Transferring to Ohio State: requirements, credits and deadlines
Transfer acceptance rate: 85%
Transfer acceptance rate
Source: Official school data report, section D, 2025-2026
For fall 2025, Ohio State admitted 3,644 of 4,285 transfer applicants (85%).
Checked November 9, 2026. Takes a lot of transfers
- Autumn 2027 deadline
- May 15, 2027Source, 2026-2027
- SAT or ACT
- Not requiredSource, 2026-2027
Transfer requirements
Ohio State does not require SAT or ACT scores.
SAT or ACT scoresNot required
ACT or SAT scores are not required for applicants with one or more graded college credit hours after high school, or who are Ohio residents applying to a regional campus.
Source, 2026-2027
Send official transcripts from every college you attended, including college classes taken in high school. Send your high school transcript too if you have fewer than 30 semester hours. The fee is $60, and waivers exist, including for Pell Grant recipients.
Source: Ohio State transfer application steps, 2026-2027
Do not use this application if you already attend Ohio State and want to change campuses.
Source: Ohio State transfer application steps, 2026-2027
What GPA do you need?
With fewer than 30 semester hours, there is no single GPA line. Staff review your college record together with your high school record, and test scores if they are required.
Source: Ohio State transfer admission criteria, 2026-2027
Regional campuses review your college work if you have at least a 2.0 GPA.
Source: Ohio State transfer admission criteria, 2026-2027
Your major is a separate decision. Computer and information science needs a calculus course and a 3.0 GPA. Engineering needs 30 or more hours, calculus and a 3.0 to enroll directly, and aerospace, biomedical and mechanical engineering start as pre-majors. Nursing has its own application, and pre-nursing needs a 3.2.
Source: Ohio State enrollment criteria by major, 2026-2027
A GPA that matches past admits is not a cutoff, and it does not mean you are in.
Will your credits transfer?
A course transfers if it came from a regionally accredited school, is not remedial, and earned a C- or better. In a few cases a D or D+ may transfer. Prerequisites for your major need at least a C-.
Source: Ohio State transfer application steps, 2026-2027; Ohio State enrollment criteria by major, 2026-2027
Ohio State points students to Transferology to see how courses transfer. After admission, you see your evaluation in Buckeye Degree Planner. For courses that still need review before orientation, contacting the Transfer Credit Coordinator is your job.
Source: Ohio State transfer application steps, 2026-2027; Ohio State, after you are admitted, 2026-2027
Our read: Run your courses through Transferology before you apply. Check your major's prerequisites first, since those are the credits that decide when you can graduate.
Transfer deadlines for autumn 2027
For autumn 2027 entry, the application deadline is May 15, 2027.
Source: The Ohio State University, Columbus transfer information, 2026-2027
- You send or do something
- The school answers
- May
- July
Ohio State only considers completed coursework. If you are enrolled now, you may need an in-progress transcript to meet the deadline.
Source: Ohio State transfer application steps, 2026-2027
Other terms and dates
- Spring 2027, ColumbusNovember 1, 2026Source, 2026-2027
- Spring 2027, regional campusesDecember 1, 2026Source, 2026-2027
- Summer 2027, ColumbusMarch 1, 2027Source, 2026-2027
- Summer 2027, regional campusesApril 15, 2027Source, 2026-2027
What Ohio State looks for
With 30 or more semester hours, Columbus decides on your college record. Ohio State says applicants with a cumulative 2.5 or better from all colleges are typically competitive. It also weighs grade trends and your results in courses tied to your major.
Source: Ohio State transfer admission criteria, 2026-2027
If you do not qualify for your major yet, you start in a pre-major or University Exploration. Ohio State says that does not promise you the major.
Source: Ohio State enrollment criteria by major, 2026-2027
Our read: Decide on the major first and work back from its rules. A student who gets into Ohio State but not into computer science has not gotten what they came for.
Ohio State transfer acceptance rate
Ohio State's transfer acceptance rate for fall 2025 was 85%. 1,960 transfer students enrolled. The first-year rate the same year was 49.2%.
Source: Official school data report, section D, 2025-2026
The Common Data Set is the official data report colleges publish each year.
Transfer and first-year applicants are different groups. Use the first-year rate as context only.
A high rate does not open every major. Some programs set their own courses and grades.
Our read: The report file is labeled for the Columbus campus. It does not say whether anyone counted here was placed at a regional campus. Getting into Ohio State also does not place you in your major, so read the major rules above before you take comfort in this number.
Source: Ohio State Columbus Common Data Set, 2025-2026
Transfer essays and supplements
A personal statement is required only if your record shows interruptions in your education. Otherwise it is optional. You find it under the Program data tab of the application.
Source: Ohio State transfer application steps, 2026-2027
Our read: If you had a gap, use the statement to say what happened and what is different now. Keep it short and factual. If you had no gap, write one only when your transcript needs explaining, such as a bad term followed by a recovery.
Most of your odds here are grades and courses. If you are writing an essay anyway, get a free review first.
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Questions students ask
Do I need the ACT or SAT?
Not if you have earned one or more graded college credit hours after high school, are an Ohio resident applying to a regional campus, or will be two or more years out of high school when you enroll.
Source: Ohio State transfer application steps, 2026-2027
What GPA do I need for Columbus?
With 30 or more semester hours, a cumulative 2.5 or better is typically competitive. Your major may ask for more.
Source: Ohio State transfer admission criteria, 2026-2027; Ohio State enrollment criteria by major, 2026-2027
How do I get into Fisher College of Business?
The transfer enrollment page lists no criteria for business and sends you to Fisher. Fisher's admissions page gives no transfer rules either, and lists futureundergrad@fisher.osu.edu as the contact.
Source: Ohio State enrollment criteria by major, 2026-2027; Fisher College of Business undergraduate admissions, undated page
How long do I have to accept?
Pay the $100 nonrefundable acceptance fee within three weeks of your notice of admission.
Source: Ohio State, after you are admitted, 2026-2027
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Sources
- Official school data report, 2025-2026
- Ohio State transfer application steps, 2026-2027
- Ohio State transfer admission criteria, 2026-2027
- Ohio State enrollment criteria by major, 2026-2027
- Ohio State, after you are admitted, 2026-2027
- Fisher College of Business undergraduate admissions, undated page
Numbers come from official reports, read by our tools and checked. Notes were drafted with AI tools from the official pages linked beside them. A person has not reviewed this guide yet. Admission decisions belong to each college, and no one can promise one.