Orientation

Remember that you must accept admission and pay your $100 acceptance fee before you can register for orientation.

1. Log in to your Applicant Center with your Ohio State username (lastname.#) and password. Get help with these credentials. 

2. Click  Pay Application Fee and follow the instructions.

All incoming first-year students are required to attend an in-person orientation.

Autumn 2025 New First Year Student Orientation Dates
May 30, 2025
June 10, 2025
July 15, 2025
August 1, 2025 

Autumn 2025 New Transfer Students please call the Academic Advising Office to schedule an appointment to register for fall classes. Advisors will begin scheduling new transfer students June 2, 2025. 

Ohio State Lima’s Orientation Program is designed to help ensure you are prepared to succeed at the start of the semester. At Orientation we will answer many of your questions, introduce you to your academic advisor, get you scheduled for your classes, connect you with your peers and provide valuable information about campus resources like On-Campus Work Study Opportunities, Financial Aid, and various other Academic Support Services.

8:30-9:00 a.m. Check-in (Reed Hall Lobby) 
9:00 a.m. Welcome (Martha W. Farmer Theatre for the Performing Arts) 
9:10 a.m. Overview of the day
9:20 a.m. Academic Advising
9:35 a.m. Financial aid and tuition payment information 
10:00 a.m. Buckeyes Connect (Students) 
10:00 a.m. Parent & Guest informational session
10:55 a.m. Academic Sessions
12:10 p.m. Lunch 
12:45 p.m. Guided Resource Tour
2:15 p.m. Meet your academic advisor and scheduling of classes (Students)
2:15 p.m. Parent and Guest social hour
3:00 p.m. 1:1 Financial Aid session (optional)
                   1:1 Disability Services session (optional)
4:00-5:00 p.m. Orientation evaluations and departure 

All placement exams must be completed at least 5 days prior to your orientation scheduling date. Please login to Buckeyelink to review your TO DO list to determine which placement exams you are required to complete.

If you need accomodations, please contact Wendy Hedrick, coordinator of Disability Services at hedrick.39@osu.edu or 567-242-7160

Math Placement Exam:

Because most undergraduate programs at Ohio State require some work in mathematics, all entering students are required to take the Math Placement Test.

There are two versions of the Math Placement test: Test B and Test D.

• Test B - ACT math score of 24 or lower (SAT math score of 580 or lower)
• Test D - ACT math score of 25 or higher (SAT math score of 590 or higher)

Scoring high enough on Test B will allow you to take Test D (precalculus) which may result in a higher placement level.

NOTE: The Math Placement Exam is used only as a placement tool. No course credit will be given, nor will the exam fulfill any math requirements for your chosen major. The exam has a maximum time limit of 75 minutes. Please provide yourself with an environment that will give you uninterrupted time and an atmosphere conducive for working math problems.

The Math Placement Test is an important tool that determines a student's beginning placement level in math and science courses. Refer to the link for additional Math Placement Test information and links to study materials at go.osu.edu/mathplacement.

Steps to Take the Math Placement Exam

1. Go to https://buckeyelink3.osu.edu/secure/math and login using your Ohio State Username (lastname.#) and password.
2. Thoroughly read the Math Placement Exam instructions, specifically noting the following:
   You may use scratch paper, pencil, and a scientific or graphing calculator (you should not use a calculator with computer symbolic algebra or QWERTY keyboard).
3. Do not answer a question if you don’t know the answer. It is okay to leave the question blank.
   • The exam is timed for 75 minutes and the time remaining will be updated after you answer each question.
   • The exam is entirely multiple-choice with only one correct answer. Partial credit is not given.

English Placement Exam:

Some course credit in English composition is required in all undergraduate programs at Ohio State. Your ACT or SAT scores initially determine if you will take the English placement test.

You are required to take the placement exam if one of the following applies:

1. Your ACT English score is 18 or below
2. Your SAT evidence-based reading and writing score is 480 or below

Please refer to the To Do list on Buckeyelink to determine if you are required to complete the English placement test.

*If you have CCP, AP, or Transfer credit for English and your To Do list states you are required to take this test, please contact the advising office at lima-advising@osu.edu

The English Placement exam will be taken at Carmen.osu.edu through a course. If you are required to take the English placement exam, you will be automatically added to the course in Carmen and notified via your OSU e-mail with directions on how to take the exam. Please contact Tim Cheeseman at Cheeseman.5@osu.edu if you have questions on how to complete the exam.

Foreign Language Placement Exam:

Please consult with your Academic Advisor to determine if you are required to take the foreign language placement exam.

Please contact 567-242-7310 if you have questions or need assistance with the placement exams.

Transcripts should be sent electronically, if possible. The address to have them sent to is: ugdocs@osu.edu

If electronic delivery is not possible, have transcript(s) mailed to the address below:
The Ohio State University
Undergraduate Admissions
P.O. Box 182646
Columbus, OH 43218-2646

• Visit buckeyelink.osu.edu and click on “View Financial Aid”
• Additional Financial Aid information will be covered during the virtual orientation.

• Students who need accommodations for Placement Testing must contact Disability Services and provide documentation prior to their testing date. Accommodations are not retroactive, so if a placement test is taken prior to the review by the Disabilities Services Office to determine accommodations, it cannot be retaken. For contact information for Disability Services, visit lima.osu.edu/current-students/student-life/disability-services/
• Students who need accommodations to participate in the virtual orientation through Carmen, please contact Disability Services
• For contact information for Disability Services, visit lima.osu.edu/current-students/student-life/disability-services/

Wendy Hedrick, coordinator of Disability Services at hedrick.39@osu.edu or 567-242-7160

• Login at buckeyelink.osu.edu
• Complete “TO DO” list items (right side)

This course is intended to be a valuable resource for new students and their support systems as they navigate preparing to enroll in their first semester at Ohio State Lima. 

This course will: 

• Guide you through completing and understanding time-sensitive items essential for scheduling courses at your in-person orientation day (Transcripts, Placement Testing, Buckeyelink To-dos)
• Ask you to complete a Parking Pass Registration E-Form
• Provide in-depth information regarding financial aid and financial aid processes at Ohio State
• Allow you to engage with Academic Advising to prepare for your enrollment session
• Allow you to register with Office for Disability Services
• Briefly introduce you to the different parts of a degree at Ohio State and to the different course modalities offered at Ohio State

For questions about individual items mentioned in the Carmen course, such as transcripts, placement testing, and financial aid, refer to the provided contact for each, or contact the lima-orientation@osu.edu email.

For questions about issues with the Carmen course itself, contact Alyssa Brown, Student Success and Retention Coordinator, at brown.6450@osu.edu or (567) 242-7263.