Public research university in Ohio's Mahoning Valley, serving 11,000+ students across engineering, business, arts, and health sciences.
YSU comprises seven colleges: Beeghly (Liberal Arts, Social Sciences & Education), Bitonte (Health & Human Services), Cliffe (Creative Arts), College of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics, Williamson (Business Administration), College of Graduate Studies, and Sokolov Honors College. The university offers approximately 100 undergraduate majors, 40 master's programs, and five doctoral degrees. Notable partnerships include a juris doctor track with University of Akron, a doctor of medicine track with Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine or Northeast Ohio Medical University, and master's programs with University of Akron and Cleveland State University. The Dana School of Music is an All-Steinway school and one of the oldest non-conservatory music schools in the US.
The 160-acre urban campus sits north of downtown Youngstown and features historic buildings including Jones Hall (1931) and Fok Hall (1893, oldest on campus). Key facilities include Kilcawley Center (student center), Maag Library (500,000+ volumes, opened 1976), Bliss Hall (creative arts with 390-seat Ford Theatre), and Ward Beecher Hall (sciences with planetarium). Five on-campus residence halls house students: Cafaro, Kilcawley, Lyden, Weller, and Wick houses. The university operates the McDonough Museum of Art and houses the Butler Institute of American Art on campus. Student-to-faculty ratio is 14:1 with 79% of instructors holding doctorates or terminal degrees.
Youngstown State Penguins compete in NCAA Division I. Football plays in the Missouri Valley Football Conference and has won four national championships under former coach Jim Tressel (third most in FCS history). Most other sports compete in the Horizon League; bowling competes in Conference USA; lacrosse in the Mid-American Conference. The men's and women's basketball teams play at Beeghly Center (4,633 seats, built 1972). Football plays home games at Stambaugh Stadium since 1982. Sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, swimming, diving, tennis, track and field, volleyball, softball, soccer, lacrosse, and bowling.
YSU acquired the former Eastern Gateway Community College campus in Steubenville, Ohio in November 2025, with plans to open a satellite campus in fall 2026. The first year will offer 12 associate's degree programs and 4 certification programs. This expansion aims to serve displaced students in the Ohio Valley region and represents YSU's first satellite campus.