Ohio University is a large, primarily residential public research university in Athens, Ohio, United States. The first university chartered by an Act of Congress and the first to be chartered in Ohio, it was chartered in 1787 by the First Continental Congress and subsequently approved for the territory in 1802 and state in 1804, opening for students in 1809. As of 2016, the university's total enrollment, including all campuses, was more than 36,800.
Ohio University maintains a selective admission rate with further admission requirements for its Journalism and other select schools. The Heritage College of Medicine maintains its separate select admissions criteria. Ohio University offers more than 250 areas of undergraduate study. On the graduate level, the university grants master's degrees in many of its major academic divisions, and doctoral degrees in selected departments.Ohio University is fully accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching classifies Ohio as a Research University (high research activity) under the Basic Classification category.
Ohio's athletic teams are called the Bobcats and compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level as charter members of the Mid-American Conference. Ohio football has participated in ten bowl games through the 2016 season, while the men's basketball team has made 13 appearances in the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship.
