Guidelines for application fee waivers

For U.S. residents who are applying to Ohio State as freshmen or transfer students

You may qualify for an application fee waiver based on financial need, which is demonstrated by emailing one of the following documents to esue-studugt@osu.edu:

  1. A letter from a secondary or post-secondary school on official letterhead requesting the application fee be waived for one or more of the following reasons:

    • You or your family are on public assistance.

    • You are an orphan dependent on the state.

    • You are an adult dependent on the state.

    • You or your family have suffered an immediate financial calamity (recent loss of employment of a supporting family member, significant casualty loss, etc.).

  2. A letter from agency officials on official letterhead verifying that you or your family have qualified for public assistance based on low-income criteria for the preceding 12-month period.

  3. A letter from a high school counselor on official school letterhead verifying that you are enrolled in the free or reduced lunch program, or the NACAC Application Fee Waiver form submitted by a high school counselor.

  4. A copy of your financial aid award letter from another/previous institution verifying that you or your family are economically disadvantaged and have qualified for significant need-based financial aid within the preceding 12-month period.

  5. A copy of your previous Pell Grant or Ohio Instructional Grant student eligibility report

If you attend METRO High School in Columbus, please see your school counselor for additional information about fee waivers.