Youngstown State University

The Youngstown branch of the YMCA had provided high school and vocational education since 1888. Youngstown State University traces its origins to 1908, when the YMCA introduced a commercial law course intended to meet local demand for college-level instruction. In 1921, the school became known as the Youngstown Institute of Technology, A major reorganization in 2007 placed science and mathematics departments within the Rayen College of Engineering and Technology and consolidated the humanities and social sciences within a separate academic college. YSU acquired the former Eastern Gateway campus in November 2025 with the goal of offering classes by 2026. ==Campus==

YSU lies on a campus just north of downtown Youngstown. Kilcawley Center is the university's student center, located at the center of campus. It features reading rooms, computer labs, a copying center, a variety of restaurants and student affairs offices. Offices for many university student media outlets are housed here, including student newspaper The Jambar, student magazine The Yo, and student radio Rookery Radio. There are also many meeting and seminar rooms, which can be rented out for community events. Fok Hall houses the Sokolov Honors College, which consists of administrative offices and classrooms. It was built in 1893 and is the oldest building on campus. In 2013, the former Wick Pollock Inn was converted into the university president's house. The three-year project to renovate the mansion cost YSU over $4 million. The first facility of its kind at any university in Ohio, the 6,000 sq. ft., fully handicap-accessible Veterans Resource Center houses the Office of Veteran Affairs, as well as lounges, computer labs, and community spaces reserved for student veterans, currently serving members of the military, and military-dependent students. The Butler Institute of American Art is located on Wick Avenue in Youngstown, Ohio. Falling directly on YSU's campus, it is the flagship art museum of the city. Steubenville campus In 2025, YSU reached an agreement with the Jefferson County Board of Commissioners to acquire the property of Eastern Gateway Community College in Steubenville, Ohio, with plans to open a satellite campus on the site. The deal was completed later that year and the campus is expected to open in fall 2026. 12 associate's degree programs and 4 certification programs will be offered in the first year. ==Academics==

The university comprises seven undergraduate and graduate colleges: • Beeghly College of Liberal Arts, Social Science & Education • Bitonte College of Health and Human Services • Cliffe College of Creative Arts • College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics • Williamson College of Business Administration • College of Graduate Studies • Sokolov Honors College YSU offers approximately 100 undergraduate majors, 40 master's programs, and five doctoral degrees. It has partnerships with various other postsecondary institutions, including a juris doctor track with the University of Akron, a doctor of medicine track with the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine or Northeast Ohio Medical University, and master's programs with the University of Akron and Cleveland State University. The Dana School of Music at Youngstown State University was deemed an "All-Steinway" school in 2004. The Dana School of Music is one of the oldest non-conservatory schools of music in the United States. The Williamson College of Business is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). In addition to traditional four-year programs, Youngstown State University also offers online degree programs and three-year degree pathways. Centers and institutes YSU operates several Centers of Excellence and designated research and economic development programs, including the Center for Transportation and Materials Engineering, the Center of Excellence in Materials Science and Engineering, the Center of Excellence in International Business, the Center for Applied Chemical Biology, the Institute for Applied Topology, and effective in 2012, the Natural Gas and Water Resources Institute. Youngstown State University is also home to the Center for Working Class Studies and offers a Regional and American Studies program, which was the first of its kind in the United States. The school assisted the University of Chicago in developing a similar program. The university's Center for Judaic and Holocaust Studies was put into jeopardy when Jacob Ari Labendz, the only professor at YSU qualified to teach Holocaust studies, was laid off in 2021. Library The Maag Library opened in 1976 and was named after one of the local public library and Youngstown State University's trustees, William F. Maag, Jr. Before it opened, Maag Library became a member of the Federal Depository Library Program in 1971. Rankings In Washington Monthly's 2025 Master's University Rankings, Youngstown State University was ranked 365th out of 585 master's level institutions across the United States. In the 2025 U.S. News & World Report college rankings, Youngstown State University was ranked 99th out of 165 regional universities in the Midwest, and 35th among public universities. ==Student life==

As of fall 2019, the student body totaled approximately 12,155, 10% of whom were dual-enrolled high school students. Numerous privately owned student apartment complexes are located close to YSU's campus. ==Athletics==

The Youngstown State Penguins is the name given to the athletic teams of YSU. The university is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I, and the Penguins compete in football as members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Most other sports compete as members of the Horizon League. Sports teams include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, swimming, diving, tennis, track and field, volleyball, softball, soccer, lacrosse, and bowling. hosts several sports The Youngstown State Penguins football team plays as a member of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision. The Penguins have played their home games in Stambaugh Stadium since 1982. YSU football has been one of the leading programs in NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision, winning four national championships under former head coach Jim Tressel, which is third behind North Dakota State's ten titles and Georgia Southern's six. Overall, YSU has made 14 playoff appearances since Division I FCS was formed in 1978. The Youngstown State Penguins women's basketball and Youngstown State Penguins men's basketball teams compete at Beeghly Center, a 4,633-seat, multi-purpose arena built in 1972. The women's team has appeared in the NCAA Division I Tournament three times. The men's team has appeared in the NCAA Division II Tournament nine times and the NAIA tournament four times. ==Notable people==