About YSU

Youngstown State University, a comprehensive, public, not-for-profit institution, is a major driver of the region’s economy and plays an enormous role in the educational, financial, and social well-being of Northeast Ohio, Western Pennsylvania and beyond. With nearly 11,000 students, more than 1,500 employees and nearly 113,000 alumni around the world, YSU embraces the important role it plays in enhancing the futures of our students by empowering them to discover, disseminate, and apply their knowledge. Now entering its 115th year, Youngstown State University remains committed to increasing excellence in all that we do and to providing the leadership and opportunities needed to make our region a better place to live, learn, and succeed.

YSU’s origins trace to 1908, when the local branch of the YMCA established a school of law within the Youngstown Association School. Over the next six decades, the school was transformed into the Youngstown Institute of Technology, Youngstown College, Youngstown University, and finally to Youngstown State University in 1967, when it became part of the Ohio state system. As the Mahoning and Shenango valleys have emerged from their industrial past, the university is viewed now more than ever as a major catalyst for the future, attracting faculty and staff to the area, providing economic stimulus, serving as a leader in workforce education and innovation, and producing energetic, talented graduates ready to make their mark on the region and the world.

YSU is accredited through the Higher Learning Commission. YSU’s accreditation has been affirmed through the year 2027 with the last HLC site visit having occurred in 2018.

Academics
YSU offers over 100 undergraduate majors, including certificates, associate, and bachelor’s degrees, and 80 graduate certificate and degree programs. The academic programs are offered through five academic colleges:
There are two colleges performing support functions and offering distinctive programs—the College of Graduate Studies and the Sokolov Honors College.
YSU also offers online undergraduate and graduate degrees and post-master’s certificates through the department of Cyberlearning.
The Division of Workforce Education and Innovation offers workforce and education programs through the online YSU Skills Accelerator and through classroom, hybrid, and experiential learning at a number of training centers. Serving YSU students, K-12 students, companies, and community members, DWEI prepares current and future workforce with industry 4.0 skills focused on advanced manufacturing, electric vehicles, energy storage, information technology, business, and professional skills.
Students
- Nearly 11,000 students
- 14:1 Student-Faculty ratio
- 57% Female/43% Male
- 14% Minority/3% International
YSU strives to create a sense of belonging; develop a campus community that fosters and celebrates differences and encourages cultural awareness; encourage independence through promotion and education of healthy lifestyle choices; help students identify their passion as well as pursue it appropriately; and foster a sense of institutional pride that encourages community and civic engagement for all students on campus.
YSU students excel in and out of the classroom. YSU offers more than 200 student organizations on campus with the ability for students to add new organizations to meet their needs.
Athletics
YSU’s 21 intercollegiate athletic teams compete at the NCAA Division I level. The football team, which has four national championships, is in the Missouri Valley Football Conference and the NCAA’s Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA). Baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s golf, women’s soccer, softball, men’s and women’s swimming & diving, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track and field, and volleyball teams compete in the Horizon League, with women’s bowling competing in the Southland Bowling League, and women’s lacrosse competing in the Mid-American Conference. Pete the Penguin is the mascot of YSU Athletics.
With seven Horizon League championships in 2022-23, YSU earned the Horizon League McCafferty Trophy outright for its excellence in the conference’s 19 championship sports.
YSU student-athletes also excel in the classroom. For the Fall 2022 semester, student athletes earned a 3.5 GPA, with 406 earning a 3.0 or higher and 134 student-athletes posting perfect 4.0 GPAs.
Employees
In 2022, YSU employed 343 full-time faculty members and 529 part-time adjunct faculty. Additionally, YSU employs 18 department chairs, administrators with some teaching responsibilities. Our faculty is made up of diverse and resourceful scholars who offer expertise in their fields and are deeply invested in students’ futures. In the classroom, they cultivate meaningful exchanges and discussions and offer opportunities and insight that lead students from the lecture hall to the real world.
Youngstown’s classified, professional, and administrative staff include 485 full-time and 100 part-time employees, as well as 49 occasional service, and 40 intermittent employees. They are distinguished by their dedication and loyalty to the institution’s mission and students, and are critical to YSU's overall success. They recruit, advise, register, employ, lead, protect, and engage students outside the classroom.
Employees are represented by four unions:
- YSU-Ohio Education Association (faculty);
- YSU-Association of Classified Employees (classified staff)
- YSU-Association of Professional and Administrative Staff
- YSU-Fraternal Order of Police (police officer and dispatchers)
Business and Finance
YSU’s Fiscal Year 2022 operating budget was $172.61 million. The operating budget plan supports the University’s Plan for Strategic Actions to Take Charge of Our Future, adopted by the Board of Trustees in June 2020. State of Ohio Share of Instruction funding makes up 29-percent of total general fund revenues, while tuition and fee income make up 67-percent. The remaining 4-percent comes from investment income, auxiliary charges, and other miscellaneous sources. YSU’s tuition is traditionally among the lowest in the state and nation, recently ranking 56th in the list of the 100 Most Affordable Colleges and Universities. The university participates in the Penguin Tuition Promise program, under which tuition is frozen over the four years of a student’s enrollment at YSU. The YSU Foundation provides more than $9 million in scholarship assistance annually for students.
Campus
The 140-acre YSU campus has a park-like central core ringed by classroom and administrative buildings, anchored by Jones Hall (the University’s “Old Main”) at the corner of Wick and Lincoln avenues. The campus of rolling green mounds, considered to be one of the safest in the state, provides an aesthetic and peaceful setting, featuring a variety of trees, plant life, and the occasional scurrying squirrel or chipmunk. In fact, for the past several years, the Arbor Day Foundation has designated YSU a Tree Campus USA. In addition, the university is a leader in recycling, placing first in Ohio in the annual nationwide Campus Race to Zero Waste competition.
In December 2022, the University opened the Frank and Norma Watson Team Center, designed to provide cutting-edge resources to better prepare YSU engineering teams for regional, national, and international competitions.
In July 2021, YSU opened a one-of-a-kind workforce, education, research, and commercial center focused on advanced manufacturing. The Excellence Training Center (ETC) in Kohli Hall provides career pathways for all types of students, including traditional and non-traditional certifications and industry recognized credentials offered in a wide range of areas such as manual and CNC machining, industrial maintenance, robotics, automation, and additive manufacturing. The ETC houses over $10 million of advanced manufacturing equipment that brings the programs to life.
Youngstown State University Foundation
Seeking to protect the university’s private endowment during the private Youngstown University’s transformation to a public Youngstown State University in 1966, Dr. Howard Jones established a separate, independent organization, “The Youngstown Educational Foundation.” In 1983, the Foundation’s name changed to the “Youngstown State University Foundation,” all the while maintaining its autonomy and independence from the university. The Foundation, whose endowment is one of the largest among public universities in Ohio, is YSU’s designated philanthropic entity and provides $10 million in scholarships to YSU students annually. Classified as a 501(c)(3) public charity, gifts and bequests to the Foundation are tax-deductible.
YSU and the YSU Foundation received a record $24.1 million in gifts in the 2021-22 fiscal year, the largest one-year total in the university’s 114-year history. This fundraising record coincided with the YSU “We See Tomorrow” capital campaign, publicly announced in 2018 with a goal of $100 million and upped to $125 million two years later. The campaign ended in September 2021 with 80% of the 32,581 gifts amounting to $126.2 million, including 40 gifts of $1 million or more, already in-hand.
Economic Impact

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Youngstown State University creates value in many ways. The university plays a key role in helping students increase their employability and achieve their individual potential. The university facilitates new research and company developments and also draws visitors and students to the region, generating new dollars and opportunities for the YSU Service Region. YSU provides students with the education, training, and skills they need to have fulfilling and prosperous careers. Its student and employee volunteers support the regional economy through the output and employment generated by regional businesses and organizations. Furthermore, YSU is a place for students to meet new people, increase their self-confidence, and promote their overall health and well-being.
YSU influences both the lives of its students and the regional economy. The university supports a variety of industries in the YSU Service Region, serves regional businesses, and benefits society as a whole in Ohio from an expanded economy and improved quality of life. Additionally, the benefits created by YSU extend to the state and local government through increased tax revenues and public sector savings.
Economic Impact Report | Executive Summary