About The Ohio State University

Commencement at The Ohio State University

Established: 1870

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

Colleges: 14

Undergraduate majors: 175

Courses offered (est.): 12,000

Total enrollment: 64,077

Undergraduates: 49,195

First-year classes with fewer than 40 students: 77 percent

Average ACT score of first-year class: 28.1

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 masters, 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

1. The 2010 first-year Columbus class of 6,549 is the most academically prepared in the university’s history. Average ACT scores are now 28.1, nearly five points higher than a decade ago, and more than half of the admitted class graduated in the top 10 percent of their high school classes.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Ohio State generates an annual statewide economic impact in excess of $4 billion and partners with more than 240 Ohio-based businesses.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. Tuition at Ohio State remains one of the lowest among selective admissions institutions in the state. In the 2008-09 academic year, 82 percent of students received aid. Of those receiving aid, the average scholarship/grant totaled $2,311, reducing the actual cost of tuition and required fees for a typical undergraduate from $8,658 tuition to $6,347 net tuition.

More Ohio State history and traditions

Columbus, Ohio Information

Columbus area map and directions

Experience Columbus (Greater Columbus Convention and Visitors Bureau)

Columbus Supersite

Columbus CitySearch

Live, Work, Play Columbus

Ohio’s capital is a friendly city of sleek, modern high-rises and century-old buildings along the banks of the Scioto River. In addition to being home to one of the finest universities in the nation , its attractions range from a rich visual and performing arts scene to a renowned zoo, exciting sports, fine restaurants, and enough specialty shops, outlets, and malls to satisfy even the most avid of browsers and buyers. Add to this a special-events calendar that rivals that of any other city its size, and you’ll never lack things to do in Columbus.

Highlights include the Center of Science and Industry (COSI) on the west bank of the Scioto River; the Santa Maria replica docked on the downtown riverfront; three historic downtown theaters (the Ohio Theatre, the Palace, and the Great Southern); the Columbus Zoo ; and a wide range of festivals and cultural events.

Sports enthusiasts can choose from a variety of professional and collegiate sports, including the Ohio State Buckeyes ; the Columbus Crew (major league soccer); Columbus Blue Jackets (NHL hockey); and the Columbus Clippers (AAA affiliate of the Washington Nationals). But sports fans aren’t the only ones who will enjoy the fun and flavor of the Arena District . This area also offers some of the city’s most delectable eateries and nightspots, as well as fine shops and convenient hotel accommodations.

Three urban districts provide unique opportunities to shop, dine, and explore. Just south of downtown is German Village , the nation’s largest privately restored historic neighborhood. The adjacent Brewery District is a spirited entertainment area. And at downtown’s northern edge is the Short North arts district, often referred to as Columbus’s version of SoHo. The Columbus suburbs of Worthington, Westerville, Grove City, Reynoldsburg, Dublin, and New Albany also welcome visitors with a variety of attractions and events.

For more information, contact Experience Columbus at 1-866-EXPCOLS or www.ExperienceColumbus.com .

Academic Excellence

• Ohio State’s 2011 enrolled class (Columbus) of 7,089 set record highs in average ACT (28.0) and SAT (1245) scores and in the percentage of students graduating in the top 10 percent of high school classes (55).
• Ohio State has been recognized among the top producers of U.S. Fulbright recipients for 2010-11, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.
• Ohio State’s graduation rate is at an all-time high of 80 percent, well above the national average of 57 percent. In addition, 93 percent of first-year students return after their freshman year.
• Ohio State ranks 12th among the top producers of Fortune 500 CEOs in the country, according to a 2010 U.S. News & World Report survey of America’s top companies.
• The overall grade point average of Ohio State’s more than 1,000 student athletes is 3.04, with 503 at 3.0 or higher.
• The 2012 edition of U.S. News & World Report ranks 16 of Ohio State’s graduate programs in the top 10.
• Ohio State conferred 15,732 degrees in 2010-2011, including more than 6,000 in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math).

Return on Investment

• The state’s top-ranked public university, Ohio State has the second-lowest tuition among Ohio’s publics with selective admissions.
• A Wall Street Journal survey of corporate recruiters ranked Ohio State 12th in the nation among the country’s most highly sought-after graduates.
• In FY 09, 81 percent of incoming freshmen received financial aid (grants, not loans), reducing total costs by more than 25 percent.
• Ohio State was named to Forbes Magazine’s list of America’s Best College Buys based on student satisfaction and post-graduate success.
• Among Big Ten institutions, Ohio State is above average in academic selectivity, but well below in tuition.
• 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.
• Ohio State named one of Princeton Review’s 100 Best Value Colleges, the only college in Ohio to make the list.

Economic Impact

• If The Ohio State University were a company, it would be listed on the Fortune 500.
• Ohio State is one of the state’s top job generators through its industry and research partnerships, Third Frontier projects, construction, and The Ohio State University Medical Center.
• Through Third Frontier funding, Ohio State worked on 60 research projects resulting in partnerships with more than 200 Ohio businesses, the launching or attracting of 26 companies, and the filing of 125 patents.
• A research powerhouse, Ohio State ranks second among all U.S. universities in industry-sponsored research with $117 million (National Science Foundation).
• The largest university ag-bioscience research center in the nation, the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center generated $156.3 million in economic output in 2008. OSU Extension provides research-based education to communities, individuals, and large and small businesses in all 88 counties in the state.
• Ohio State spent more than $252 million through purchasing products and services within the state during the past fiscal year.
• Ohio State’s partnership with the Wright Center for Multifunctional Polymer Nanomaterials and Devices links nanotechnology to the economically important polymer manufacturing industries in Ohio, bringing together six universities and more than 60 industry partners.

Fiscal Focus

• In 2008, Ohio State helped found the Rx Ohio Collaborative, which anticipates a $300 million savings on prescription drug coverage for its member institutions by 2011. The RxOC is open to all Ohio public sector institutions, including government agencies, school systems, and higher education.
• Ohio State saved more than $90 million in 2009 through purchasing consortiums, energy contracts, and reduced health care costs.
• Ohio State’s resolution to convert from quarters to semesters in 2012 supports the Board of Regents’ plan to integrate the universities, trim costs by improving efficiency, and facilitate transfer of credits between state institutions.
• Ohio State’s One Framework plan directs the university to reduce energy costs and promote sustainability. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has named Ohio State one of the largest purchasers of green power in higher education.
• Ohio State is working with other Ohio public universities and colleges to cut costs by forming purchasing groups, modernizing Classified Civil Service requirements, and sharing administrative costs and facilities.

Points of Pride

• Ohio State’s regional campuses offer open admission to all Ohio high school graduates and lower tuition than the Columbus campus. In 2011, Newark set a record high in enrollment.
• Ohio State is one of only 40 National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the United States and recently received an exceptional rating, the highest rating given by the NCI.
• Ohio State ranks among the nation’s top 20 universities both for international student enrollment and the number of students who study abroad.
• The Ohio State University Medical Center was named one of America’s Best Hospitals for the 19th consecutive year by U.S. News & World Report. The Medical Center leads the region with 11 specialties named as among the best in America.
• G.I. Jobs magazine ranks Ohio State as a Military Friendly School for the second year. Nearly 1,000 veterans attend Ohio State.
• In 2010, OSU Extension reached 260,192 Ohioans through programs on health promotion, food safety, nutrition, financial education, and parenting.