Admitted Freshman - Next Steps (2024)

Interest in Ohio University is at an all-time high. All the steps to enrollment need to be completed by the end of June to retain your spot in the incoming class. To join the Bobcat family, admitted freshmen have important next steps to take. Just read all of the information about each of the steps to prepare for a successful start at OHIO. Please check out our in-person and virtual campus visit options to talk with advisors, faculty and students. You can also ask questions online, receive a phone call or text or participate in an online event.

Fall 2024 Dates

Undergraduate Admissions is ready to help you complete the next steps outlined below. Contact us at admissions@ohio.edu or call 740.593.4100 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Activate Your OHIO ID

After Applying

To get started, it is essential that you activate your OHIO ID. You need your OHIO ID to access your OHIO email. Your birth date and your personal identification (PID) number (provided in your application acknowledgment letter) are all you need to officially activate your online OHIO access, including email.

Make sure you check your OHIO email regularly. All official correspondence will be sent to your Ohio University email account. This account also is necessary for accessing the housing contract.

Complete Pre-enrollment Discipline and Criminal History Review Form

Immediately Upon Request

This quick, simple form is required for all admitted students as part of our commitment to providing the safest possible learning environment at Ohio University. The Required Pre-enrollment Discipline and Criminal History Review form is available in your MyOHIO Student Center and should be completed immediately. Disclosing a formal disciplinary action, charge or conviction does not automatically disqualify you from enrollment, but your disclosures will be reviewed. Based on your answers, we may contact you to request further information. The form must be completed, reviewed and cleared for enrollment before you can sign up for Bobcat Student Orientation or register for classes.

MyOHIO Student Center

Learn About the Required Pre-Enrollment Discipline and Criminal History Review

Fund Your Education

Beginning in December

Ohio University is committed to an affordable college education. We are dedicated to helping our students find the financial support they need to discover their promise at OHIO. During the 2022-2023 academic year, our first-year students earned more than $25 million in scholarships, and 99 percent received financial aid.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) serves as your application for all types of financial assistance at Ohio University. Students should submit the FAFSA as soon as possible. Ohio University has extended the deadline for first-priority consideration for all federal, state and institutional financial aid to April 15, 2024. Your application for admission serves as your merit-based scholarship application. For scholarship consideration,freshmen should submit a completed admission application by the Early Action deadline of November 15.OHIO may continue to award using updated credentials received after November 15, 2023, on an individual basis.

In the MyOHIO Student Center, you can view account details, account balance and payment options. You can also designate authorized users to enable other individuals to view your account details and make payments.

Confirm Your Intent to Enroll

There's still time!

While the June 1 deadline has passed, you can still confirm your intent to enroll at OHIO, as space permits.Interest in OHIO is at an all-time high, so you are encouraged to confirm intent to enroll as soon as possible to retain your spot in the incoming class. To retain any scholarships you have been offered and receive your invitation to Bobcat Student Orientation, you confirm your intent to enroll by:

• Submitting the housing contract and $200 refundable deposit
• OR Submitting the commuter contract

Freshman or transfer students with fewer than four semesters or six quarters in the residence halls after high school graduation are required to live on campus and participate in the associated meal plan. (Learn more in the housing section or review the housing exemption page.) For other students, submission of the final transcript confirms their intent to enroll. Students who are not required to live on campus may still apply for housing.

Planning to bea Bobcat?

Here's how you let us know that you plan to enroll at Ohio University (and become a Bobcat for life!). Confirm your intent to enroll by submitting your housing contract and deposit as soon as possible.

Learn More

Our beautiful, historic, residential campus in Athens, Ohio, provides an environment where students of diverse backgrounds live and learn together, build friendships and share their ideas and perspectives. About 7,000 students live in our 30+ residence halls and dine in our award-winning campus eateries.

We invite you to come see OHIO for yourself. Register to attend one of our daily campus visit opportunities!

More About Athens

See for Yourself. Schedule a visit.

Housing Process Overview

Students do not need to know where they would like to live on campus to complete a housing contract. After completing the application and selecting a meal plan, students will receive pertinent information about housing selection.

• Students who submit a housing contract after May 15 are encouraged to contact Housing and Residence Life to discuss their preferences and select a room.
• The MyOHIORoomie roommate matching service is available starting in December.
• Students who know with whom they want to live may also select a roommate through Housing Self-Service beginning May 1.
• The general first-year room selection process will take place May 20-23. (Selection will take place mid-May for students interested in gender inclusive housing and for students who will be participating in an Experiential Living Opportunity, i.e. Fine Arts, Substance Free, Women’s Leadership and Honors Halls.) Visit the Housing and Residence Life room viewing page to check out each room style.

Students will be assigned a move-in date and time, but may change it through Housing Self-Service. Students must arrive at their scheduled date and time. Keys will not be available for students who arrive outside of their scheduled time.

Sign Up for Orientation

All incoming first-year students must sign up for BSO by our priority date of June 30 to secure a place in the entering class. After that date, housing contracts or commuter contracts may be canceled for those who have not signed up to attend BSO, preventing fall 2024 enrollment. Bobcat Student Orientation (BSO) connects you with the people and resources you'll need to transition into OHIO with confidence. Through this required 1.5-day event, faculty, staff and orientation leaders will teach you about the curriculum and the requirements for your major. This is also when you will register for your first-semester courses with the help of an advisor.

In-person and virtual orientation sessions are conducted during June, but not all program dates are open to all majors. If you are unable to find an available session for your major, contact the BSO office at 740.593.1951 or orientation@ohio.edu. Staff will contact you within two days to find a program date that works for you and your family. Additional programs for first-year students who are unable to attend a session in June will be held in July and August. Please contact the BSO office to discuss options for attending one of those later dates.

Please review the Preparing for Your Orientation page to ensure you are fully prepared to participate in orientation. Placement tests are critical, so be sure you’ve taken all necessary placement tests before your scheduled BSO program. You should also review the Ohio University Undergraduate Catalog 2024-2025to learn about available courses. Bobcat Student Orientation includes registering for courses and freshman Learning Communities.

You will learn how to take advantage of the resources and opportunities available to you as part of the OHIO community. Freshmen who have confirmed their intent to enroll will receive BSO sign-up information in the mail.

Learn More About Bobcat Student Orientation

Transfer Your Credits

Before Orientation

Generally, college-level courses completed with a D- or better from a regionally accredited institution as part of College Credit Plus or dual enrollment programs through a high school are transferable to OHIO. Test credit (Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, College Level Examination Program) is also generally accepted, provided you earn the necessary score. To transfer your credit, you must have an official college transcript or score report sent from the college or testing agency directly to Undergraduate Admissions.

Learn More About Transfer Credit

Prepare to Join OHIO

Beginning in May

Now you are ready to complete the rest of the tasks required to ensure a smooth transition to your first day at Ohio University. This includes reviewing the course catalog, enabling your online services, learning about student health services and insurance, taking online alcohol and sexual assault education courses, and planning for transportation to campus.

Get Details on Steps Prior to Beginning Classes

Move in to Residence Halls

August 22 and 23

Students will be assigned a move-in date and time, but may change it through Housing Self-Service. Students must arrive at their scheduled date and time. Keys will not be available for students who arrive outside of their scheduled time.

Get Details on Steps Prior to Beginning Class