Admissions news |
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For high school counselors | | |
1. Timeline for decision release and other important notifications |
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Ohio State's decision release dates for autumn 2026 applicants:
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December 12: Early action (Ohio residents and applicants to the Stamps Eminence scholarship program)
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January 23: Early action (non-residents and international applicants)
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March 6: Regular decision (anyone deferred from early action as well as all regular decision applicants)
The early action notification dates will include decisions of admit, deny, admit to a regional campus (Ohio residents only), and defer from early action to regular decision release.
Ohio State's regular decision application deadline is January 15.
Other important notifications:
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Invitations for Honors and Scholars applicants will begin arriving in late December.
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Morrill Scholarship Program applicants will begin receiving decisions in early January.
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Notifications of university merit scholarships (Maximus, Provost, Trustees and National Buckeye) are mailed within two weeks of a student's admissions decision to students who qualify. Students should also be able to see if they’ve received a university merit scholarship in their Applicant Center by the end of December for those notified of admission in December, and by the end of January for those students admitted on January 23.
Please note that only students who met the early action deadline and are admitted to the Columbus campus will be considered for university merit scholarships. | | |
2. FAFSA and Scholarship Universe priority deadline: February 1 |
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It's time to help your students and families find their financial aid options! Here's what to know:
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The FAFSA is open! All domestic students are encouraged to complete the FAFSA to be considered for the most financial aid.
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Scholarship Universe is a scholarship matching platform that can help students find a wide range of internal and external scholarships.
Our priority deadline for both the FAFSA and Scholarship Universe is February 1, 2026. | | |
3. Use Ohio State's school counselor portal to track admission |
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Ohio State's school counselor portal allows you to view students' admission decisions as well as upload student transcripts, documents and other files via the "Upload student documents" link in the Student Reports tab.
Request or renew access to the portal.
(If you have documents that cannot be uploaded via the Common Application, the portal or other standard source, please message us from a school email address to ugdocs@osu.edu.)
Note upcoming closure: Undergraduate Admissions will be closed from December 24 through January 1. Login and counselor portal support will resume January 2. |
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4. Discover resources for students with disabilities |
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Ohio State's Office of Student Life and Disability Services is hosting a webinar that will guide students through what changes after graduation, how to choose a campus that fits their needs and the steps to register for accommodations at Ohio State.
Next Stop: College!
Navigating Disability Supports After High School
Learn about available resources, documentation tips and why self-advocacy matters. Take this opportunity to engage all students (even those not headed to Ohio State!) in a discussion about how they can transition successfully to college with confidence. | | |
A note from our assistant vice provost |
Our staff is truly grateful to you for welcoming Ohio State representatives into your schools over the last few months. We're now enjoying getting to know many of your students through reviewing their applications.
We received more than 60,000 applications for early action admission to the Columbus campus!
Two important reminders for your students:
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Students may check their application status (including receipt of materials) regularly at appstatus.osu.edu. Incomplete reminders are emailed to students biweekly. This is also where they view their admissions decision.
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We understand that sending test scores can be challenging for students. For Ohio State, test scores must be sent from the testing agency.
Thank you for all the support that you provide them through this process. We could not do this work without you!
As always, to connect with us, please reach out to your admissions counselor or email us at askadmissions@osu.edu.
Beth A. Wiser, PhD
Assistant Vice Provost, Undergraduate Admissions |
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Bonus updates from our academic colleges |
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University Exploration
With so many majors to choose from, a student's decision can be daunting. Experienced advisors with University Exploration are trained to help students use their time strategically and productively so that they can make an informed decision about which major to pursue.
Here's what your students need to know:
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Common App: University Exploration is on the Common App! If students are unsure about what they want to major in, they can choose "Undecided/Exploring/University Exploration" on the Common App.
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It's okay to be undecided: Ohio State admits students "major-blind." Applying as "undecided" does not hurt your chance of acceptance.
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Timely graduation: Students in the exploration program can often graduate on time AND can pursue nearly* every major at Ohio State.
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Advising: University Exploration advisors are trained to help each student explore their academic options and find the major that fits them best.
Any questions about this program may be directed to Nicole Vangas, University Exploration Advising Manager.
*If students are interested in any of these majors, they should plan to apply directly to these majors and not start in Exploration: Aerospace Engineering; Biomedical Engineering; Computer Science and Engineering; Computer and Information Science; Mechanical Engineering; Nursing; Design.
Major spotlight: Health Promotion, Nutrition and Exercise Science
Students passionate about supporting wellness will enjoy the HPNES program in the College of Education and Human Ecology. In this rigorous, flexible program, students learn how food, exercise and lifestyle choices combine to promote health and prevent disease. They gain the skills needed to educate individuals and communities on how to adopt healthier behaviors.
Graduates work in health coaching, corporate wellness, clinical exercise or go onto graduate study in health and wellness professions. The program also qualifies them to apply for a variety of certificates, such as the exam to become a Certified Health Education Specialist. Learn more on the EHE website.
College of Arts and Sciences
The College of Arts and Sciences at Ohio State is unique in its wide offering of interdisciplinary academic programs, allowing students to be creative in combining their interests across academic areas to design and meet their own vision for the future.
We encourage counselors and prospective students to use our explore tool to research the 80+ major and 100+ minor programs offered within the College. Our future students webpage is another excellent resource to explore opportunities outside of the classroom such as global education, service learning, research and internship opportunities.
Please visit our website for updates from individual departments within the College of Arts and Sciences. | | |
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The Ohio State University |
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