I can’t seem to get a clear idea about the admissions process and OSU in general. I used to think it was just a part school that could be considered a “safety” for most prospective undergrads, but as I talked to people and learned more about it, that doesn’t seem to be the case at all. In fact, OSU seems really competitive for a public uni! When did this happen, and why? I am assuming their programs are really good considering the cost?
And back to admissions. Are some majors easier to get into than others? I believe engineering is hardest to get into, right? And I heard that a lot of students can finish it because it is very rigorous?
And from what I gathered admissions is a little all over the place. I was initially shocked when I heard people with 24-26 ACTs getting rejected, but really that isn’t so uncommon for OSU nowadays. They are really targeting upper ACT scores. Also, this one seemed conflicting, but is it easier for in-state or out-of-state to get admitted?
Lastly, does anyone just have any insight or a general idea of what their admissions process is like? Most other colleges I can get a sense of what types of students will get accepted, but OSU is just throwing me for a loop.
Thanks for any feedback!!! And sorry for the messy writing.
Yeah! OSU admissions is really really weird. It isn’t that hard of a school to get into, however, It’s a really competitive to just get on the Columbus Campus. So, i don’t feel like the acceptance rate posted online doesn’t really reflect how hard it is to get on Main Campus. Engineering is a really competitive program. One of my friends tried to calculate the acceptance rate for the Engineering program and they got 11-14% which is insane.
And yeah, admissions is all over the place. I seen quite a few out of state students get in with 26 ACTs and 3.5 GPAs, which is in the lower percentile of all accepted students. It seems like it is way easier to get in OOS because OSU wants the most diverse class possible. I know quite a few instate kids who are very well rounded and get denied from main campus. The one had a 32 ACT and 4.1 weighted GPA, which doesn’t make sense.
I think the reason for all of this is because of the insane number of instate kids that apply to OSU. So many apply because of how high of a profile it has in the state. You can’t go anywhere without seeing a reference to Ohio State!
Overall, this has been a recent trend, when I talked to my guidance counselor about applying, she said that she could easily tell 5 years ago who was going to get accepted, but she didn’t know what to tell me because she can’t tell the trends anymore.
Earlier, I contacted a rep. to ask about when hear a response about my application and i received a response and she said that acceptance to OSU is not based off major at all.
I think the fact that there’s so many conflicting stories is what makes OSU such a hard school to judge! I wish i knew more about their process! Good Luck!
Don’t forget that OOS students (especially those below National Buckeye Scholarship level) pay much higher tuition than in-state students. So, in my opinion, it’s more about money than it is about diversity.
Hello! This is really, really late, but thank you for responding! Your response and feedback is so accurate to what I’ve been observing during this process. By the way, I did get into Ohio State! Thanks again for sharing! 