The State of Ohio is the home of a number of public and private institutions of higher learning. Several of these institutions are ranked among the top national universities (in order), including Case Western Reserve University (private), The Ohio State University (public), Miami University (public), University of Dayton (private), Ohio University (public), University of Cincinnati (public). The Ohio State University is the largest university in the United States as of 2006.

Ohio State and Case Western are Ohio's two members of the Association of American Universities as well as the universities with the largest endowments. Ohio University is the oldest university west of the Appalachians. Miami University in 1986 and The Ohio State University in 2001 were noted as "public ivy" institutions, the state/public equivalent of a private Ivy League institutions. Ohio University's journalism school ranks, with Columbia University's journalism school, as one of the nation's best.

According to the most recent undergraduate rankings by US News & World Report, Case Western is Ohio highest ranked private university at 37. Ohio State is Ohio's highest ranked public university at 57, and Oberlin College is Ohio's highest ranked liberal arts college at 23.

Unlike in some other states -- such as New York and California -- Ohio's 13 public universities are not part of a single university system, but constitute 13 independently operated institutions. Thus, whereas in some states, a single name (such as "University of California" or "State University of New York") is shared by multiple institutions, each of Ohio's state universities has its own unique name, with only two-year branch campuses having to be distinguished by additional geographic indicator. The Ohio Board of Regents oversees the public institutions of higher education in Ohio. In keeping with Ohio's decentralized system of higher education, the Board of Regents functions as a coordinating body rather than a governing body. This system has come under some criticism in recent years as contributing greatly to overlap and redundancies in the higher education system. For example, Ohio's public university system supports nine doctoral programs in history and five law schools while four different public universities in Ohio operate airports and offer aviation programs. At the same time, the system has been lauded for creating powerful "utility" organizations, such as OhioLINK and the Ohio Supercomputer Center, which allow campuses to collaborate and achieve significant efficiencies. A new credit transfer program makes transferring among Ohio's public campuses much easier, and allows students to preview academic programs.

Eleven of the 13 public universities top the state's enrollment statistics, with Ohio State ranking as one of the nation's top five universities by enrollment. The remaining two -- Shawnee State University and Central State University -- are relatively small institutions. The University of Dayton is the state's largest private university.