OSU and Columbus

Established: 1870

Ranking: Top 20 among national public universities, U.S. News & World Report’s 2010 “America’s Best Colleges”

Colleges: 14

Total enrollment: 64,077

Living alumni: 465,000

Size of Columbus campus: More than 1,700 acres and 457 buildings

The Ohio State University’s main Columbus campus is one of America’s largest and most comprehensive. More than 55,000 students select from 14 colleges, 175 undergraduate majors, and 240 master’s, doctoral, and professional degree programs. As Ohio’s best and one of the nation’s top-20 public universities, Ohio State is further recognized by a top-rated academic medical center and a premier cancer hospital and research center.

The university’s total research expenditures in 2009 topped $716 million, ranking Ohio State 13th nationally, second in industry research, and ninth among public universities, according to the National Science Foundation. The university’s innovative prowess attains world-class status, particularly in critical areas such as global climate change, cancer, infectious disease, advanced materials, and ag-bio products that feed and fuel the world.

An additional 8,200 students attend Ohio State’s regional campuses in Lima, Mansfield, Marion, and Newark, and the Agricultural Technical Institute in Wooster. Founded as a federal land-grant institution in 1870, the university has awarded 622,368 degrees since 1878. Its legacy extends to more than 465,000 living alumni.

Quick facts

  • Ohio State climbed to 18th among the nation’s best public universities in U.S. News & World Report’s 2010 edition of “America’s Best Colleges,” which links first-year student programs and internships to student success.
  • In a comparison of tuition costs to graduate earning power in SmartMoney magazine, Ohio State ranks 11th best nationally, with an average return of 179 percent on tuition investment.
  • Ohio State generates an annual statewide economic impact in excess of $4 billion and partners with more than 240 Ohio-based businesses.
  • The Ohio State University Medical Center was named one of “America’s Best Hospitals” for the 18th consecutive year. The medical center is among only 21 hospitals in the country named to U.S. News & World Report’s elite Honor Roll.
  • Ohio State sports the largest self-supporting athletics program in the country. In 2009–10, the Department of Athletics transferred nearly $29 million to support university initiatives, including a $9 million commitment to the renovation of Thompson Library, which reopened autumn 2009.
  • Tuition at Ohio State remains one of the lowest among selective admissions institutions in the state.
  • Ohio State has been named among the 100 best values in higher education with "excellent academics while keeping in-state and out-of-state costs to a minimum," by Kiplinger's Personal Finance.
  • The College of Medicine ranked 27th by U.S.News & World Report and 11th among public medical schools in its 2011 "America's Best Graduate Schools" list
  • The Association of Research Libraries has ranked Ohio State's extensive library collections 12th out of 122 research libraries in North America.