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Admitted Freshman: Next Steps
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Admitted Freshman - Next Steps
To our admitted students, congrats! Ready to Experience OHIO? What to do next:
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 2025 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.
| Next Steps | When |
|---|---|
| Activate your OHIO ID | Upon applying |
| Complete Required Pre-enrollment Discipline and Criminal History Review Form | Immediately upon admission |
| Fund your education/file FAFSA | Beginning November 21 |
| Confirm your intent to enroll/Complete Enrollment Interest Form | Dec. 2 - May 1 |
| Begin searching for a roommate using the MyOHIORoomie roommate matching service | December 2 |
| Sign up for Bobcat Student Orientation | By June 30 |
| Send any additional test scores for scholarship consideration | By April 1 (extended!) |
| Review financial aid offer | Beginning in March |
| Select a roommate if you wish | Beginning May 1 |
| Choose a room during general room selection | May 19-22 |
| Transfer your credits | Before orientation |
| Attend Bobcat Student Orientation | Beginning in June |
| Review student expectations and academic calendar | After orientation |
| Enable OHIO online services | After orientation |
| Request final transcript be sent to OHIO | By June 30 |
| View student financial account online | Beginning July 12 |
| Pay fall semester account balance or enroll in the Monthly Payment Plan | August 21 |
| Move in | August 21-22 |
| Learn about health services | Late August |
| Complete online alcohol and sexual assault education courses | Upon receiving access to the modules |
| Start fall semester classes | August 25 |
Review important dates and deadlines for admitted students entering OHIO in fall 2025.
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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 email) 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 submitted no later than May 27 because it must be completed, reviewed and cleared for enrollment before you can sign up for Bobcat Student Orientation or register for classes.
Learn About the Required Pre-Enrollment Discipline and Criminal History Review
Fund Your Education
Beginning November 21
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 2023-2024 academic year, our first-year students earned more than $28 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's deadline for first-priority consideration for all federal, state and institutional financial aid is February 15, 2025. Your application for admission serves as your merit-based scholarship application. For scholarship consideration, freshmen should submit a completed admission application by the extended deadline of April 1, 2025. OHIO may continue to award using updated credentials received after April 1, 2025, 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
By May 1
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. Some programs have reached capacity, and access to the housing contract is now limited. Students admitted to the following programs are encouraged to complete the Fall 2025 Enrollment Interest Form as soon as possible to be contacted about opportunities to confirm their intent to enroll: Music Education-Instrumental Emphasis, Pre-Nursing, Theater, Theater Performance-Acting, Theater Performance-Musical Theater, and all majors in the Honors Tutorial College and the School of Art+Design.
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 deposit—refundable through May 1
- 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 be a 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 by May 1.
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 8,000 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!
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.
- 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 19-22. (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
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.
Interest in Ohio University continues to be high, and dates have limited capacity to ensure the best experience. Early BSO dates are filling up quickly. Students who have not attended or secured a reservation for BSO by June 30 risk losing their spot 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 2025 enrollment. In-person and virtual orientation sessions are conducted throughout the summer, 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.
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 2025-2026 (coming soon!) to 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 be notified to sign up for BSO.
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.
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.