Ohio University is a U.S. public research university located on a 1,850-acre (7.5 km2) campus in Athens, Ohio, United States. Ohio is the first institution of higher education chartered through an act of Congress in America, by the Northwest Ordinance in 1787; the first university in the former Northwest Territory, in 1804; and is the ninth oldest public university in the United States. The Athens campus enrolls more than 21,000 students, who come from nearly every state and approximately 100 countries. Five regional campuses and e-learning programs further extend educational access and opportunity to students across southern Ohio and bring the total student population to more than 35,000.

Ohio University maintains a selective admission rate with further admission requirements for its schools. The Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine maintains its own select admissions criteria. Ohio University offers more than 250 areas of undergraduate study. On the graduate level, the University grants master’s degrees in many of its major academic divisions, and doctoral degrees in selected departments. Ohio University is fully accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching classifications designate Ohio University as a Research University (high research activity) under the Basic Classification category.

Ohio University has been cited for outstanding academic quality and value by publications Fortune, U.S. News and World Report, BusinessWeek, Forbes, America's 100 Best College Buys, Princeton Review's Best Colleges, and Peterson's Guide to Competitive Colleges. The John Templeton Foundation has also recognized Ohio University as one of the top character-building institutions in the country. The Chronicle of Higher Education has recognized the university as one of the top producers of U.S. Fulbright scholars by type of institution, with the highest number of recipients in the state as well as the Mid-American Conference in 2011-12. Its total number of Fulbright winners frequently ranks the university first in the state and places the university in the company of Boston College, Princeton University, and UCLA.

Ohio's Division I sports teams are called the Bobcats and compete in the Mid-American Conference in all sports. Ohio is host to the oldest football venue in the MAC and among the oldest athletic arenas west of the Allegheny Mountains. Ohio football has participated in 6 Division-1 Bowl Games within the past decade. Its men's basketball team has played in 13 NCAA basketball championships. The team defeated Georgetown 97-83 in 2010, and their 2012 victory over Michigan was followed with a 62–56 win over 12th seeded South Florida that saw them reach the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 1964.

Ohio University has been negatively affected by Ohio State's status as the de jure flagship in the state of Ohio from 2007, causing intellectuals to challenge the status and promote Ohio's right.

History
18th and 19th centuries
Ohio University was founded by Manasseh Cutler, a chaplain from George Washington's Continental Army. President Thomas Jefferson's policy initiatives included a westward expansion of the new nation, with the addition of several territories to U.S. statehood.

The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 called for a public university as part of the settlement and eventual statehood of the Ohio Territory: "Religion, morality and knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged." These words are enshrined on the university's main college gateway. In 1797, settlers from Marietta traveled upstream via the Hocking River to establish a location for the school, choosing Athens due to its location directly between Chillicothe (the original capital of Ohio) and Marietta. Originally named in 1802 as the American Western University, Ohio University was formally established on February 18, 1804, when its charter was approved by the Ohio General Assembly. Its establishment came 11 months after Ohio was admitted to the Union. The first three students enrolled in 1808. Ohio University graduated two students with bachelor's degrees in 1815. The university grew rapidly throughout the 1800s, attracting students and faculty from across the nation and world.

20th century
The 20th century brought unprecedented growth in student enrollment, academic offerings, and research facilities. Between 1955 to 1970, the university realized a tripling of undergraduate enrollment (from 7,000 to 20,000) in the post-World War II expansion of college education. University Presidents Baker and Alden served as the catalysts for such dramatic changes. During this era, the university's campus tripled in size, with the construction of 25 new dormitories located on two new residential college greens, radio and television stations, new research and classroom facilities, and the construction of a major 13,000-seat sports arena (Convocation Center).

The university's overall prestige and international prominence grew at spectacular rates, with the creation of international links and formal programs across the globe, new research efforts, and national media attention. Vernon Alden, America's youngest college president at the time and a Harvard alumnus, steered the institution's direction and refined its classic profile. The university was frequently referred to as Harvard on the Hocking River. In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson first publicly announced his Great Society initiative on the university campus, raising the institution's national profile and garnering international attention. President Obama addressed a large university crowd, at the same location, in October 2013.

In 1975, Ohio University opened the College of Osteopathic Medicine (now known as the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine); today it is the only Ohio institution to award the D.O. degree. In 2011, the College received the largest private donation ever to be given to a medical school in the United States. Ohio University became classified as Tier 1 University by U.S. News ranking of "Best American Colleges" during this time. It was named by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as a Doctoral/High Research Activity institution to reflect its growing number of graduate programs. University libraries contain more than 3 million bound volumes.