We understand the impact this unprecedented situation is having on your college selection or search. We are committed to ensuring that academic disruptions you may experience as a result of COVID-19 don’t become obstacles to an Ohio State education.
Our highest priority is the health and well-being of our community, and the university is following public health guidance in all decisions. We don’t have all the answers yet, but we are actively seeking those answers on your behalf to support you in making choices about your future.
Additional resources: Visit the Graduate School for fellowship and policy changes, and learn more about how Ohio State is keeping our communities safe.
We permit admitted students to defer their admission for up to three semesters, with program permission. Contact your program to verify whether you are permitted to defer, and if any fellowship or associateship you were awarded will still be available.
Please order transcripts to be sent before classes begin or as soon as your institution’s registrar’s office re-opens. If your institution remains closed, email Graduate and Professional Admissions for information on how to proceed. We are committed to working with students affected by institutional closures.
Note that advising reports, unofficial academic records and web-based transcripts are never accepted for admissions purposes. Read our transcript guidelines for more information.
Please read through the Office of International Affairs’ Guidance for New Students before reading the FAQs below. The OIA guidance includes important information, such as current restrictions and limitations on travel to the U.S. and online study in parts of the world, which should be considered when making decisions about your future study and travel plans.
Contact the Office of International Affairs with questions concerning your student status or visa in regard to online studies.
Important: You must specify with your program of study which type of deferral you are requesting. These terms are defined below for you:
If you defer admission or immigration, you will need to:
You may defer admission or enrollment with program permission at any time. Once Graduate and Professional Admissions has approval from your program to defer your admission, your immigration will automatically defer to the future term and we will create an updated visa document for you.
However, to ensure a current SEVIS record is not canceled, Graduate and Professional Admissions must have your plans for academic or immigration deferral by the dates listed below:
Contact your program to ask permission to defer your academic admission and immigration to the U.S. If you so defer, you will not take any classes until you arrive on campus.
Note: We strongly encourage students to submit financial materials several weeks before the above deadlines, as additional supporting documentation may be needed after the initial financial review. If documents are not received in a timely manner, this could delay the issuance of your I-20 and start term.
Yes, but you will have to prove to embassy officials and border personnel that you are taking mostly in-person classes.
If local regulations permit, you may pursue a fully online program or take a fully online schedule from your home country. You will not be able to immigrate to pursue a fully online course of study, but if you are coming to Ohio State in-person, we strongly recommend that you travel with — in addition to your visa and travel documents — a copy of your current Ohio State class schedule. It should show no more than three online credit-hour classes counting toward full time enrollment. For example, if you are taking eight credit hours total, five credit hours must be in-person or hybrid (a combination of online and in-person). You might have to schedule extra classes or classes that are not as relevant to meet this requirement.
You can also show your visa office this article announcing the university's plans to return to campus.
If you have immigration questions, check the FAQs for new international students on the Office of International Affairs website. Please contact OIA with questions concerning online study and your student status or visa.
While you can use your same SEVIS ID to schedule an appointment, you will need an updated I-20 for the new term in which you plan to arrive for on campus study.
As long as your visa is valid, you can use it for entry. You will need an updated I-20 for the new term in which you plan to arrive for on-campus study.
No. We understand that there are mail and processing delays due to the pandemic, but most institutions have resumed issuing transcripts and Graduate and Professional Admissions does not grant exceptions to this requirement, even if you are studying online with us.