Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Admissions and Application
We are excited that you want to be a Buckeye Engineer! The Ohio State University uses the Common Application. The admissions application opens on August 1st. Students are strongly encouraged to apply by November 1st. Additional information can be found at undergrad.osu.edu.
Students may apply to the Honors Program either before or after enrolling at Ohio State, although it's encouraged to apply early in the enrollment process.
Students interested in the Scholars Program must apply at the time they’re filling out the Common Application for admission to Ohio State.
For additional information on these programs, please visit the Honors and Scholars Center website: honors-scholars.osu.edu.
We offer 14 ABET accredited undergraduate engineering majors on the Columbus campus. Our majors lead to similar career outcomes and allow students to have interdisciplinary connections inside and outside the classroom! Interested students are encouraged to learn more about our majors at majors.osu.edu.
Some engineering majors directly enroll freshmen into the major without an additional application process. Other engineering majors have a pre-major component and require an additional application process once a student enrolls at the University.
Interested students are encouraged to learn more at go.osu.edu/engfutureadmissions.
All transfer students must indicate one of the 14 Engineering majors on their undergraduate admission application to The Ohio State University. All incoming transfer students are enrolled in the pre-major program regardless of prior academic experience. Ohio State’s engineering curriculum is highly sequential, and in many situations cannot be condensed. Most transfer students in the College of Engineering should anticipate completing three to four years of coursework at Ohio State regardless of prior academic experience. Interested students are encouraged to learn more at go.osu.edu/engtransferadmissions.
For incoming freshmen, there are no additional requirements. Please review the criteria on who gets in at the university: undergrad.osu.edu/apply/freshmen-columbus/who-gets-in.
For incoming transfer students, the university and the college do have specific criteria. Please review the information: undergrad.osu.edu/apply/transfer/admission-criteria.
All admissions applications are reviewed centrally by Ohio State Undergraduate Admissions, regardless of major. The College of Engineering does not review applications for admission to the university.
Apply to engineering! We encourage all students who are considering engineering along with other majors to start with us. It is easier to start in our program and change to another major than begin in a major outside of engineering because our courses are reserved for students in engineering majors.
Academics
Are you earning college credit while you're in high school? Wonderful! While college credit isn't required for admission, taking college coursework during high school is a great way to prepare you for future college classes. To learn more, visit go.osu.edu/engcoursework.
The First Year Engineering Program (FE) is a two-semester course sequence, where students will be introduced to such topics as: Technical graphics, Computer-aided design, Programming in MATLAB, Engineering design and analysis, Project management, Ethics in engineering, Teamwork, Oral and written technical communication.
These courses offer an unparalleled engineering experience due to their:
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Broad Introduction to Engineering - Students can take engineering courses beginning their first semester. Labs and projects given throughout the sequence are designed to provide as broad an introduction to engineering as possible.
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Team Work Experience - Prospective employers greatly favor candidates who demonstrate the ability to work in teams. By the end of these fundamentals courses experience, students will have had many valuable group work experiences.
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Presentation Practice - Presentation and communication skills will be enhanced, and students will learn the importance of documentation in engineering. These are valuable assets when looking for a job or internship.
An engineering curriculum is inherently sequential. Students should expect a minimum of four years to complete the degree as every student’s situation is unique.
In general, college coursework completed during high school or at a two- or four-year college doesn't significantly shorten an engineering student's time to graduation
The College of Engineering, which includes the Knowlton School, has an “Engineering Special Fee” of $4,000. The fee will remain the same for all four years a student is enrolled as part of the Ohio State Tuition Guarantee. The fee will fund acquisition and upkeep of technology and equipment in engineering education laboratories, financial aid, etc. Additional information can be found here.
November 1 is the priority deadline for students who are interested in applying to engineering at the Columbus campus. November 1 is also the priority deadline for larger university merit scholarships. The College of Engineering has a very small handful of scholarships allocated to new first year students that we award through the College of Engineering – General Scholarship Application housed on ScholarshipUniverse. The priority deadline for new, first-year students is February 15. We also recommend submitting the FAFSA by the February 15 priority deadline for need-based award consideration.
The College of Engineering reserves the majority of our scholarship dollars for current students. A student’s collegiate academic performance as well as financial need is reviewed when determining eligibility for nearly 500 merit and/or need based COE awards. Learn more about the available College of Engineering scholarship opportunities.
Visit, Engage and Connect
We are glad you want to visit The Ohio State University! Register for a University Admissions Overview and Tour at campusvisit.osu.edu.
The best way to get to know (and love) Buckeye Engineering is through an on-campus or virtual visit. Register for an opportunity at campusvisit.osu.edu.
Questions? Please reach out to us via [email protected].
We offer a variety of visits and tours on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays during the academic school year. We do not offer visit opportunities on the weekends, when the students are on break and the university is closed.
The College of Engineering undergraduate recruitment team is focused on supporting the success of future Buckeye Engineers. Questions can be directed to [email protected].
Follow us on...
Facebook: facebook.com/osuengineering
Instagram: instagram.com/osuengineering and YouTube: youtube.com/user/ohiostateengineering
Student Life
The Engineering Career Services office has an outstanding Engineering Co-op and Internship Program designed to support students in their career development and job search. The benefits of this program and its structure can be summed up as the Three C’s: Choice, Connections, and Career management for life! Students are not required to graduate with a co-op (or internship) experience, but are strongly encouraged. Additional information can be found at ecs.osu.edu/co-op-internship-three-cs.
Students can choose their own adventure while pursuing an Engineering degree! We offer a variety of co-curricular opportunities for students to thrive inside and outside the classroom through education abroad, student organizations, project teams and research! We offer over 100 student organizations within the College, with 51 major related student organizations, 14 honorary, 30 project teams and 21 diversity-related student organizations.
Engineering students live in any of the residence halls across campus. If you would like to live, work and play with other engineering students, check out our Scholars Programs and Living Learning Community.