The Ohio State University (Ohio State, tOSU, or OSU) is a public research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1870, it is the flagship institution of the University System of Ohio. It is designated a land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant university by the government of Ohio. Ohio State is one of the largest universities by enrollment in the United States, with over 50,000 undergraduate students and 15,000 graduate students. Ohio State is a member of the Association of American Universities and is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity spending and doctorate production". In 2026 the university had research and development (R&D) expenditures of $1.58 billion, the 12th largest in the United States.