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.
Go to my.osu.edu and log in.
On the left side of the page, click Change Email Delivery.
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 email address 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.
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), you must submit Ohio State’s Affidavit of Financial Support form for each supporter (yourself or your family) or agency sponsor, in addition to required support documents.
The affidavit and financial documents are only required of admitted students. If you submit documents before being admitted, they will not be reviewed until after you are admitted.
Download the Affidavit of Financial Support 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 sample affidavits show how to complete the form correctly:
Sample affidavit if you have personal support for your education
Sample affidavit if you are self-sponsored
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 copy of your valid passport picture page using our Admissions Uploader. You’ll be asked to log in with your Ohio State username (lastname.#) and password.
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.
Accept our offer of admission and pay your acceptance fee
Pay this $100 nonrefundable fee by May 1. 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, which is emailed to you as soon as you’re admitted to Ohio State. 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 term
Contact Undergraduate Admissions before the application deadline for your desired term to discuss your options. Read our
Gap Year Policy.
Check your Applicant Center frequently
Check for missing documents or outstanding fees and provide all required items by the deadlines given.
Go to appstatus.osu.edu and log in with your Ohio State username (lastname.#) and password.
Click the Application Status link in the Admissions section of the Applicant Center.
Click the link under “Status.”
Click the Application Requirements tab to view the status of all required items.
Finish strong, and submit your transcripts
Final high school transcript
Your admission is contingent upon our review of your final high school transcript. If you fail to maintain the high academic standards under which you were admitted, your admission to Ohio State may be canceled. Ask your school official to send your official final transcript or graduation certificate indicating your graduation date as soon as possible after graduation. Note: If your final transcript does not include your graduation date, you must submit a copy of your graduation certificate (with English translation) or final examination certificate in person or by mail.
If you’ve taken AP or IB classes or AS-level or A-level examinations, you may be able to receive credit for your test scores. To find out if you can earn credit for your AP, IB, AS-level or A-level results, remember to have your official scores sent to Ohio State.
University transcript
If you have earned university credit while in high school, ask each institution you attended to send an electronic transcript to Ohio State so that we can begin evaluating your transferable credits. (Exception: You do not need to provide a transcript for course work completed at Ohio State.) Do this around the time you pay your acceptance fee. Emailed or faxed transcripts will not be accepted.
Important: If you’re still taking university classes at that time, also request that a final electronic transcript be sent to Ohio State as soon as your grades have posted.
Foreign language documents must be translated into English by the issuing institution, an authorized translator or a teacher of the language. Any additional requirements will be posted to your Applicant Center, so be sure to check your application status regularly after you've applied.
Download the What Happens Next brochure.
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
Incoming freshmen are required to live on campus for their first two years. Exemptions or exclusions from this policy must be approved by Housing and Residence Education.
Students admitted for autumn semester
Housing information for autumn semester students is emailed to students’ BuckeyeMail accounts starting in mid-March. We process housing contracts in the order we receive them, with the first contracts typically submitted in mid-March. Housing assignments are sent beginning mid-July. New students are typically assigned to 4-person rooms.
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.
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.