of the Oval is the 1989 Wexner Center for the Arts. Designed by architects Peter Eisenman of New York and Richard Trott of Columbus, the center was funded in large part by Ohio State alumnus Les Wexner's gift of $25 million in the 1980s. The center was founded to encompass all aspects of visual and performing arts with a focus on new commissions and artist residencies. Part of its design was to pay tribute to the armory that formerly had the same location. Its groundbreaking deconstructivist architecture has resulted in it being lauded as one of the most important buildings of its generation. Its design has also been criticized as proving less than ideal for many of the art installations it has attempted to display. The centerpiece of the Wexner Center's permanent collection is Picasso's Nude on a Black Armchair, which was purchased by Wexner at auction for $45 million.
To the south of the Oval is another, somewhat smaller expanse of green space commonly referred to as the South Oval. At its eastern end, it is anchored by the Ohio Union. To the west are Hale Hall, the Kuhn Honors House, Browning Amphitheatre (a traditional stone Greek theatre) and Mirror Lake. Knowlton Hall, dedicated in October 2004, is at the corner of West Woodruff Avenue and Tuttle Park Place, next to Ohio Stadium.
Knowlton Hall along with the Fisher College of Business and Hitchcock Hall form an academic nucleus in the northwestern corner of North campus. Knowlton Hall was designed by Atlanta-based Mack Scogin Merrill Elam along with WSA Studio from Columbus. The Hall is home to the KSA Café, the disciplines of architecture, landscape architecture, city and regional planning, and about 550 undergraduate and graduate students. Knowlton Hall stands out from the general reddish-brown brick of Ohio State's campus with distinctive white marble tiles that cover the building's exterior. This unique wall cladding was requested by Austin E. Knowlton, the namesake of and main patron to the creation of Knowlton Hall. Knowlton also requested that five white marble columns be erected on the site, each column representing one of the classical orders of architecture.
The campus is served by the Campus Area Bus Service.
Regional campuses
Ohio State has five satellite campuses across Ohio.
Lima
The Ohio State University at Lima is a satellite campus in Lima, Ohio, founded in 1960. The Lima Campus Library has 76,000 volumes and 200+ journal subscriptions. Library databases also provide access to thousands of online journals. The university shares its campus with Rhodes State College.
Mansfield
The Ohio State University at Mansfield is a satellite campus in Mansfield, Ohio, founded in 1958. It was created through a partnership between Mansfield-area citizens and the state of Ohio. Soon after the Ohio Board of Regents designated Mansfield as the site for an Ohio State regional campus, Mansfield-area citizens mounted a major campaign to acquire land for the campus. The university shares its campus with North Central State College.
Marion
The Ohio State University at Marion is a satellite campus in Marion, Ohio. The campus was founded in 1957. Its 187-acre (0.76 km2) campus is located 45 miles (72 km) north of Columbus and is shared with Marion Technical College. There are eight buildings on the campus.
Newark
The Ohio State University at Newark is a satellite campus in Newark, Ohio. During its early years, classes were held at old Newark High School. In 1966, over one million dollars pledged by 7,000 local citizens to match funds from the state legislature supported the cost of buying 155 acres (0.63 km2) of land and constructing the first building, Founders Hall, which opened in 1968. The university campus shares its campus with Central Ohio Technical College.
Wooster
The Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute in Wooster, Ohio, was established in 1969. It specifically grants associate degrees in agriculture and related sciences from the university's College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.
Organization and administration
Governance
Ohio State is overseen by a 15-member Board of Trustees appointed by the governor of Ohio. The university's governance system has been criticized for centralizing power in unaccountable institutions and limiting freedom of expression.
The free speech organization Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression released a ranking in September 2025, giving OSU a 57.7 out of 100 (an 'F' grade) in free speech.
Endowment
Ohio State was among the first group of four public universities to raise a $1 billion endowment when it passed the $1 billion mark in 1999. At the end of 2005, Ohio State's endowment stood at $1.73 billion, ranking it seventh among public universities and 27th among all American universities. In June 2006, the endowment passed the $2 billion mark.
In recent decades, and in response to continually shrinking state funding, Ohio State has conducted two significant multi-year fundraising campaigns. The first concluded in 1987 and raised $460 million, a record at the time for a public university. The "Affirm Thy Friendship Campaign" took place between 1995 and 2000. With an initial goal of raising $850 million, the campaign's final tally was $1.23 billion, placing Ohio State among the small group of public universities to have successfully conducted a $1 billion campaign. At his welcoming ceremony, returning President E. Gordon Gee announced in the fall of 2007 that Ohio State would launch a $2.5 billion fundraising campaign. In 2019, celebrating the university's 150th year, President Michael V. Drake announced the "Time and Change Campaign" with a goal of raising $4.5 billion from 1 million individual donors.
Academics
Ohio State is the flagship university of the University System of Ohio. Its political science department is a major department in the field. It also has notable applied science programs.
According to the National Science Foundation, in 2026 the university had research and development (R&D) expenditures of $1.58 billion, ranking it 12th in the nation.
Undergraduate admissions
Admissions to Ohio State are considered highly selective.
In the Autumn 2025 admissions period, the middle 50 percent of composite scores for the SAT was 1360 to 1500. The composite scores for the ACT were 29 to 34.
For the enrolled Spring 2025 class, Ohio State accepted 38,532 students out of 88,508 total for an approximate admission rate of 43.5%. OSU's freshman retention rate was 93.9% between 2021 and 2022, with 88% going on to graduate within six years.
Rankings and recognition
Ohio State is consistently ranked among the best public universities in the United States by major college and university rankings.
In 2026, the university was ranked by Time the 5th best public university in the United States and 33rd globally. Similarly in its 2026 edition, U.S. News & World Report ranked Ohio State as 15th overall among public and 41st among all national universities. In 2026, the Center for World University Rankings ranked Ohio State 29th nationally and 55th out of 21,462 universities globally. The Academic Ranking of World Universities placed Ohio State 39–51 nationally and 82nd globally for 2023. Times Higher Education World University Rankings ranks it 108th in the world. In 2024, QS World University Rankings ranked the university 151st in the world.
In 1916, Ohio State became the first university in Ohio to be extended membership into the Association of American Universities, and remains the only public university in Ohio among the organization's 60 members. Bloomberg Businessweek ranked the undergraduate business program at Ohio State's Fisher College of Business as the 14th best in the nation in its 2016 rankings.
Influential and notable departments
In 2023, U.S. News & World Report ranked the college's political science, audiology, sociology, speech–language pathology, finance, accounting, public affairs, nursing, social work, healthcare administration and pharmacy programs as among the top 20 programs in the country.