Registration
The registration division of the Office of the University Registrar handles student registration (i.e.; class permission, requisites, and priority registration times) and enrollment/degree verification. In addition, the division trouble-shoots issues with the Faculty and Advising Center.
Students New to Ohio University
Students who are new to the University must go through the orientation process as indicated in their admissions material. Information can be obtained by calling the Orientation Office at 740.593.1951 or contacting your regional campus student services office.
Re-enrolling Students
If you have attended Ohio University previously (earned a grade and/or credit) and wish to return at the same level (i.e., undergraduate students returning as undergraduate and graduate students returning as graduate students), please complete the Re-enrollment Form [submit online] or the Re-enrollment Form [PDF] and return to the Office of the University Registrar (undergraduate students) or the Graduate College (graduate students).
For additional information about re-enrolling, visit our re-enrolling students webpage.
If you have not attended Ohio University previously (never earned a grade and/or credit), undergraduate students will need to contact the Undergraduate Admissions Office, 120 Chubb Hall, 740.593.4100 and graduate students will need to contact the Graduate College, 102 Grosvenor Hall, 740.593.2800.
Continuing Students
To register, use MyOHIO Student Center (which may be accessed from Go OHIO Academics tab). For questions, contact Registrar Services, first floor, Chubb Hall, or your regional campus student services office.
Graduate Students
Contact the academic school or department for your department orientation information. A general orientation is hosted each fall prior to the start of the semester. Programs in the College of Arts and Sciences, Patton College of Education, and the Voinovich School, can obtain their DARS online.
Graduate College Continuous Enrollment Policy
A continuous enrollment (CE) policy will go into effect in the Fall of 2022. This policy affects students in research/creative activity-based terminal graduate degrees (Ph.D., Ed.D., and MFA only). Students in other master's programs or in professional doctorates are not affected by this policy.
Under the CE policy, students in Ph.D., Ed.D., and MFA programs must enroll for a minimum of 0.5 credit hours for two semesters of each academic year that they are working toward the degree unless on an official leave of absence.
Find additional information on the Graduate Catalog Continuous Enrollment Policy | Ohio University webpage.
Graduate Students Taking Undergraduate Classes
Graduate students are eligible to register for undergraduate classes. Any undergraduate classes taken by a graduate student automatically will become part of the student's undergraduate record (transcripts and DARS reports). To enroll in undergraduate classes, graduate students should contact the Graduate College and complete a Graduate Seeking Undergraduate form. Undergraduate courses are included in the 18 credit hour registration limit. They do not count toward registration requirements for graduate appointments. Please note graduate students taking undergraduate courses pay graduate fees.
Graduate College Provisional Admission Registration Hold
If you are a graduate student admitted with a provisional admission, you must provide the Graduate College with a final/official transcript or academic document showing the conferred degree (see policy in the Graduate Catalog). A registration hold will remain on your record until the Graduate College receives appropriate documentation.
Instructions for mailing a final/official paper transcript or academic document
You must request previous institutions/universities send paper transcripts to:
Graduate College
1 Ohio University
Grosvenor Hall 102
Athens, OH 45701.
Instructions for an electronic transcript (U.S. institutions only)
You must request previous institutions/universities use graduate@ohio.edu as the delivery notice address.
Find additional information in the FAQ on the following Graduate College webpage.
International Students
All incoming undergraduate and graduate students must report to the Office of International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS), Walter International Education Center, 15 Park Place, with their passports and immigration documents to check in before registering for classes. In addition, these students are required to attend the international orientation program, which may include TOEFL testing. Questions concerning these requirements may be directed to ISSS, 740.593.4330. (This information applies to students at both the Athens and regional campuses.) Undergraduate international students (who will be taking academic classes during their first semester) must also attend Bobcat Student Orientation Graduate international students should contact their academic department/school regarding departmental/school orientations.
To comply with immigration regulations, international students (F-1 or J-1 status) must register as full-time students (undergraduates must take 12 semester hours per semester and graduate students must take nine semester hours per semester to maintain full-time status). Students must not drop any courses that would bring them below full-time status, register late, or withdraw from all classes without having the prior approval of an advisor in the Office of International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS)
Senior Citizens (60+Program)
A complete application must be received by the Office of the University Registrar on or before the first day of class registering for. Please note that some classes may be flexibly scheduled and would not start on the semester opening date.
Ohio State Law (Section 3345.27 of the Ohio Revised Code - House Bill 147 - effective March 30, 1999) permits the qualifying student to attend any state college or university without paying "tuition or matriculation" fees*. This program is available only for regular undergraduate courses offered on the Athens and regional campuses and only if space is available in the class.
Registration will be processed only after priority registration for other students is completed.
A qualifying student is defined as "any person who is sixty years of age or older and who has resided in the state for at least one year."
Under this provision, the student has two options:
- Option A - Non-Credit
The qualifying student who wishes to participate in classes but not for credit asks permission of the instructor to sit in on the class. The student should follow the procedures for Option A students on the Sixty Plus Program form (PDF) and share the form with the instructor for information purposes as well as to show student eligibility for the program.
- Option B - For Credit
The Option B procedures are for the qualifying student who wishes to earn credit for the tuition-free courses. The academic load under this arrangement for a given semester must be less than full-time; i.e., less than 12 hours. In addition to being a "qualified student" as described above, the student's family income must be "less than two hundred percent of the federal poverty guideline, as revised annually by the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services in accordance with Section 673 of the "Community Services Block Grant Act,' 95 Stat. 511 (1981) 42 U.S.C.A 9002, as amended, for a family size equal to the size of the family of the person whose income is being determined."
*Course fees, technology fees, laboratory fees, etc., are the responsibility of the student and will not be waived.
Please contact the Office of the University Registrar by phone at 740.593.4324 or via email at registration@ohio.edu with any questions.
Registration Schedules
Registration Access Schedule
The registration access schedule is available for fall to view the days, times, and student groups for registration.
Access Schedule
Cancellation of Registration - Withdrawal from the University
Cancellation of registration is defined as dropping all classes before the first day of classes. This is determined by the earliest start date of any of your classes taken during the session/semester.
Withdrawal from the University is defined as dropping all classes on or after the earliest start date of any of your classes taken during the session/semester. This means all regular Ohio University classes for which you are registered, whether on one campus or multiple campuses. You must go to your college student services office or regional campus student services office to initiate the withdrawal process. Graduate students must contact the Graduate College. Withdrawal from the University is not permitted on or after the last day of classes, as determined by the earliest end date of any of your classes taken during the session/semester.
Note: Canceling your class registration does not cancel your housing. You are required to make an appointment with a Residence Life staff member in your building prior to your scheduled check out date and time to properly check out of your room, sign your Room Condition Report (RCR), and return all keys. If you have canceled your class registration, you are no longer eligible to reside on campus and must move out completely within 48 hours.
International students: (F-1 or J-1 status) must contact the Office of International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS), 740.593.4330, prior to withdrawing from the University. Failure to do so may lead to serious immigration problems.
Class Attendance - Dropping Non-attending students
If you miss the first two meetings of a class where the meetings are fewer than 80 minutes or the first meeting of a class where the meeting is 80 minutes or longer, the instructor has the option of not admitting you to the class whether or not you are registered for it. If you miss the first two meetings (or first meeting if 80 minutes or longer), check with your instructor to verify your status in the class. If you have not been admitted, you will need to drop the class by accessing MyOHIO Student Center.
Note: If the instructor does not admit you to the class, you must still drop the class from your schedule by accessing MyOHIO Student Center or Go OHIO. Otherwise, you will receive an F, an FN (failure never attended), or an FS (failure stopped attending) for the class at the end of the semester.
Flexibly Scheduled Classes
Flexibly scheduled classes are classes that do not meet for the full session/semester. Therefore, the last day to add, drop, or withdraw from classes might be different from the dates listed in the Academic Calendar. Deadlines to add, drop, and withdraw can be viewed on Course Offerings. Contact the Office of the University Registrar, Chubb Hall, 740.593.4324, or your regional campus student services office for more information.
Requisite Processing
You are required to meet all of the requisites for a given course. Failure to meet requisites can prevent your registration for the course or result in a drop or withdrawal for that course. Requisites are listed for each class in Course Offerings. A detailed explanation of a requisite can be found on the Requisite Key.
Priority Registration
The registration priority order is: Honors Tutorial College, graduate students, and undergraduate students (based on rank and accumulative hours earned).
Fall and Spring Priority Registration:
- Undergraduate students are required to meet with an academic advisor prior to registering for classes. All undergraduate students will have a priority registration advising hold until your advisor releases the hold. Note: If an undergraduate student is pursuing more than one major, the student must have their hold cleared by the advisor (or designee) of each major. The student will not be permitted to register until the holds have been released for all majors. You will receive an email when your priority registration advising hold is released.
- Your enrollment appointment (registration access) time is available in MyOHIO Student Center or Go OHIO. You will receive an email notification when your appointment time has been assigned.
- For planning purposes only, you may add classes to your cart in MyOHIO Student Center or Go OHIO prior to your enrollment appointment time. You are not registered in your classes until you finalize your registration by clicking "Finish Enrolling" and receive the success message for each class to indicate you are enrolled.
Summer Registration:
- Since there is no priority registration for summer you do not have to meet with an academic advisor, but it is recommended, especially if you have questions
Student Course Load
Undergraduate Students
To be considered a full-time student, you must register for a minimum of 12 semester hours. Full-time undergraduate students usually carry a normal load of 15-20 semester hours (even those students on academic probation). Student athletes and students receiving financial aid must carry a minimum of 12 semester hours. Most students receiving scholarships have to carry up to 15 semester hours. Students scheduling more than 20 semester hours must have permission and will be charged an additional fee for each hour taken above 20 semester hours.
Graduate Students
To be considered a full-time student, you must register for a minimum of nine (9) semester hours. Students with graduate research, teaching, or graduate assistantship appointments must register for a minimum of 12 graduate semester hours. Some departments require more. Those with fellowships or tuition scholarships must register for a minimum of 15 graduate semester hours. Undergraduate courses, courses taken for audit, and OPIE language courses cannot be used to meet minimum requirements for graduate student course loads. Students scheduling more than 18 semester hours (whether graduate, undergraduate, or a combination) must have permission and will be charged an additional fee for each hour taken above 18 semester hours.
International Students
To comply with immigration regulations, international students (F-1 or J-1 status) must register as full-time students (undergraduates must take 12 semester hours per semester and graduate students must take nine (9) semester hours per semester to maintain full-time status). Students must not drop any courses that would take them below full-time status without having the prior approval of an advisor in the Office of International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS).
Maximum Semester Hours Allowed Without Permission
Undergraduate students may register for a maximum of 20 semester hours and a graduate student may register for a maximum of 18 semester hours in a given semester. For example, an undergraduate student already registered for 18 semester hours may not add a three-hour (3) course, because this would exceed the limit. If there is a need for a student to exceed the maximum hours, an undergraduate student should contact the student services office in his/her college or regional campus student services office for permission, and a graduate student should contact the Graduate College. Students granted permission to exceed the maximum hours will receive a Permission to Exceed Maximum Hours form submitted on their behalf from their college student service office, once received, this form will be processed by Registrar Services. Graduate students registering for more than 18 semester hours or undergraduate students registering for more than 20 semester hours will see an increase in tuition charges. For details about additional charges, see Tuition and Fees located on the Office of the Bursar's website.
A student who is close to the maximum and needs to add a class (and drop another section of the same course) can avoid exceeding the maximum by using the swap feature. To request a class be changed using the swap feature after the Friday of the first week and through the Friday of the second week of the semester you must receive permission to do so. Reach out to your college student services office or regional campus student service office.
Student Schedules
Students can view their schedules anytime at MyOHIO Student Center or Go OHIO. Notifications to check schedules will be sent periodically.
All students must use MyOHIO Student Center or Go OHIO to make any changes to their class schedules. Please pay close attention to the deadlines.
It is the student's responsibility to check the accuracy of his/her schedule and make any adjustments by the Friday of the second week of the semester.