Public research university in Dayton, Ohio, named for aviation pioneers the Wright brothers.
Wright State is organized into six colleges and a medical school, offering 160 undergraduate and 155 graduate degree programs across disciplines including engineering, computer science, business, health sciences, liberal arts, and sciences. The Boonshoft School of Medicine, established in 1973 and accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, is a major research and teaching component. The university is classified as R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Notable research centers include Kno.e.sis (Ohio Center of Excellence in Knowledge-Enabled Computing), founded in 2007, focusing on semantic web, data mining, and bioinformatics.
The main Dayton campus spans 730 acres with 32 academic buildings and is renowned for its extensive underground tunnel system—nearly two miles connecting 21 of 22 buildings, making it one of the most accessible campuses in the nation for students with disabilities. A regional Lake Campus near Celina, Ohio, opened in 1969 and offers select bachelor's and master's degrees plus associate degrees. The university maintains a 16:1 student-to-faculty ratio and hosts fraternities, sororities, and 15 NCAA Division I sports teams competing in the Horizon League.
Wright State emphasizes affordability with an average annual cost of $12,214 (tuition, books, supplies). The Wright Guarantee Tuition Program locks in the same annual tuition, housing, and dining costs for four years for new in-state undergraduate students. The university offers AFROTC and Army ROTC programs on campus. With over 119,544 alumni worldwide, Wright State serves a diverse student body and is part of the University System of Ohio.
Wright State is designated a space-grant institution and holds a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense certification (extended through 2031). The Kno.e.sis Center conducts multidisciplinary research in web technologies, machine learning, bioinformatics, and high-performance computing, with approximately 80–100 researchers including 15 faculty and 60+ funded graduate students. The university also operates the National Center for Medical Readiness and collaborates with Premier Health for advancing academic medicine and community health.