The Ohio State University has as its mission the attainment of international distinction in education, scholarship, and public service. As the state's leading comprehensive teaching and research university, Ohio State combines a responsibility for the advancement and dissemination of knowledge with a land-grant heritage of public service. It offers an extensive range of academic programs in the liberal arts, the sciences, and the professions. Ohio State provides accessible, high-quality undergraduate and graduate education for qualified students who are able to benefit from a scholarly environment in which research inspires and informs teaching. At Ohio State, we celebrate and learn from our diversity and we value individual differences.
Academic freedom is defended within an environment of civility, tolerance, and mutual respect.
For more information about Ohio State, please choose from the topics below. Ohio State's roots go back to 1870, when the Ohio General Assembly established the Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College. The new college was made possible through the provisions of the Land-Grant Act, signed by President Lincoln on July 2, 1862. This legislation revolutionized the nation's approach to higher education, bringing a college degree within reach of all high school graduates. The college's curriculum was a matter of bitter dispute among politicians, the public, and educators.