The following is a list of notable people associated with Youngstown State University, located in the American city of Youngstown, Ohio.

• Harry L. Alford, arranger and composer of band marches
• Pat DiCesare, entrepreneur and rock and roll promoter
• Harold Danko, jazz pianist
• Bob DiPiero, country music songwriter who has written 15 #1 hits
• Khaledzou, music producer and member of noise pop duo MUNNYCAT
• Sean Jones, jazz recording artist, lead trumpeter for Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra
• Emanuel Kiriakou, songwriter, producer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist, based in Los Angeles
• Edward Leffingwell, art critic and curator
• Ben Neill, composer, performer, inventor of the mutantrumpet
• Ed O'Neill, actor, known as Al Bundy on Married... with Children and Jay Pritchett on Modern Family
• Roland F. Seitz, composer, bandmaster, and music publisher
• Michael S. Smith, jazz drummer and percussionist

• Jerry Lee, President of the Jerry Lee Foundation
• Evelyn G. Lowery, American Civil Rights Movement activist and leader; marched in the historic Selma to Montgomery March

• Tony Aiello, former NFL player, Brooklyn Tigers and Detroit Lions
• Hank Allen, former MLB outfielder, pinch hitter and third baseman for the Washington Senators, Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago White Sox
• Ron Allen, former MLB first baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals
• Al Campana, former NFL running back, Chicago Bears
• George Cappuzzello, former MLB pitcher for the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros
• Billy Clapper, basketball coach, IMG Academy
• Craig Cotton, former NFL tight end, Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions
• Caylen Croft, former WWE wrestler
• Bob Davie, former Notre Dame football coach; former ESPN commentator; head coach of the University of New Mexico
• Dave Dravecky, former MLB pitcher, San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants
• Sloko Gill, former NFL center, Detroit Lions
• Ralph Goldston, former NFL running back, Philadelphia Eagles
• Brad Hennessey, former MLB pitcher, Baltimore Orioles and Houston Astros
• Ron Jaworski, former NFL quarterback, Philadelphia Eagles, color commentator for ESPN Monday Night Football
• Tim Johnson, former NFL linebacker, Baltimore Ravens and Oakland Raiders
• Donald Jones, NFL wide receiver for the New England Patriots
• Larry Jordan, NFL linebacker and defensive back for the Denver Broncos
• Andy Kosco, former MLB outfielder and first baseman
• Don Leshnock, former MLB pitcher for the Detroit Tigers
• Quentin Lowry, former NFL linebacker, Washington Redskins
• Lamar Mady, former NFL offensive lineman, Oakland Raiders
• Ray Mancini, former boxer
• Mark Mangino, college football coach; former head coach at Kansas
• Vince Marrow, former NFL tight end, Buffalo Bills
• Marcus Mason, professional football player, NFL running back, Washington Redskins
• Paul McFadden, 1984 NFL Rookie of the Year, President of the YSU Foundation
• Ed McGlasson, former NFL center, New York Jets, Los Angeles Rams and New York Giants
• Leo Mogus, former NBA player
• Pat Narduzzi, head coach of the University of Pittsburgh
• Kelly Pavlik, former boxer
• Kendrick Perry, professional basketball player, Sydney Kings of the NBL
• Carmen Policy, NFL executive, San Francisco 49ers and Cleveland Browns
• Brandian Ross, professional football player, NFL cornerback, Green Bay Packers
• Rick Shepas, head football coach at Waynesburg University
• Ken Smith, former MLB first baseman and left fielder for the Atlanta Braves
• Cliff Stoudt, former NFL quarterback, Pittsburgh Steelers, St. Louis Cardinals, Arizona Cardinals and Miami Dolphins
• Russell Stuvaints, former National Football League defensive back, Pittsburgh Steelers
• Vytautas Šulskis, professional Lithuanian basketball player, BC Šiauliai of Lithuania
• Justin Thomas, MLB relief pitcher
• Jeff Wilkins, professional football player, NFL kicker for the St. Louis Rams

• Sam Bahour, Palestinian American businessman and entrepreneur
• Joseph G. Brimmeier, former Chief Executive Officer of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission
• Thom Brodeur-Kazanjian, CEO of Yandy.com
• Mary Ann Campana, founder of Pollyanna Clothes and a record breaking aviator.
• Nanette Lepore, fashion designer
• Milan Puskar, founder of Fortune 500 company Mylan Laboratories
• Sonny Vaccaro, founder of ABCD Basketball Camp; marketing executive for Nike, Reebok and Adidas
• Ryan Wood, co-founder of the Under Armour company

• Donna Roberts, convicted of the murder of her ex-husband

• Amy Acton, director of Ohio Department of Health during the COVID-19 pandemic
• Vincent A. Biancucci, former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
• Charles J. Carney, former US Congressman
• Peter C. Economus, United States federal judge on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
• Ron Gerberry, former member of the Ohio House of Representatives
• Nathaniel R. Jones, former judge U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
• Rich Kasunic, Pennsylvania State Senator
• Jim Lynch, former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
• Riyad Mansour, Permanent Representative to the United Nations from Palestine
• Harry Meshel, former president of the Ohio State Senate; chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party
• Sylvester Patton, former member of the Washington State Senate
• Margarita Prentice, former member of the Ohio House of Representatives
• Leslie H. Sabo, Jr., Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipient (did not graduate)^[1]
• Chris Sainato, Pennsylvania state representative
• Amy Salerno, former member of the Ohio House of Representatives
• Patricia Haynes Smith (graduate study), Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from Baton Rouge, Louisiana
• A. William Sweeney, former Ohio Supreme Court Justice
• James Traficant, former U.S. Congressman
• Jay Williams, appointed by President Obama to cabinet position in the Office of Recovery for Auto Communities and Workers; former mayor of Youngstown

• Christopher Barzak, author whose first novel, One for Sorrow, was made into the Sundance Feature Film Jamie Marks is Dead
• Simeon Booker, first black reporter for The Washington Post
• Elfreda Chatman, known for her ethnographic approaches in researching information seeking behaviors among understudied or minority groups
• Noah Cicero, novelist, short story writer, and poet
• Mark Dailey, Canadian newscaster for Citytv
• Frank Marzullo, meteorologist for WXIX-TV, the Fox network affiliate in Cincinnati, Ohio
• David Lee Morgan, Jr., sportswriter; author; motivational speaker; literacy facilitator; author of LeBron James: The Rise of A Star (2003)
• Jerry Nachman, former vice president of MSNBC cable news network
• Ed Rosenthal, author; criminal defendant (did not graduate)^[2]

• Robert M. Nemkovich, sixth Prime Bishop of the Polish National Catholic Church
• Nicholas (Smisko), former metropolitan bishop of the American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese

• John Blangero, human geneticist; highly cited scientist in the field of complex disease genetics
• Steven R. Little, chemical engineer, pharmaceutical scientist, and department chair of Chemical Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh
• John McGinness, physicist and physician; contributed to the modern field of organic electronics
• Amit Patel, cardiothoracic surgeon and world pioneer of stem cell therapy for heart failure
• Alverna Babbs Williams, first American pilot with disabilities to earn a pilot's license

• Thomas Bopp, astronomer; co-discoverer of Comet Hale-Bopp
• Ron Parise, NASA astronaut, STS-35 and STS-37

• Christopher Barzak, author
• Adam Earnheardt, academic and author
• Paul Sracic, political scientist and author
• Jim Tressel, college football coach and university administrator
• Bruce Waller, philosopher^[3]
• Bill Johnson, businessman and former U.S. Congressman^[4][5][6]

• Youngstown State University Alumni Association