four female students

Take your next steps!

We are so excited to welcome you to The Ohio State University. We know that college is a commitment, and we are committed to helping you through every step of the process. Before you can enroll in courses, there are some important next steps to take.

Accept our offer of admission

Confirm your enrollment by paying your nonrefundable $100 acceptance fee as soon as you decide to attend. If you complete this step by May 1 before your Autumn semester, you are eligible for early orientation, which means you have access to the most classes in your first semester, and Ohio State football tickets.

Activate your Ohio State username and BuckeyePass

New students who don’t already have their username and password must complete this step. You will receive an email from the university once your identity is created. At that time, follow the directions below to set up your account.

To activate your Ohio State Username:

  1. Visit my.osu.edu
  2. Select the Activate Now button
  3. Follow the instructions to activate your Ohio State Username (last name.#)
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All students are required to use BuckeyePass (Duo Mobile) as a two-factor authentication tool in order to access BuckeyeLink, BuckeyeMail and Carmen Canvas. This should be done using the student’s personal device and not a parent or guardian’s device.

Set up your BuckeyeMail account

From now on, important business communications from Ohio State — like your financial aid offer and housing contract — will be emailed to your BuckeyeMail account. Check your email several times a week until school begins, and then daily.

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. Do not forward anything to a personal email account, you will miss out on most information. 

  1. Log in to my.osu.edu.
  2. On the left side of the page, click Change Email Delivery.
  3. Select Create my BuckeyeMail account and submit.

Additional steps to complete

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