Shawnee State University

Shawnee State University was established on July 2, 1986. It is the most recently established state-supported, four-year college in Ohio and is located in Portsmouth, Ohio. Prior to 1986, Shawnee State University's predecessor had been a two-year community college. Beginning in 1986, the institution continued to offer associate degrees but also began to award baccalaureate degrees.

In 2005, Shawnee State University students could major in over eighty degree programs. The university charged students from both Ohio and Kentucky in-state tuition. The institution also had one of the lowest tuition rates for public colleges and universities in Ohio and attracted over four thousand students to the campus. The Shawnee State University campus consists of twenty-six buildings, including the state-of-the-art Vern Riffe Center for the Arts.