Ashland University is a mid-sized, private, non-profit university that is located in Ashland, Ohio, United States, the university consists of a 135-acre (0.55 km²) main campus and several off-campus centers throughout central and northern Ohio. It was founded in 1878 and is affiliated with the Brethren Church. Judeo-Christian values are the foundation of the educational and social environment of the university.

The university offers 73 undergraduate majors and nine pre-professional programs. The majors include toxicology/environmental science and entrepreneurship, which are unusual for an institution of its size. In addition, it offers most traditional liberal arts majors as well as a wide range of majors in business and education. The education program, which offers pre-K through doctorate level courses, is one of the largest among independent and state institutions in Ohio. Academic programs are enhanced by an Honors Program and the John M. Ashbrook Center for Public Affairs.

The university consists of four Colleges—the College of Arts and Sciences, the Schar College of Education, the Dauch College of Business and Economics, and the Schar College of Nursing—and a large Graduate School offering degree programs in Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Fine Arts (MFA), Master of American History and Government (MAHG), Master of Education (M. Ed.) and Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) programs. In addition, Ashland Theological Seminary, a division of Ashland University, offers a doctor of ministry degree as well as a number of master's degrees.