Alabama got back with their admission decision in less than 72 hours for my son as well as everyone in his grade who applied. Their merit scholarship criteria and amounts are plainly spelled out on their website, so no guessing games. Honors College admissions is pretty much a slam dunk if you meet the 30 ACT minimum requirement. Yes I know that OSU is more competitive but it sure would be nice if they could get back to students in a shorter period of time with less guessing. Purdue releases EA decisions in January 15. Illinois and many others do so as well. Thankfully my son got admitted during the December wave.
Thank you @OSU1stChoice. It was a brutal wait. My sister got her decision in December (it wasn’t good news) so I was a nervous wreck haha. It seems like there were a lot of instate decisions this round with not as many out of state.
@BuckAlum1 My sister and I both applied for OSU around the same time. My sister heard back a month before me. That’s completely normal for two siblings to hear back at different times. It doesn’t mean a thing, I’m pretty sure it’s 100% random. The only issue is that for people who applied for certain scholarships and they’re already coming out for admitted students, so the longer you wait for a decision, the less spots there are for certain scholarships. ):
I applied Early Action sometime in September and I have a 3.8 and a 29 on my ACT and am an in state applicant. Does anyone know if we will for sure hear back before January ends? At least 10-12 people from my school are still yet to hear back and I am getting very anxious about it.
Mine still says evaluation as well
So what’s next for those still waiting?
Jan 25? Jan 31?
@equationlover -check out President Drake’s new initiative for in-state students. Eligibility for the Pell Grant gets you lots of $$ help! Just be sure to get your FAFSA done ASAP! Even if you have to be a commuter student, you can make it work!
Also, for anyone complaining about the lack of transparency, please remember that any decisions received thus far are actually EARLY. No decisions are late until after January 31. Admissions is a waiting game that requires lots of patience.
My daughter got a decision in a matter of days from one (difficult) school, and a very safe school was the last to respond. University of Cincinnati came WAY after OSU. Each school is different based on many factors. Let’s keep the complaining to a minimum until after the promised date!
@Cardinalboy23 I am in the same boat as you. Just about the same stats, in state, and still waiting to hear. Hopefully next Friday will be our lucky day. Fingers crossed.
@STEM2017 I’m in the same boat 
I plan to check on Jan 25th and if nothing, then again on the 31st. I am going to keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best! Go Bucks!
@bucks724 Thanks for the info! I actually knew about this but wasn’t 100% sure if it was granteed or if their was a scholarship process. It is awarded to all Pell Grant instate eligible students?? Then I would just have to pay for room and board.
I ran the net price calculator and it did indeed confirm- I would only have to pay room and board. That’s super expensive though still - $12k a year. That’s half of what my mom makes IN ONE YEAR, not to mention we’re going to have two of us in college.
I’d like to stay on campus but if I have to commute, then I should. I don’t want to be too much in debt.
@bucks724 Nobody is complaining that the decisions are late. The complaints are with the system in place and the disadvantage for those who still have not received a decision when others received them months ago. We all met the EA deadline so it’s disappointing and those still waiting have a right to be disappointed. Every time there is a wave of acceptances it’s only natural that one anticipates that they may be in this wave only to find out 12 hours later you are not.
For those in this thread who were asking about when they will hear about scholarships/aide/etc, make sure that you have your buckeyemail set up! You can set it up on the “after you are admitted” page on undergrad.osu.edu, and that is where your acceptance fee statement, financial aid, and housing contract will go to, NOT the email that you used to apply with (from what I’ve heard).
@bucks724 The comments about the lack of transparency are accurate, not complaints. The information that the university provides when asked basic simple questions is vague and to a degree inaccurate and misleading. That is my issue. If you look at the process historically, you will see that those apps that they do not get to will be pushed to deferred status without a review…
Just checked, and it still says evaluation. Great. Why are PA having too wait so late. Still no one from my high school has heard anything yet and people from a high school nearby from me have not. This sucks.
Losing hope especially since now I will be finding out in the last wave.
It is like they have something against PA people because of penn state.
The information the university provides is accurate. By January 31. Just because others get a decision sooner than that doesn’t mean that they lack transparency. It means they are (at least up until now) adhering to their deadline. And unless you failed to read the other 88 pages of this post, people are certainly complaining about it.
Also, having known people who work for the university, there are times when they either don’t know or aren’t at liberty to give out certain information - so all these calls to admissions about when the next wave will come out is generally pointless. The simple answer is “you will receive a decision by 1/31”. And yes, a deferral is a decision. It means you’re not out but you’re under further consideration. Not the answer you want, but an answer (aka response) nonetheless.
@equationlover - check out scholarship housing. Some offer reduced housing and no required meal plan. You can do this! At the very least, try for one year on campus using work study - if you feel like you can make it work!
@BuckAlum1 If that is the case that applications are pushed to deferral because they do not have time to review them it’s pretty sad. When paying the application fee and meeting the EA deadline you expect a fair review of your application in a timely manner. My son and daughter both submitted their apps the first week in October.