How to Check Your Application Status
After submitting your application and paying the application fee, you will receive a confirmation email from gpadmissions@osu.edu. Please note that it can take several business days to receive this confirmation email. This email will assign you an OSU ID and internet user name (lastname.#) with directions to activate your account. Once you activate your account, you can monitor your application status at appstatus.osu.edu.
Application Review
Once your application is complete, it is first reviewed by the Graduate Admissions office to ensure that all materials were successfully submitted (e.g., transcripts received, test scores attached to the correct applicant, etc.). Your file is then automatically passed to the Department of Geography for internal review.
Application review for all Geography and Atmospheric Sciences programs is based on a holistic review, so we have no GRE score minimums or GPA cut offs beyond what the university has established (see our minimum criteria for admission). Our students are evaluated based on the whole package of materials provided.
Timeline
The Geography Graduate Studies Committee, in consultation with the department faculty as a whole, typically completes its decisions on graduate admissions by the middle-end of February. We usually accept less than 20% of applicants. You will receive notification from Graduate Admissions indicating whether or not you have been accepted to our program. If you are admitted, you will received official notification from the Graduate Admissions office. This notification will not notify you of your funding status. Funding decisions are typically made in mid-March and are sent via a letter directly from the Department of Geography.
If You Are Admitted: Transcripts & Financial Review
Ohio State requires final official transcripts once you are admitted. The Graduate Admissions office will request this of you.
International Students are required to demonstrate proof of financial ability to complete the admissions process. After you are admitted, the Graduate Admissions office will send you an Affidavit of Support form with instructions for completion. The financial review process is a necessary step in getting your Form I-20 for your visa.