Bowling Green State University, often referred to as Bowling Green or BGSU, is a public, coeducational university located in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. The 1,338-acre (541.5 ha) main academic and residential campus is located 22 miles (35 km) south of Toledo, Ohio. The institution was granted a charter in 1910 as a normal school, specializing in teacher training and education, as part of the Lowry Normal School Bill that authorized two new normal schools in the state of Ohio. Over the university's history, it developed from a small rural normal school into a comprehensive public university.

As of 2012 Bowling Green offered over 200 undergraduate programs, as well as master's and doctoral degrees through eight academic colleges. Its academic programs have been nationally ranked by Forbes Magazine, U.S. News & World Report, and Washington Monthly. The 2011 Carnegie Foundation classified BGSU as having "high research activity". Research projects in the areas of Psychology, Sociology, Education and Human Development, Energy and Sustainability are among the most prominent. BGSU had an on-campus residential student population of 6,500 students and a total student population of over 17,000 students as of 2011. The university also maintains a satellite campus, known as BGSU Firelands, in Huron, Ohio 60 miles (97 km) east of the main campus. Although the majority of students attend classes on BGSU's main campus, about 2,500 students attend classes at Firelands and about 1000 additional students at extension locations or online. About 85% of Bowling Green's students are from Ohio.