Admission to Certificate Programs

To apply, students should follow the prompts guiding students to the right application based on the type of student they are (new freshman, transfer, post-bacc, etc.).  Certificates are listed as options on the application similar to majors.

  • Applicants seeking to pursue a certificate through OSU (on-campus or online) are subject to the same admission requirements, deadlines and evaluation process as undergraduate degree-seeking students.  These requirements and processes are based on your status as a transfer or a new freshman.
  • Applicants who have already earned a bachelor's degree must apply as a Post-Bacc student.  Post-Bacc admission decisions are made by the academic unit/department in which the certificate resides.

New undergraduates admitted to a certificate program may subsequently declare a major and seek a degree without reapplying.  However, if you are applying and you intend to earn a bachelor's degree from OSU, you should apply to your major using the admissions application and add a certificate program once admitted.

Current degree-seeking OSU students may inquire about adding a certificate to their pursuits by contacting their advisor or the Office of the Registrar.

Courses associated with certificate programs typically have prerequisites.  Students admitted to a certificate program must still meet these prerequisites before enrolling in this coursework.  Admitted students will work with an advisor in their academic unit to navigate degree progress and completion.

Not all certificate programs are eligible to receive financial aid.  You should check with the academic unit for which your desired certificate is offered to see if it has been approved by the US Department of Education for financial aid.

Once admitted, certificate seeking students must confirm their enrollment through their Beaver Basecamp admissions portal to let us know that they plan to attend.  This clears the way for the admitted student to participate in orientation and registration.

  • Certificate students must participate in new student orientation ("START" for on-campus students, online orientation for Ecampus/online students).

 

Additional FAQs are available here.