The Ohio State University has been noted by multiple publications as one of the highest ranked universities in the United States and in the world . Ohio State is currently ranked by U.S. News & World Report as the best public university in Ohio , among the top 130 universities in the world , among the top 60 universities in the United States , and among the top 20 public universities in the United States . Ohio State has been officially designated as the flagship institution of Ohio 's public universities by the newly centralized University System of Ohio .