No accolades found in this category yet.
U.S. News & World Report
Best Regional Universities — Midwest, Top 20
YSU ranked among the top 20 regional universities in the Midwest, recognized for academic quality, student outcomes, and value.
2025–2026
Guggenheim Foundation
Three Guggenheim Fellows — Most in YSU History
YSU has produced three Guggenheim Fellows, with Dr. Ahmed Khalil's 2026 award in Social Sciences being the most recent and prestigious.
1998 · 2014 · 2026
U.S. News & World Report
#1 Nursing Program in Ohio
YSU's College of Health & Human Services nursing program earned the top ranking in Ohio, recognized for clinical partnerships, faculty credentials, and graduate outcomes.
2025–2026
Princeton Review
Best Undergraduate Business Programs — Top 25 Ohio
The Williamson College of Business recognized for entrepreneurship curriculum, faculty access, and graduate employment outcomes.
2026
NIH Research Portfolio
$960K NIH Grant — College of Health & Human Services
Awarded for telehealth research innovation — one of the largest NIH grants in YSU's history and a testament to the College's national reputation.
2025
National Association of Schools of Music
Dana School of Music — Full Accreditation with Commendation
Recognized for outstanding faculty credentials, student performance outcomes, and the quality of its community outreach programming.
2024
ABET Accreditation
All Eight Rayen School Engineering Programs — ABET Accredited
Every undergraduate engineering program at the Rayen School holds ABET accreditation — the gold standard for engineering education quality.
Continuous Since 1988
Fulbright Program
YSU Hosts Fulbright Scholar — International Research Recognition
Dr. Hanna Wolff of Berlin joins YSU on a competitive Fulbright fellowship — a mark of YSU's growing reputation in environmental and climate research.
2026
Ohio Society of Professional Journalists
Best Broadcast Reporting — YSU–WKBN Student Partnership
Student journalists from YSU's Department of Communication won the top SPJ award for their investigative segment on Mahoning Valley water quality.
2026
Ohio Nurses Association
YSU Alumna Named Ohio Nurse of the Year
Angela Kowalski, RN, Class of 2012, recognized for developing a sepsis early-warning protocol at University Hospitals Cleveland that reduced mortality rates by 18%.
2026
NASA
$540K NASA Grant — Rayen School Aerospace Research
Rayen School faculty and students awarded a NASA grant to develop lightweight carbon-fiber composites for deep-space applications.
2025
NCAA Division I FCS
14× FCS Football National Champions
Youngstown State is one of the most decorated programs in FCS football history, with 14 national championships — more than any other program in the division's modern era.
1979–2025
97%
Graduate Employment Rate
YSU Career Center 2025
$8.2M
Active Research Grants
Office of Research 2025–26
42
Published Research Papers — 2025
YSU Research Office
14×
FCS National Football Titles
NCAA Division I FCS
3
Guggenheim Fellows
John Simon Guggenheim Foundation
#1
Nursing Program in Ohio
U.S. News 2025–26
200+
Student Research Participants
STEM Division 2025–26
1908
Year Founded — Over a Century of Excellence
Youngstown, Ohio
2026
Nature Materials Publication, Guggenheim Fellowship & #1 Nursing Ranking
YSU's most decorated year for research and faculty recognition — a biodegradable battery breakthrough published in Nature Materials, Prof. Khalil named a Guggenheim Fellow, and YSU Nursing ranked #1 in Ohio.
2025
14th FCS National Championship & NSF Top 10 Grant Recognition
The Penguins claimed their 14th football title while the university cracked the NSF's top 10 for STEM research grants among mid-size public universities.
2024
ABET Full Accreditation & Dana Music Commendation
All eight Rayen School engineering programs maintained ABET accreditation while the Dana School of Music earned a rare commendation from NASM evaluators.
2021
13th FCS National Championship
The Penguins captured their 13th national title, completing an undefeated playoff run through the spring 2021 season.
1908
Founded as Youngstown Association School
What began as a small municipal institution has grown into a comprehensive university serving over 12,000 students and anchoring Northeast Ohio's educational landscape.
