How to Apply to Engineering at Ohio University: Direct Admission to Chemical, Civil, Electrical, Mechanical and Other Majors or Undecided–Engineering in the Russ College, With Stated High School Math and Science Expectations, for Domestic and International (Including Chinese) Applicants and Transfer Students

Ohio University (OHIO) offers undergraduate engineering through the Russ College of Engineering and Technology, on its main campus in Athens, Ohio. This guide follows the university’s website and is organised for U.S. domestic applicants, international applicants, applicants from China and transfer students. Computer Science is also in this college and has its own guide on this site, so it is not covered here.

1. Engineering majors in the college

• Engineering majors (the freshman and transfer “more selective programs” lists, and the accreditation page): Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering (with a Computer Engineering Track), Energy Engineering, Industrial and Systems Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Cybersecurity Engineering, plus Undecided – Engineering. The college also offers Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Aviation Flight, Aviation Management and Engineering Technology and Management. Engineering Physics is an Honors Tutorial College major with a different application process and is not covered here. The college’s undergraduate programs page showed only ten bachelor’s programs in what we read and may be incomplete, so check the website for the full list.
• ABET accreditation: the college’s accreditation page says the undergraduate Chemical, Civil, Electrical, Energy, Industrial and Systems, and Mechanical Engineering programs are accredited by ABET’s Engineering Accreditation Commission; Computer Science by its Computing Accreditation Commission; and Engineering Technology and Management by a different accrediting body. The page does not mention Cybersecurity Engineering (a new major); not stated by OHIO.
• Internships and careers: the college has a required Career Orientation course, résumé and interview workshops, on-campus career fairs and internship support. The page does not describe a university-run paid co-op program.

2. How admission works: direct to a major or to Undecided–Engineering

• Majors and admission: the freshman requirements list both specific engineering majors and Undecided – Engineering; how the application records the choice is not stated in the pages we read. OHIO says admission to all programs is limited and selective, through a holistic review of strength and performance in the curriculum, class rank, GPA, grade trend and optional test scores, essays, recommendations and activities. The Russ College is one of the colleges with more selective criteria beyond the general guidelines.
• The more selective criteria (freshman page): for Chemical, Civil, Electrical (including the Computer Engineering Track), Energy, Industrial and Systems, Mechanical and Cybersecurity Engineering, and for Undecided – Engineering, the stated criteria are the same: four years of college-preparatory math; one year of chemistry or physics; one additional year of chemistry, physics or an engineering science such as engineering principles, robotics, computer science or digital electronics; and above-average grades in math and science.
• How the college describes applicants (future-students page): students should meet OHIO’s general admission requirements and the four years of math, one year of chemistry or physics and one more related year above; students in the top 30 percent of their class with an ACT of at least 24 (or comparable SAT) are “most likely to be successful”. This is a description, not a stated minimum.
• Early action: OHIO says applicants who meet the early action deadline receive priority consideration for direct entry to academic programs, merit scholarships and honors experiences.
• Moving into a major later: GPA thresholds, course grades and capacity for moving from Undecided – Engineering into a major, or from other colleges into the Russ College, are not stated in the pages we read; ask the college’s undergraduate office.

3. Prerequisites and credit

• Suggested coursework (freshman application page): English 4 units; mathematics 4 units (including Algebra II or above); science 3; social studies 3; foreign language 2; visual or performing arts 1; four additional electives. Engineering expectations are higher, as above.
• Math placement test: not stated in the pages we read.
• AP: credit for any AP exam scored 3 or higher, with scores sent directly by the College Board; the course-by-course table is in OHIO’s AP credit guide (not read). Which engineering courses AP credit satisfies is not stated.
• IB and A-Level: up to nine semester hours considered for each IB Higher Level exam graded 5 or above, with the score report and syllabi required; no credit for subsidiary exams. A-Levels graded D or higher: up to nine semester hours each; AS exams up to four.
• Project Lead the Way: students from certified PLTW schools can receive college credit if they meet the requirements.

4. Rounds, materials and testing

• How to apply: the Common App (opens each August) or OHIO’s alternative online application.
• Deadlines (freshman; the dates page prints no year): fall Early Action November 15 and rolling deadline February 1; spring December 1. The “OHIO Admission Promise for Fall 2027” page states the Early Action date as November 15, 2026.
• Application fee: $55; waivers can be requested from Admissions.
• Materials: the high school transcript submitted by your counselor, electronically or by mail; essays, recommendations and activity lists are optional and can be uploaded to the applicant portal, and recommenders can email letters to admissions@ohio.edu.
• Testing: the SAT/ACT is optional for all Athens campus programs, including the more selective ones; SAT code 1593; ACT code 3314. The fall 2025 freshman class middle 50 percent: top 10–40 percent of class, ACT composite 23–28, SAT 1130–1300, average GPA 3.67 (only scores that were used in admissions decisions are counted).
• College-specific essay: none. Honors Tutorial College majors have their own essays and interviews, which are not the standard engineering process.

5. U.S. domestic applicants

• Tuition (2026–27 OHIO Guarantee cohort, Athens campus, full time 12–20 credit hours, per semester): Ohio resident $7,401 (instructional fee $6,689 plus general fee $712); non-resident $13,288. A Career & Experiential Learning fee of $9 per credit hour (maximum $108) is added. OHIO says these rates stay unchanged for four years (12 consecutive semesters including summers). The page lists no separate engineering differential; not stated by OHIO, so check with the Bursar. Residence hall (Classic Double) $4,477 a semester; meal plan (Traditional 14) $2,791 a semester.
• OHIO Admission Promise (fall 2027): first-year students who apply by the November 15, 2026 Early Action deadline, have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher on a strong college-prep curriculum (21 credits: English 4, math 4, science 3, social studies 3, language 2, arts 1, electives 4), and enroll full time on the Athens campus can receive automatic general University admission; those whose FAFSA results arrive by the January 15, 2027 first-priority date also receive a renewable award of at least $2,000. The page also says some programs have additional selective admission requirements and does not say whether the Promise guarantees a place in a Russ College major; ask Admissions.
• Ohio Guaranteed Admission Program: students ranked in the top 10 percent of their graduating class qualify for guaranteed admission to any Ohio public university if they meet that university’s unconditional admission standard; the page does not state a residency requirement.
• Scholarships: the dates page says applicants who meet the Early Action deadline receive priority consideration for merit scholarships. How first-year awards are judged and their amounts, and the college’s own scholarships, are not covered in the pages we read; not stated by OHIO, so see the university’s scholarships and aid pages.

6. International applicants

• Fee: $75 international application fee. Apply to the Athens campus with the Common App or OHIO’s alternative application.
• Transcripts: records from every secondary school attended; a certified or attested English translation if the original is not in English; applicants who submit unofficial documents must send official ones before the first day of classes. Official means one of four routes: uploaded by the school counselor or principal through the Common App; emailed to admissions@ohio.edu by the counselor, principal or registrar; sent in an envelope sealed and stamped by the issuing school, the ministry of education or EducationUSA or a similar organization; or hand-delivered before classes start. OHIO says international applicants must complete secondary education with above-average grades; criteria by country are on the country pages.
• English proficiency (full-time academic study; exams taken within a year): TOEFL paper 520 with a composition score of 5 or above; TOEFL iBT 72 with a writing subscore of 17 or above (pre-2026 scoring) or 4 with writing 4 or above (new scoring); IELTS 6.0 (no subscore below 5.5); Duolingo 110; PTE Academic 48; Cambridge English 169; SAT total 1060 with 540 in Evidence-Based Reading and Writing; ACT composite 21 with 21 in English and reading. Students who do not submit a score or meet a minimum may be admitted to the Ohio Program of Intensive English (OPIE) and apply for a change of level once proficient.
• Exemptions: students educated in one of the countries in OHIO’s Exempt Countries table (it includes the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada except Quebec, Nigeria and South Africa, among others), or who completed at least three years of higher secondary schooling in an English-speaking system such as Cambridge or IB, including three years of non-ESL college-preparatory English with grades of B or better, need no further proof.
• Curricula: for Cambridge, decisions are based on GCSE/IGCSE/O-level results, generally at least six passes at grade C or higher; for IB, generally an average of 5 out of 7 on college-preparatory subjects.
• Dates: international fall entry Early Action November 15 and rolling deadline February 1; spring entry November 1 (no year printed). Merit scholarships are only available to international students who begin in the fall semester.
• Scholarships and aid: first-year and transfer international applicants can receive merit scholarships if admitted directly to academic study (not the intensive English program or University Success Pathway); the admission application is the scholarship application, merit is based on cumulative GPA within a strong college-prep curriculum (highest weighted or unweighted, recalculated to a 4.0 scale), all applicants receive full scholarship consideration regardless of tests, SAT/ACT scores are in most cases considered only if they increase award eligibility, and a complete application by the November 15 Early Action date receives full consideration; amounts are not stated. Transfer applicants must have completed a full year of study and be admitted by May 15. International students are not eligible for U.S. federal aid; the page points to EducationUSA and EduPASS. On-campus employment is strictly regulated and cannot be used to demonstrate funds.
• Proof of funds: the international costs page states the I-20 funding total is $46,826 (see Costs below) and that the full amount must be documented.

7. Applicants from China

• Gaokao: neither the international application page nor the country page (C) mentions the gaokao. The country page describes China this way: secondary credential “Senior School Graduation Certificate”; freshman grade requirement “varies by institution, generally B/80% or better”; transfer grade generally C/70% or better; transfer credit grade generally C/70% or better. Whether and how gaokao results are used is not stated by OHIO; ask Admissions (admissions@ohio.edu).
• Transcripts: the country page says copies of academic records in Chinese and English certified by the school and in envelopes stamped and sealed by the school are required; copies certified by notaries are not acceptable. Whether the senior-school exit exam results are required is not stated.
• English: see the international section; China is not on the exempt-country table.
• Interview and evaluation agencies: no interview is mentioned for first-year applicants; transfer applicants need a course-by-course evaluation from a NACES member agency (see below).

8. Costs

• International estimate (Athens campus, one academic year of two semesters): tuition and fees $26,792; living expenses $16,795 (Classic Double $8,954, Traditional 14 meals $5,582, personal expenses $2,259); health insurance $3,239; total $46,826. The table header reads “2026–2027”, and the next sentence gives $46,826 as the “2027–2028” funding amount for an I-20; both are stated. All figures are subject to change by the Board of Trustees.
• OHIO Guarantee: tuition, housing, dining and fees are a single fixed rate for four years, for Ohio residents and non-residents alike.

9. Transfer students

• Who counts: those who have completed more than 9 semester hours (12 quarter hours) at an accredited institution after high school. The general requirement is a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher; applicants with fewer than 20 semester hours (30 quarter hours) of college coursework also submit a high school transcript. The fee is $50 (the page says $55 for spring 2027 and later), with official transcripts from every college attended; essays and recommendations are optional.
• Engineering transfer requirements (more selective programs page): for Chemical, Civil, Electrical (including the Computer Engineering Track), Energy, Industrial and Systems, Mechanical and Cybersecurity Engineering, and Undecided – Engineering, applicants must have completed 20 semester hours (30 quarter hours) with a cumulative GPA of 2.5, and the equivalent of MATH 1200 (or higher) and one of CHEM 1210, CHEM 1500, CHEM 1510 or PHYS 2051.
• Priority dates (no year printed): fall application June 15 with transcripts July 1; spring December 1 with transcripts December 15. To be considered for merit scholarships, transfer students must apply for fall, be admitted by May 15, and have completed a full year of study with excellent grades.
• International transfers: a course-by-course evaluation from a NACES member agency for every post-secondary institution attended, sent to OHIO together with the official transcript; applicants with less than a year of post-secondary work submit secondary records instead. Grade requirements are on the country pages (China: generally C/70% or better).
• Transfer credit: OHIO publishes equivalency guides by college for community college partners, which we did not read in detail; credit by examination is covered in section 3.

Checklist

U.S. domestic applicants:

• Common App or alternative application by November 15 (Early Action, priority for direct entry and scholarships); $55 fee; transcript from your counselor; SAT/ACT optional
• For engineering: four years of math, one year of chemistry or physics, one more year of chemistry, physics or an engineering science, and above-average math and science grades
• For the Admission Promise award: GPA of 3.0 or higher and FAFSA results by January 15, 2027

International applicants (including China):

• Apply by November 15 (Early Action) or February 1; $75 fee; IELTS 6.0 (no subscore under 5.5), Duolingo 110, PTE 48 and so on, valid within one year
• Chinese school records: school-stamped sealed envelope, Chinese and English versions, no notarized copies; ask Admissions how to submit the gaokao
• Prepare $46,826 in proof of funds

Transfer students:

• For engineering: 20 semester hours, GPA 2.5, MATH 1200 or higher plus a chemistry or physics course; fall priority date June 15, after checking the 2027 dates

Sources: Ohio University, Russ College of Engineering and Technology; Undergraduate engineering programs; Future students in Russ College; Accreditation; Internships and careers; Undergraduate admissions; How to apply: freshman; Freshman: more selective program guidelines; Freshman dates; OHIO Admission Promise for fall 2027; How to apply: international; International requirements by country (C); International dates; International costs and aid; How to apply: transfer; Transfer: more selective program guidelines; Dates and deadlines; Credit by examination; 2026–27 Athens tuition and fees. The date tables carry no year; only the Admission Promise page states November 15, 2026 and January 15, 2027. The international costs page shows a “2026–2027” table header alongside a “2027–2028” estimate. Check Ohio University for fall 2027 details.