Admissions Factors
What Ohio State Looks For
Ohio State rates 4 factors as very important: rigor of high school courses, academic GPA, class rank and standardized test scores.
How Ohio State rates each factor
Each college sorts 18 factors into four levels on its Common Data Set.
Important
The numbers behind the class
Overall admit rate
49.2%
40,047 of 81,392 applicants
Early decision admit rate
No early decision
Admitted from the waitlist
89.9%
2,049 of 2,278 who stayed on it
73% of those who reported a class rank were in the top tenth of their class.
Frequently asked questions
What does Ohio State look for in applicants?
Ohio State rates 4 factors as very important: rigor of high school courses, academic GPA, class rank and standardized test scores.
Does Ohio State consider legacy status?
Ohio State rates alumni relation as "not considered" in its 2025-26 Common Data Set.
Does Ohio State track demonstrated interest?
Ohio State rates the level of an applicant's interest as "not considered".
What is Ohio State's waitlist acceptance rate?
2,278 students stayed on the waitlist and 2,049 were admitted, a rate of 89.9%. The number changes a lot from year to year because it depends on how many admitted students enroll.
Source: Ohio State’s own Common Data Set 2025-26, Section C. Last checked 2026-10-08. The ratings are the college’s own description of its process. Counts are for one entering class.
