Office of Admissions

Initial admission selections are competitive and based on a holistic assessment of the criteria listed below:

Strength of Curriculum:

• Quality, quantity, and level of coursework throughout the entire high school program, especially coursework completed beyond the minimum courses required (see high school course requirements chart).
• AP, IB or college coursework completed or in progress.
• Strength of the program taken within the context of the high school attended.
• Completion of a progressively challenging math sequence, demonstrated by performance.

Academic Performance:

• Preferred cumulative grade point average of 3.0 and completion of 15 required subject area courses.
• Class rank taken in context with academic rigor and class size of high school attended.

Test Scores

OSU is test-optional for Fall 2021 moving forward. Learn more about what your options are.

Note: If you choose to submit standardized test scores, Oregon State University prefers that scores are sent electronically from College Board (SAT) and/or ACT, but will also accept scores included on official high school transcripts.

It is not an advantage to pay extra for "rush" scores and in some cases may add to the time it will take to process the scores within our office.

The SAT college code for Oregon State University is 4586.
The ACT college code for Oregon State University is 3482.

Testing Contact Information

High School Course Requirements

High school students must graduate from standard (private) or regionally accredited (public) high schools. (See Home School Requirements for additional information.)

Preferred Subject Area Courses

ENGLISH

• Minimum Units: 4 years
• Grades received must be C- or above in each class

MATHEMATICS

• Minimum Units: 3 years
• Grades received must be C- or above in each class: Culminating at the Algebra II level or Higher

SOCIAL STUDIES

• Minimum Units: 3 years
• Grades received must be C- or above in each class

SCIENCE

• Minimum Units: 3 years
• Grades received must be C- or above in each class: At least one year each of two different sciences (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, etc.)

FOREIGN LANGUAGE (not required if high school graduation or GED date prior to 1997)

• Minimum Units: 2 years
• Grades received must be C- or above in each class: May be met in any one of these ways:
  • Earning a C- or better in two years of the same high school-level foreign language
  • Earning grade of C- or better in the third year of high school-level foreign language
  • Earning a C- or better in two consecutive quarters or semesters of the same college-level foreign language
  • Earning a satisfactory score on an approved assessment of foreign language knowledge
  • Demonstrating proficiency in American Sign Language (ASL)
  • Completion of grades 1-7 at a school in which all courses are taught in a language other than English. (Documentation is required.)

Additional Factors

Oregon State is also looking for students who will lend educational and cultural diversity to our campus.  We are looking for students who go above and beyond the minimum whether in talent, academic ability or potential.  Combined with academic strengths, evidence of these characteristics may be considered in our review of applicants for admission.

Applicants who are ineligible to re-enroll at any college or university that they attended within the last seven years for student conduct reasons will be automatically declined admission at OSU.  Applicants who are unable to re-enroll at a previous college or university for academic reasons will be considered for admission only if they meet OSU’s minimum academic requirements.

High School Graduates or GED holders with less than 24 (quarter) transfer credits

Applicants who have already graduated high school or received a GED and have earned fewer than 24 transferable quarter college credits (16 semester credits) will be reviewed for admissibility based on BOTH high school work or GED scores, and any transferable coursework. Applicants who have already graduated high school are not required to submit SAT/ACT scores to be reviewed for admission.  Learn more about transfer requirements.

Fall 2021 Early Action (freshman/first year)

Submit a complete application by: November 2, 2020 - Application, transcripts and test score deadline (for those not applying test-optional)

We notify you of status by: December 11

Fall 2021 Regular Application (Freshman/first year)

Submit a complete application by:

• February 1, 2021 - Application deadline
• February 12, 2021 - Transcripts and test score deadline
• Applicants who do not meet these deadlines will be considered for admission on a space-available basis and for scholarships on a funds-available basis.

We notify you of status by: March 13

Fall 2021 (transfer)

Submit a complete application by:

• March 15, 2021 - Scholarship Consideration Deadline
• August 25, 2021 - Admissions Deadline

We notify you of status by: First decisions begin in December with later applicants getting decisions approx. 4-6 weeks later

Fall 2021 (post-bacc)

Submit a complete application by: August 25, 2021 - Admission Deadline*

*Applicants are encouraged to contact the department that they want to apply for admission to determine the department's deadlines, notification times, and any other restrictions.

We notify you of status by: First decisions will be sent in December with later applicants getting decisions approx. 4-6 weeks later

Winter 2021

Submit a complete application by: December 7, 2020

We notify you of status by: 3-6 weeks later

Spring 2021

Submit a complete application by: March 1, 2021

We notify you of status by: 3-6 weeks later

Summer 2021

Submit a complete application by: June 21, 2021*

* Freshmen who wish to apply for summer will be considered for admission in the same manner and with the same deadlines as freshmen applying for fall term.

We notify you of status by: 3-6 weeks later

 

Oregon State's Summer Session offers 1-week, 3-week, 4-week, 8-week, and 11-week accelerated section options. Given its unique format and modified services, is not recommended for traditional first-time freshman entry. Freshmen who wish to apply for summer will be considered for admission in the same manner and with the same deadlines as freshmen applying for fall term.

 

• A complete application consists of the application, fee, and all required supporting documents (i.e. transcripts, test scores, citizenship documents, etc.). Note: It can take days or weeks for your transcripts and test scores to arrive, so we recommend requesting these items be sent to our office well in advance of the deadline date.
• New freshmen wishing to be considered for admission as part of the Priority Application round must apply by February 1. Documents required to make a student’s file complete must be received by the Office of Admissions by February 12.
• Applicants who do not meet these deadlines will be considered for admission on a space-available basis.
• Online applications must be submitted before 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time to meet the deadline.
• You are responsible for submitting all materials well in advance of the deadline in order to avoid complications/delays in delivery and because additional information may be required before your application can be fully processed and reviewed.

Early action (all documents due by November 2)

Oregon State's Early Action option provides some applicants with an earlier admission decision and scholarship notification (if eligible) and allows applicants more time to make campus visits and to consider their options.

• Early Action is non-binding; it does not obligate applicants to select Oregon State if admitted.
• Early Action and Regular Application applicants are reviewed according to the same admission criteria and procedures in the holistic review process.
• Early Action applications not completed by November 1 are rolled into the Regular Application pool.

• Applicants for Fall 2021 and beyond will review their application status via Beaver Basecamp.  Applicants for Winter, Spring and Summer of 2021 will be emailed instructions for checking your application status within 72 hours of submitting your application.
• Because each application is given full holistic review, some applications take longer to review than others. OSU Early Action and Regular Application applicants are reviewed according to the same holistic review process, and there is no advantage given to applicants in either pool by nature of the deadline selected.
• Admission decisions for Fall 2021 will not begin being communicated with students until December, 2020.  Decisions for Winter, Spring and Summer 2021 will be made on a rolling basis.  These decisions are usually communicated within 4 weeks of having a complete application on file.
• Applications may be held for consideration within the context of the competitiveness of the applicant pool and/or additional information may be requested before a decision can be rendered, particularly when applicants do not meet priority consideration standards. For example, some Early Action applications may be rolled into the Regular Application pool to allow time for students to strengthen their applications with additional academic work (7th semester transcripts).
• The application for admission also includes an application for admission-based scholarships. Notification of scholarship awards begins in December and continues through April.
• Any applicant who is denied undergraduate admission to Oregon State University may petition to the Undergraduate Admissions Committee (UAC) for an exception. Decisions on appeal will be determined by the Undergraduate Admissions Committee and are subject to Oregon Public University System guidelines for special admissions. Each petition for appeal is assessed on an individual basis. Learn more about the appeals process. If you would like to discuss options for applying in the future as a transfer student, please reach out to our transfer advisors.

E-mail is a primary communication tool for Admissions along with our applicant portal.

It is important that applicants take the following steps:

• keep a valid e-mail address on file with the Office of Admissions at all times
• check their e-mail at least once a week during the admission process, and
• ensure they can receive e-mail from [email protected] and [email protected] by adding that address to their address book and/or safe senders list.
• Fall 2021 applicants and beyond should check their Beaver Basecamp portal for updates and requests