Ohio University-Main Campus

Ohio University-Main Campus is a public research university located in Athens, Ohio. Established in 1804, it is the oldest university in the state and was the first institution of higher education chartered in the Northwest Territory. The main campus in Athens serves as the center of a statewide system that includes several regional campuses. Ohio University offers a wide range of undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs across multiple colleges, including arts and sciences, business, engineering, health sciences, and journalism. Classified as a research university with very high research activity, it attracts students seeking a traditional residential campus experience combined with diverse academic opportunities and community engagement in southeastern Ohio.

Ohio University-Main Campus was founded in 1804 in Athens, Ohio, making it the first university established in the Northwest Territory and the oldest public university in the state. The institution was created to advance higher education on the American frontier, and instruction began in 1809 under its first president, Jacob Lindley. In 1828, Ohio University-Main Campus graduated John Newton Templeton, one of the first Black college graduates in the United States. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the university expanded its curriculum beyond classical studies to include professional and scientific fields. After World War II, enrollment increased significantly, leading to the development of additional academic colleges and regional campuses across Ohio. Today, Ohio University-Main Campus is a comprehensive public research university with extensive undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs, reflecting more than two centuries of institutional growth and adaptation.