ºÚ°µ±¬ÁÏÍø is Ohio’s only open-access public university recognized
as a Carnegie Opportunity College. Free tuition for qualifying students. Career-focused, hands-on learning from day
one.
Students from thirteen counties across southern Ohio and eastern Kentucky can attend
tuition-free through the Shawnee Promise. There are requirements — a Pell Grant, a
3.0 GPA, an 18 ACT — and it takes about a minute to find out if you meet them.
Small classes mean professors know your name — and care about your future. You’ll
learn from experts in your field both in and out of the classroom. Your professors
aren't people you watch from row thirty. They know what you're working on and what
you want next.
Faculty who still work in the field
Shawnee Game Conference
Friday, November 6th, 2026
This is the place where all gaming worlds collide. Whether you’re a gamer, programmer,
developer, promoter, designer, educator, industry specialist, or just simply someone
who loves technology and games, this is the event for you.
Shawnee Showcase Day
Friday, November 7th, 2026
See what ºÚ°µ±¬ÁÏÍø has to offer at sessions personalized to meet your interests!
Explore our outstanding majors, tour our beautiful campus and apartment-style housing,
eat lunch in the Bear’s Den Dining Hall, and meet current ºÚ°µ±¬ÁÏÍø students.
Degrees and Areas of Study
Find you at SSU.
From healthcare to game design to business — explore every degree and find the path
that fits your life.
Isabelle Sarver
My favorite part of classes has been getting to be one-on-one with all the professors.
Isabelle Sarver
My favorite part of classes has been getting to be one-on-one with all the professors.
Not sure where to start?
Take the Bear Quiz to help you get started on choosing the right program for you.
Starting with students who entered in fall 2026, every ºÚ°µ±¬ÁÏÍø undergraduate
completes at least one approved hands-on experience before they graduate. It is a
requirement, not a recommendation.
ºÚ°µ±¬ÁÏÍø continues to climb the ranks of schools whose students make
the most of their opportunity to access higher education. U.S. News & World Report
Best Colleges rankings named SSU 36th in the Midwest for Social Mobility, up three
spots from a year ago.
Parker Lauders and Kade Dancy built a working refreshable braille display for their
senior capstone. It has been shown at the Ohio Statehouse, and they are pursuing a
patent.
In the 2025 Carnegie classifications, ºÚ°µ±¬ÁÏÍø is the only open-access public
university in Ohio named an Opportunity College and University — a designation based
on who gets in and what they earn afterward.
ºÚ°µ±¬ÁÏ꿉۪s class of 2030 is the largest first-year class in nearly ten years
— and the first that will graduate under the university’s new Experiential Learning
Requirement.
ºÚ°µ±¬ÁÏÍø is transforming workforce development at the high school
level with ShawneeWORKS, a first-of-its-kind partnership between SSU and five regional
career technical centers.
The Regional Public University for South-Central Ohio
We exist for those who were told a university wasn’t for them. We are here, in Southern
Ohio, in Appalachia, for this community. Our values — self-reliance, resilience, and
an unwavering commitment to family and community — define who we are and shape our
mission every day.