Note: All students must go through his/her home institution's international office before applying to the Ohio University Exchange Program.

Questions? Please contact education.abroad@ohio.edu.

• Step 1- Gather application materials:
  • Completed Undergraduate Application Form
    See a sample of a completed application form here.
  • Two official academic transcripts (both must be certified)
    • One in the original language
    • One in English
    • Applicants from English speaking countries need only submit one English language certified official academic transcript.
  • Financial Documentation: This is required by the U.S. government to provide proof that the applicant has sufficient funds to live in the U.S. for a certain length of time.
    • Please click here for an updated expense estimate.
    • To provide this proof, you will need to submit a bank letter. Please use this sample bank letter as a template. You must prove at least the amount listed on the expense estimate.
    • A sponsor letter is required if the bank account is not in the student's name. Please refer to this sample sponsor letter as a template.
  • List of Ohio University courses you are interested in taking. Click here to view the Undergraduate Course Catalog.
  
  
• Step 2- Send all application materials to:

  Office of Education Abroad
  Walter International Education Center
  15 Park Place
  Athens, OH 45701
  USA

• Step 3- Receive confirmation of acceptance to Ohio University
  
  
• Step 4- Apply for a student visa.
  Do not purchase your airfare before receiving your student visa. Ask your home institution for more information on how to apply.
  
  
• Step 5- Review important dates before purchasing airfare to Ohio University.
  ***Please note: If you choose to arrive on a day or time when the shuttle bus is NOT running, you will be responsible for making your own arrangements to get from the Columbus airport to Athens. The OEA is NOT able to offer an alternative pick-up service. These important dates are also listed in your welcome e-mail.
  • Academic calendar
  • International Student and Faculty Services Orientation Dates
  • Airport Shuttle schedule
  
  
• Step 6-Purchase round-trip airfare to the Port Columbus International Airport.
  
  
• Step 7- Complete Arrival Form and e-mail to education.abroad@ohio.edu
  
  
• Step 8- Reserve your housing and transportation
  • Temporary and Permanent on-campus housing can be reserved online by visiting the Residential Housing website.
  • Airport Shuttle reservations can be made online on the Transportation & Parking website.
  
  
• Step 9- Start packing and get ready for your time at Ohio University!

Ohio University runs on the semester system with the academic year officially beginning with fall semester. The semester system consists of 14 weeks of classes and one week of exams. Since fewer courses are offered during the summer sessions for most majors and most Ohio University students leave Athens, we do not encourage exchange students to attend during summer sessions.

The Ohio University academic calendar is available on-line at http://www.ohio.edu/registrar/calendar.cfm. The 2013 - 2014 academic calendar is:

• Fall semester: August 26 – December 14, 2013.
• Spring semester: January 13 – May 3, 2014.
  

The undergraduate catalog has information on available courses. Each course is listed by department with descriptions and prerequisites, or previous courses you must have taken to enroll in the course. Undergraduate exchange students must enroll in a minimum of 12 semester hours. A typical course load is 3-4 courses per semester. The OEA suggests planning to choose additional courses in case your first choices are not available.

To plan your classes, visit the schedule of classes which lists the time and days each class is offered. Please be sure to look for classes on the Athens campus for the appropriate quarter.

Exchange students are not able to register for courses prior to arrival. You will be assigned an academic advisor upon arrival to help with registration and academic course concerns. You will register for courses during the orientation period at Ohio University.

When you are officially admitted by the Admissions Office, an acceptance letter and a DS2019 immigration document are prepared for you. The immigration document and the official admission letter will be sent to the office of your institution. You will need to present the DS2019, admission letter, and proof of financial support to the nearest U.S. consulate or embassy in order to obtain the J-1 student visa. Consular officers will usually require applicants to provide proof that they have sufficient funds to cover their living expenses while in the U.S. This may be done by providing a bank statement and/or affidavit of support from parent/friend.

Undergraduate students do not need to take an English proficiency exam before arriving at Ohio University. All non-native speakers of English must take an Ohio University English language proficiency exam (TOEFL) prior to registering for classes. They must also agree to enroll in any English language courses found necessary by the results of this examination. For more information on the TOEFL exam, click here. There is a fee for the exam and the International Student Orientation that may not be covered by your exchange program. Visit the International Student & Faculty Services website for more information about the costs of these services.

Ohio University requires all international students to carry health insurance purchased through Ohio University. The health insurance requirement will NOT be waived regardless of other domestic health insurance policies you may possess. Students should not commit to this exchange program in the belief they can get the health insurance requirement waived once they arrive in Athens. Ohio University's insurance will meet coverage requirements for the duration of your stay, starting with the first day of classes. For more information,visit Student health insurance and scroll to 'International students'.

Note: This requirement does NOT apply to students from Denmark who must provide proof of coverage to International Student & Faculty Services (ISFS) when they arrive in Athens.

Each student who attends Ohio University will have a financial account with the Office of the Bursar. This student account will reflect fee charges not covered by the exchange agreement, room and board charges, student health insurance fee, English Proficiency Exam and orientation fees, printing and copying fees, special course fees, and health center fees. Visit the Bursar's Office eAccount page for further information about your student account.

You will be charged for your health insurance, TOEFL and Orientation fee once you are registered for classes. If you are living on-campus, you will also need to pay for your room and board once you are registered. We suggest that you arrange to have access to the necessary amount when you arrive. You can learn more about methods of paying your OU bill here.

Many exchange students find it is easiest to pay bills and handle money in the US by opening a bank account in Athens and having the money transferred from your home bank, particularly if you will be in Athens more than one semester. Opening a bank account in the US is also helpful if you are living off-campus, because you will pay monthly rent and utility bills by a check from a US bank. You can learn more about opening an account in Athens during International Student Orientation.

In your acceptance packet, you receive an arrival form with instructions on how to schedule your airport pick-up and temporary housing for the first few days you're in Athens. This includes the type of housing available (usually double dorm rooms) and the cost per night. Please make your reservations, and fill this form out and return it to the OEA to inform us of your intentions. The deadlines are listed on the Arrival form.

International Student and Faculty Services offers a shuttle service to incoming international students. The shuttle service offers transportation from Port Columbus International Airport to Athens, Ohio. For specific dates of the shuttle and to make a reservation, please visit Transportation Services. The $25 fee for your arrival shuttle will be refunded to your student account by the OEA.

All exchange students are required to attend mandatory on-campus mandatory orientation, typically one week before classes begin. Orientation dates are set by the International Student and Faculty Service Office and can be found here. The orientation program cost is $100.00. This fee is waived for students from universities which have an agreement to waive such fees. All non-native English speakers are required to take an English Placement Test (TOEFL) upon arrival at Ohio University. This test costs $20-$30.

Students are not able to pre-register for courses, but will be able to register for courses during orientation. Each student will be assigned a faculty academic advisor to help with registration and academic course concerns. Students can access course information here.

Before the start of the semester temporary housing on campus will be available at a fee of approximately $30.00 per day. All international students will be provided with a linen packet (bed sheets, pillow, blanket, wash cloths and towels) on their arrival at campus. A $75 non-refundable charge will be added to the student's OHIO account. These packets are mandatory for new international students and can't be waived or returned.

It is your responsibility to reserve temporary housing. Reservations are made by visiting here. Use the 'Arrival Form' in your acceptance packet to notify us of the dates you will be requesting temporary housing.

We generally recommend that exchange participants live on-campus, particularly those who are staying for less than a full year. Housing on-campus for married students is very limited and cannot be guaranteed. In between the academic semesters when classes are not in session, on-campus housing is closed and all students are asked to move out until classes resume for the next semester. Interim housing is available between semesters for a fee.

The application for on-campus housing must be completed on-line here. Select "My Housing" from the menu on the left hand side of the page and follow the instructions. International exchange students are not required to pay the application fee, nor are they required to pay the housing deposit. Exchange students will need to activate their Ohio University ID before they can enter the online housing system. Directions on how to do this will be sent to the student upon their acceptance to Ohio University.

If a student prefers to live off-campus, the student is responsible for locating suitable housing. Off-campus housing is owned and operated by private individuals or companies and therefore, our office is unable to make any commitment or advance arrangements for off-campus housing. Off-campus housing opportunities can be found in the classified sections of the local newspapers:

• Athens Messenger
• The Athens News
• The Post

To transfer the credits you earn at Ohio University back to your university, you must visit the OEA and sign a transcript release. This allows the OEA to request your transcript and send it to your program coordinator at your home university. If we do not have your signature on file, we cannot send your transcript. For your transcript to be issued, you must also have paid any remaining balances on your student account. This includes any printing charges or other fees. You can clear your account at Chubb Hall. If you have a remaining balance after you have left Athens, you can pay it online by credit card for a small fee. You can learn more about methods of paying your OU bill here.

• Academic Calendar
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• Undergraduate Student Course Catalog
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• International Student Orientation
• International Student & Faculty Services
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