After you are admitted

Congratulations on your admission! To keep your admission to Ohio State on track, you have some steps to complete.

Download this section as a checklist.

Set up your BuckeyeMail email account

If you already activated your username and created a password (you may have done this as an applicant in order to check your application status), your final step is to set up your BuckeyeMail account.

  1. Go to my.osu.edu and log in.

  2. On the left side of the page, click Change Email Delivery.

  3. Select Create my BuckeyeMail account and submit.

Once your request has been processed (allow up to 90 minutes), you'll be able to log in at buckeyemail.osu.edu to receive and send email. Your username/login namae is: lastname.#@buckeyemail.osu.edu.

If you don’t end up enrolling at Ohio State, your BuckeyeMail account and all data will be removed at the end of the semester for which you applied.

What if I have not activated my username? Get instructions.

Accept our offer of admission by paying your acceptance fee

Your nonrefundable $100 acceptance fee is due within three weeks of receiving your notice of admission, which is emailed to you as soon as you’re admitted to Ohio State. Housing and orientation materials are emailed in the order fees are received.

To pay your acceptance fee, or decline the offer of admission

Follow the directions on your notice of admission email. You can also pay the fee through your Applicant Center. Upon paying the acceptance fee, your financial support documents will be reviewed.

Note: As a condition of enrollment, all admitted applicants are required to answer a question regarding disciplinary and felony history prior to paying the acceptance fee.

To delay your admissions or enrollment term

Contact Undergraduate Admissions before the application deadline for your desired term to discuss your options.

Submit proof of financial support

International students and their families or sponsors are responsible for all tuition and living expenses at Ohio State. To show that you can meet the financial responsibility of attending Ohio State and to receive the appropriate visa eligibility documents (I-20 or DS-2019), admitted international students must submit Ohio State’s Visa Request Form for each supporter (yourself or your family) or agency sponsor, in addition to required support documents.

Do not submit the Visa Request Form or support documents until after you are admitted and have accepted your admission. Documents submitted before that will not be reviewed.

Download the Visa Request Form and follow the directions carefully. Submit required documents using our Admissions Uploader. You'll receive an immediate confirmation once you successfully submit your documents.

These examples show how to complete the Visa Request Form correctly:

Deadline: If you are admitted for autumn term, submit your documents by the first week of June. If you are admitted for spring term, submit your documents by the first week of November.

Submit a copy of your passport picture page

Once you have been admitted, submit a valid copy of your passport picture page using our Admissions Uploader.

Deadline: If you are admitted for autumn term, submit your passport picture page by the first week of June. If you are admitted for spring term, submit it by the first week of November.

Check your Applicant Center frequently

Check for missing documents or outstanding fees and provide all required items by the deadlines given.

  1. Go to appstatus.osu.edu and log in with your Ohio State username (lastname.#) and password.

  2. Click the Application Status link in the Admissions section of the Applicant Center.

  3. Click the link under “Status.”

  4. Click the Application Requirements tab to view the status of all required items.

Submit your final university transcript

If you have completed courses that would not appear on the transcript your university(s) already sent to Ohio State, please request that an official transcript be mailed or sent electronically to Ohio State as soon as your grades have posted. Emailed or faxed transcripts will not be accepted.

If you have taken university courses in China, you MUST arrange for a verification report of your university transcript with the Center for Student Services and Development, Ministry of Education, P.R. China (CSSD). The report must be mailed or emailed directly to Undergraduate Admission by CSSD, rather than by you or any third party. The report should be mailed to our express mail address or emailed to sae-studugt@osu.edu. Any transcript not mailed or emailed by CSSD will not be considered.

View your Transfer Credit Report and get credits evaluated

If you submitted a transcript(s) from your previous institution(s) to be evaluated for transfer credit, visit our Transfer Credit Report page and follow the instructions to run and understand your transfer credit report (you'll need to log in with your Ohio State username and password).

Note: For courses requiring evaluation before orientation, it is your responsibility to contact the appropriate Transfer Credit Coordinator. Failure to do so may result in a delay in your ability to schedule courses for your degree program.

Download the What Happens Next brochure.

Check BuckeyeMail for housing updates and more

We're sending important, time-sensitive information — like your housing contract and financial aid offer — to your BuckeyeMail account.

  • Log into buckeyemail.osu.edu with your Ohio State username (lastname.#@buckeyemail.osu.edu) and password.

  • Check your email several times a week until school begins, and then daily.

What if I haven't activated my username? Get instructions.

Apply for your student visa

Once we have received sufficient financial documentation and a copy of your valid passport picture page and you have paid your acceptance fee, Ohio State will instruct you to download your visa eligibility documents (I-20 for a F-1 visa or DS-2019 for a J-1 visa).

Apply for housing

On-campus housing

Transfer students who graduated from high school in 2022 or later are required to live on campus, contingent upon space availability. Otherwise, transfer students are not required to live on campus, and campus housing is offered based on space availability. Housing information is emailed to BuckeyeMail accounts on a rolling basis depending on date of admission and space availability.

Students admitted for autumn semester: Housing information for autumn semester students is emailed to students’ BuckeyeMail accounts starting in early April.

Students admitted for spring or summer terms: Housing information is emailed after you have been admitted but no sooner than two months before the start of the desired term.

Off-campus housing

Off-Campus and Commuter Student Engagement provides resources for students wishing to live off campus.

Read "What Happens Next"

You'll receive the What Happens Next brochure along with your visa eligibility document. "What Happens Next" contains information and requirements about housing, orientation, placement tests and more. Please read it carefully.

Complete the vaccination requirement

Complete the university vaccination requirement before the start of your first semester. Learn more.