How to Get Into Ohio State University: Acceptance Rate & Strategies

August 13, 2025

In the autumn of 1995, Ohio State University welcomed a typical freshman class of 5,794 individuals to campus. Ninety percent of this Buckeye cohort were Ohio residents and they carried an average SAT score of 1074 and a mean ACT just shy of 23. 30 years later, nearly 8,000 freshmen strutted onto campus with roughly 35% having traveled from another state or foreign country, boasting an average SAT score of 1400+ and a mean ACT of 30. This brief statistical comparison succinctly captures the story of Ohio State since the turn of the millennium—tremendous growth in size, selectivity, and non-resident population. Although the Ohio State acceptance rate still hovers around 50%, it has dropped over 20 points in the last four years.

Given this increased desirability and selectivity at OSU, the intent of this article is to give those considering applying to the university an understanding of the following:

Ohio State’s Class of 2028 acceptance rate (plus how to predict your chances with our free admissions calculator)
SAT, ACT, and class rank of accepted OSU applicants
Admissions trends
Ohio State-Columbus’ system for rating applicants
Where is Ohio State?
A look at the demographics of current Ohio State undergraduates
The percent of accepted students that attend Ohio State (yield rate)
Tips for applying to Ohio State University
How to assess whether applying to Ohio State is even worth the $60 application fee (for you)

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Ohio State Acceptance Rate – Class of 2028

There were 72,829 applicants for the Class of 2028. While this number is down from the previous year, it still represents a 10% increase in the past two years. Of these Buckeye-hopefuls, 44,116 were admitted (an all-time high). This gives the Ohio State University an acceptance rate of just over 60%.

Unlike many other flagship state schools, the admission standards for residents and out-of-staters are actually quite comparable. In-state applicants are typically admitted to the university at nearly identical rates.

Historical Ohio State acceptance rates are as follows:

	Applicants	Admits	Acceptance Rate
Class of 2027	76,764	35,551	46%
Class of 2026	65,189	34,370	53%
Class of 2025	58,180	33,269	57%
Class of 2024	49,087	33,619	68%

What class rank do you need to get accepted to Ohio State?

Among enrolled Class of 2028 first-year students, 95% hailed from the top quarter, and an impressive 64% of earned a place in the top 10%.

What is the minimum SAT or ACT score for Ohio State?

For the Class of 2028, the mid-50% SAT range for enrolled freshmen was 1280-1430; the ACT range was 26-32. Although Ohio State is test-optional, a little over 60% of enrolled students typically submit test scores alongside their applications.

Admissions Trends & Notes

Applications decreased by 5% for the Class of 2028 compared to the previous year.
The mid-50% SAT range has increased about 80 points over the past two years.
The percentage of in-state students have declined steadily; percentages of out-of-state and international students have risen accordingly.
Just under 30% of the Class of 2028 were minority students.
18% of the the Class of 2028 were the first in their families to attend college.
85% of admitted students exceeded the required two foreign language courses.
99% of enrolled students took a fourth year of math.
89% took a fourth year of science.

How Ohio State Rates Applicants

OSU considers four factors as “very important” to the admissions process: rigor of high school course load, class rank, academic GPA, and standardized test scores. Items that are “important” as part of the admissions process are: essays, recommendations, extracurricular activities, talent/ability, first-generation status, and work/volunteer experience. “Considered” factors include: character/personal qualities, geographic residence, and state residency.

The admissions staff reads every application carefully and, in their own words, “We seek students whose application demonstrates that they are prepared for the academic rigor of the Ohio State classroom; who are willing to lead; who see strength in diversity of people and ideas; who seek collaboration when solving problems; and who make use of all opportunities to figure out what kind of impact they want to have in the world.”

It is also worth highlighting that recruited athletes enjoy a huge edge. This is because Ohio State takes great pride in its 37 NCAA Division I sports teams. Overall, 1,000+ student-athletes are presently attending the university.

For advice about how to stand out on the extracurricular front, check out our previous blog entitled How Many Extracurricular Activities Do I Need for College?

Where is Ohio State?

Ohio State University’s main campus is located in Columbus, Ohio. The state capital city is the most populous in Ohio. Columbus has been home to OSU for almost 150 years.

Who Gets Into Ohio State?

Let’s look at the demographics of the Class of 2028:

In-State: 64%
Out-of-State: 27%
International: 9%

The greatest number of Class of 2028 hailed from the following states:

Ohio
New York
Pennsylvania
Illinois
New Jersey
Maryland

Among non-residents, competition is stiffest among those hailing from states with endless streams of qualified applicants. If you are from a state in the Deep South like Alabama or Mississippi or a less-populated state like Wyoming or South Dakota, your location is more likely to provide a boost to your admissions chances at Ohio State.

Academically, undergraduates are distributed as follows across the top six most popular schools:

Arts and Sciences: 34.8%
Engineering and Architecture: 19.6%
Business: 18%
Education and Human Ecology: 6.6%
Health and Rehabilitation Sciences: 5%
Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences: 4.4%

Looking at ethnic identity, the breakdown of the Class of 2028 is as follows:

White: 58%
Asian American: 12%
Hispanic: 6%
African American: 5.7%
International: 9%

Current international students are citizens of the following countries:

China
India
South Korea
Taiwan
Canada

Looking at the gender breakdown, the Class of 2027 enrolled slightly more women than men:

Men: 47%
Women: 53%

Ohio State Yield Rate

Ohio State’s yield rate—the percentage of accepted students who elect to enroll, divided by the total number of students who are admitted—is 21%. This figure is lower than other powerhouse state universities like the University of Michigan, UVA, and UCLA (all with 40%+ yield rates), but higher than Penn State University (19%).

Tips for Applying to Ohio State

If you plan on joining the 70,000+ Buckeye hopefuls for the next admissions cycle, you should know the following:

OSU will be test-optional for students applying in the 2025-26 admission cycle; however, starting in 2026, OSU will require test scores.
You can apply by submitting the Common Application by Nov 1 for Early Action or Feb 1 for Regular Decision.
This university does not use interviews as part of its evaluation process.
Ohio State does not consider “demonstrated interest” so you will not be judged on whether or not you made a campus visit, contacted an admissions officer, etc.
We recommend submitting 1-2 recommendations from your counselor/teachers although none are technically required.
In the 2025-26 cycle, Ohio State did not offer any supplemental essay prompts. Therefore, the primary Common App essay takes on an even greater level of importance when applying to the university.

CT Advice: With only one essay to complete for Ohio State University, applicants need to channel their efforts into the Common App essay of their choice. For more on the prompts themselves, which might be best to select, and how to begin brainstorming, visit our blog covering the 2025-26 Common App Essay Prompts.

Should I Apply to Ohio State?

Those with SAT/ACT scores within the mid-50% range for Ohio State who are also in the top 10% of their respective high school class are absolutely viable candidates for Ohio State. Those in the top 25% of their class who have other strong credentials will also present as competitive applicants. Finally, residents and non-residents encounter similar admissions standards and odds of acceptance.

Ohio State Acceptance Rate — Final Thoughts

It goes without saying that most teens applying to OSU also need to have a proper mix of “target” and “safety” schools on their college list. Ohio State would only be an appropriate “safety” for students at the very top of their high school class with standardized test scores in the 95th percentile. More on creating a balanced college list can be found here.

Ready to start crafting your college applications? Check out the following resources:

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College Admissions

Dave Bergman

Dave has over a decade of professional experience that includes work as a teacher, high school administrator, college professor, and independent educational consultant. He is a co-author of the books The Enlightened College Applicant (Rowman & Littlefield, 2016) and Colleges Worth Your Money (Rowman & Littlefield, 2020).