FAQs
Current Students Common Questions and Answers
Academics
Please make sure you click the button to accept the university’s Financial Responsibility Statement on BuckeyeLink prior to registering for classes or submitting any course permission emails, as nothing can be added to your schedule until after you do so.
Method 1: Complete a Course Enrollment Permission Form that will need to include the instructor’s signature as well as the call numbers. For independent study courses you can look these up in the attached spreadsheet and for regular courses on the OSU Schedule of Classes. After you completed the form you need to take it (physically) to the registration services desk of the Graduate School.
Method 2: Send an email with course number, class number, and number of credits to this email (grad-office@math.osu.edu) and have the instructor (preferably CC’ed in the initial request) send a follow-up permission email. Please plan that this process can take up to 3 business day since I have to rely on the help of another coordinator right now.
Method 3: Have the instructor send an email to the Graduate School Registration Services, that contains all details of the courses (Your instructor’s email response; Your Ohio State username (name. #); Semester or term and year of course; Course department; Course number; Class number; Number of credit hours).
See also the Graduate School information page at for more details about course registrations.
For Autumn or Spring semesters:
Pre-candidacy or Master’s GTAs, GRAs, and Departmental Fellows (SGAs, RGFs, TRFs): you must be enrolled in at least 8 credit hours (maximum load is 18 hours)
Pre-candidacy or Master’s University Fellows (UFs, DUFs, DDUFs, GEFs, DGEFs): you must be enrolled in at least 12 credit hours (maximum load is 18 hours)
Post-candidacy students (all appointment types, including Presidential Fellows): you must be enrolled in exactly 3 credit hours
For Summer semester:
Fellows must take a minimum of 6 credits.
All other students, the recommendation is 0 credits in the Summer unless there is an extenuating situation, such as English courses, or enrollment required for taking Candidacy or graduating.
If all degree requirements are complete by the EOS deadline in any given semester, you would not need to enroll in the semester following while awaiting the ceremony.
Candidacy/Dissertation
Here are directions as to how to schedule a room.
If you have difficulties, please contact math@osu.edu
Please fill out the Change of Advisor Form, all but the signatures, and send to grad-office@math.osu.edu. It will be put through DocuSign for signatures by your advisor and the Vice Chair of Graduate Studies. Once all of the signatures are received, the Math graduate coordinator will make the update.
Please see the Document Preparation page on the Graduate School's website.
You can apply and do the candidacy exam in the same semester. The grad school does an audit at the end of the semester to make sure applications based on candidacy exam have the exam completed, and then they cancel any that have not completed the exam in the semester.
Tuition and Fees
Graduate associate appointments include payment of tuition and instructional fees. Students are responsible for Other Fees.
Other fees are defined as fees that are not covered by the fee authorization and are deducted from the stipend monthly. Examples of other fees include COTA fee, distance learning fees, late penalties, Ohio Union fee, parking fees, program fees, recreational fees, Student Activities fee, Student Legal Services fee, etc. More information regarding graduate tuition and fees may be found on the Office of the University Registrar’s website.
If you still have questions about fees on your account, contact us at grad-office@math.osu.edu
COTA is "free" during the semesters you are enrolled because the COTA bus fee is part of the "other" fees that are payroll deducted. If you are not enrolled, your pass will not work.
If you will be taking classes in the Fall, your COTA bus pass will be available 5 days before school starts (if you are enrolled and the tuition fee waiver has been applied).
Unfortunately, no. The fees aren’t assessed based on whether or not you use those services. They are assessed to all students. That way the whole student body shares in the [subsidized] cost of the services. They are imposed by the university to all the students & not able to be removed.
Employment
Fill out this employment verification form and email to grad-office@math.osu.edu or bring a printed filled out form to the Math Graduate Office (102 Math Building) for a signature.
CPT is an off-campus work authorization many use for summer internship opportunities. There are some eligibility requirements, so here are some helpful links:
Email iss@osu.edu to converse with our Student Immigration Specialists.