public, coeducational institution of higher learning in Kent, Ohio, U.S. A larger Kent State University system comprises the main campus in Kent, branch campuses in Ashtabula and East Liverpool, and two-year colleges in Salem and in Geauga, Stark, Trumbull, and Tuscarawas counties. The university consists of colleges of arts and sciences, business administration, education, fine and professional arts, and nursing and the School of Technology. In addition to undergraduate studies, the university offers a range of master's and doctoral degree programs. The main campus is home to the Glenn H. Brown Liquid Crystal Institute and the Center for Applied Conflict Management.

Kent State was established in 1910 as the Kent Normal School; it was elevated to university standing in 1935. In May 1970 campus protests against the war in Vietnam (Vietnam War) led to the deaths of four students who were fired on by the Ohio National Guard; the event led to disorders at many American universities. The university, in connection with the Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, organizes summer festivals of arts, music, and theatre. Op-art painter Richard Anuszkiewicz is a Kent State alumnus and former faculty member.