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.
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:
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.
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.
Review your “To Do List” on My Buckeye Link for specific items you need to complete throughout the admissions process. Check this frequently as items on your “To Do List” will be added each week.
Financial aid awards for autumn semester roll out starting in early spring and continue as admissions decisions are made.
To apply for financial aid, students must complete the FAFSA, a federal form that determines need-based aid. Spring and summer admitted students must complete the FAFSA for the current academic year, as well as the upcoming academic year. Call our Office of Student Life at (419) 755-4317 to set up an appointment with our Financial Aid Specialist for help with applying for aid.
Graduating high school seniors should follow-up with their counselors to ensure final transcripts will be sent to the university they are attending. Regardless of campus, send transcripts electronically to ugdocs@osu.edu. We cannot consider transcripts sent via mail, emailed to any other inbox, or delivered in-person to be official.
Students with CCP credits or transfer students with credit must also request transcripts be sent. Students who took AP courses should submit their scores for potential college credit.
Official test scores from the ACT/SAT are optional for regional campuses. Some scholarships may require the information, and certain scores may award you credit in a general education course. It is entirely up to the student if they would like to submit scores. Additional information about transcripts and credits can be found in the required Orientation course on Carmen Canvas, our learning management system.
Orientation information for Autumn 2025 students will be available beginning March 15, 2025. Once your acceptance fee is paid, you will receive information about how to register for orientation. Be on the lookout for To-Do List reminders from us in mid-April 2025. Students beginning in the spring or summer semesters will be contacted directly.