Before your transfer

As you start your transfer process, you should speak with your current institution’s advising and transfer center (if applicable).

1. Know the admissions process:

  • You should start speaking with OSU Admissions and advising as soon as you are beginning to consider the transfer process. The Admissions office has a checklists for transfer students with items to complete prior to your application, a guide through the application process, and items to complete immediately after acceptance to the University.

 

  • Learn more about transferring at undergrad.osu.edu/apply/transfer.

 

  • Don’t forget to complete the application process by paying your application fee!

 

2. Attend to finances

 

  • Submit your FAFSA early! Ohio State’s priority deadline for financial aid is February 1st, but you should complete your FAFSA as soon as you are able after the application window opens on October 1st.
    • There is no penalty to submitting your FAFSA if you choose not to attend Ohio State! it is better to include Ohio State on your FAFSA even if you are unsure you will attend, rather than submit it after the priority deadline.

 

  • Keep checking due dates through your email, application portal, and to-do list. if you are selected for verification, make sure to complete the process within your 45 day window, or your financial aid package could be impacted.

 

 

3. Consider your academic options:

 

  • Here is the list of majors currently offered at Ohio State (please note, transfer students can not declare a minor until scheduling for classes after admitted).
    • Remember, in addition to admissions criteria to the University, majors are organized by colleges. For example, the College of Engineering houses Chemical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, and related majors; the Psychology major falls under the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Some colleges have additional admissions standards you need to meet to be accepted into the college or even into a specific major. 
    • This is also called direct enrollment criteria. These are the requirements for transfer students to start immediately with the major curriculum when they transfer to Ohio State. Here is a list of the majors and their requirements: http://undergrad.osu.edu/apply/transfer/admission-criteria/enrollment-criteria.
      • Please note, if you do not yet meet the direct enrollment criteria for your major, you should consider utilizing your current institution and complete the course requirements or strengthen your GPA prior to your transfer.
      • If you do plan to apply to Ohio State and do not meet the direct enrollment criteria for your preferred major, you may be placed within our “Exploration” major as you work with an advisor to determine the best next steps for you (which could include applying for your intended major during their next application cycle).

 

                For majors not listed, contact the Office of Admissions for advisor information.

 

  • Determine at what point you can begin taking coursework in your intended major. Many competitive majors have specific classes that are received as transfer credit and are only offered to students accepted into the major. You should know the curriculum for the major you are interested and speak to an advisor to see when is the best time for you to transfer to Ohio State.

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Other Tasks:

 

In addition to applying to the University, remember to do the following:

  • Collect syllabi of current and past classes from professors, if possible. If your class does not directly transfer to the University (called “direct equivalency”), there are other credit options, but a copy of the syllabus is needed for evaluation.

 

  • Continue checking your new OSU portal and email. Remember, many offices will not send information to personal emails (like a Yahoo or Gmail account) due to security reasons. It is important that you check your OSU email for correspondences from Financial Aid and housing, among other offices.

 

  • Submit your transcript to OSU for credit evaluation
    • Remember, to have your credit evaluated in time for scheduling at orientation, you must request that all colleges or universities you’ve attended send your official transcripts to Undergraduate Admissions. You will receive a formal transfer credit evaluation from the Transfer Credit Center after you are admitted. If a semester is in-progress and you are currently taking classes, final credit evaluation will not be completed until a semester grade has been submitted. However, it is important any finished credit be evaluated ahead of class scheduling to determine the best courses for you to take when you enroll as a Buckeye.
      • If you would like to review your current or planned courses for potential Ohio State credit, use Transferology to compare your current institution and Ohio State. Remember, approved courses are subject to final evaluation by the Registrar’s office.
      • Contact an academic advisor or a transfer credit coordinator if you have questions about your transfer credit evaluation: http://registrar.osu.edu/transfer_credit/tcc_list.asp.
    • Understand your transfer credit report