During the 1960-70's, the institution continually struggled to balance fostering of students' pride in Black history and heritage while not attracting a disproportionate number of black activists. The first half of the 1980's brought improvements in Central State's enrollment. However, a pattern of budget cuts and fee increases began which compounded the institution's mounting financial difficulties. In it's current form, Central State University is a comprehensive, coeducational, historically Black, residential and commuter university operating on the quarter academic calendar. The university is organized into colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business Administration, and Education.
Admission is based on the policy of equal opportunity for all who wish to further their education.
The admissions process is composed of completing an application, forwarding high school transcripts, an submitting ACT scores. The basis of candidate selection in order of importance is high school record, class rank, recommendations, test scores, and an essay. Degrees offered are the bachelor of arts, bachelor of science, and bachelor of science degrees in business administration, education, and music education. The University also operates a joint program in systems engineering with Wright State University, maintains a focused articulation agreement with three community colleges in Ohio, and offers an Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps program. Students probably would use the public library as well as any higher education institution's library in collecting information beyond what is available in their high school's library.