For First Year Students

July 31st- Registration Deadline

Deadline to Register online for ALL of your classes for Autumn.   Fellows will need to register for 12 credit hours and TAs for a minimum of 8 credit hours. Please see #6 below for details on the required courses. Fellows, please note that you will need to add 1 credit hour of Physics 7998 Research with the vice chair of graduate studies to reach 12 hours.  Please note that there will be time to adjust your schedules after your first advising meeting (via Zoom) in late July/early August.

Mid-August (date tentative)- TA's Receive Teaching Assignments

Teaching Associates (TAs) class schedules are due by July 31st. You will then be emailed a schedule link to use to import your own class schedule as well as you can enter a preference for early or late teaching assignments. With your own class schedules, first year students often end up with an early morning or late afternoon-evening set of teaching assignments.

How to Register

To register for classes, you will access the Student Information System via the link found on BuckeyeLink under “My Student Center”. If you need help logging in to your account, call the IT Help line at 688-HELP (4357).                                

Register for classes using the link provided above by the fee payment deadline ONE week before classes begin to avoid late fees. It is very important that you are registered FULL TIME by this date.     

Before orientation, incoming students will have a chance to meet with their academic advisor to discuss classes and add or drop courses as needed.  

(Please note that international students cannot register for any courses until they have met with the Office of International Affairs after arriving on campus. This may mean that you will have to register a little bit later in August.)  *After registering for classes, you can change your address online.

Your initial advisor will be Prof. Jay Gupta, Vice Chair of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs.  More information about opportunities to connect with research advisors will be provided during your first semester.

Recommended Classes for Fall Term

• Physics 6780 – Special Topics – TBD
• Physics 7891A - Instructor is TBD
• Physics 7601 Classical & Statistical Physics I
• Physics 7501 Quantum Mechanics I
• Physics 7701 Analytical & Numeric Methods of Physics (E&M I)

Fellows will need to add one credit hour of 7998 Research with Prof. Gupta to reach the minimum full time credit hour requirement of 12
For more information about a specific course, please refer to the Physics Semester Courses webpage.
 

Note: You can change your schedule online through the first week of classes.  For the 2nd week, your schedule can be changed by submitting a Course Enrollment form to add a new course.  After the 2nd week, you will need to petition to add a new course and the petition is available through the Graduate School’s forms website, gradforms.osu.edu.

OPA- Oral Proficiency Assessment

International Students on Fellowship or GTA appointments, please check with the Office of International English Language Programs website about the Oral Proficiency Assessment (OPA) test and how to schedule it.  It is important to do this as early as possible in June or July and the online and in person as the testing time slots fill up fast. The Physics Department will provide you with a PO number for the payment. 

OIA Mandatory Orientation

ALL international students must complete orientation through the Office of International Affairs (OIA) found at OIA.OSU.EDU.  Please schedule your individual check in meetings for before Monday, August 18th.

International Student Orientation is an online and in-person learning experience required for all new and transfer international students. 

Online Orientation

Online orientation will open on Monday, June 21 and you should complete your self-guided orientation by August 25. 

• You will be automatically enrolled in the course on CarmenCanvas, Ohio State’s online learning platform
• A confirmation email along with instructions will be sent to your BuckeyeMail account
• The Office of International Affairs will be automatically notified when you complete the online orientation

International Student Orientation (in person)

The Office of International Affairs will host in-person International Student Orientation sessions, August 4 - 22. You will receive an email the week of June 16 to register for one, 45-minute session. Please attend a session within two to three days of your arrival in Columbus. (And remember, our department's internal deadline for this is Monday, August 18th)

There will also be additional workshops and social events for new international students leading up to the start of autumn semester. A full schedule, including instructions for registering and links to CarmenZoom sessions, will be available in your online orientation calendar.

Register for an orientation session (link will be available soon on OIA website)

Please email global-engagement@osu.edu with questions.

On Course Registration

Please note that international students cannot register for any courses until they have met with the Office of International Affairs after arriving on campus. This may mean that you will have to register a little bit later in August.)  *After registering for classes, you can change your address online.

General

Please visit the Office of International Affairs (OIA) Web site to obtain their specific instructions for pre-arrival, check-in/orientation, etc.  We recommend that you try to arrive at least three weeks before the semester starts in order to allow enough time to complete your required English language testing as well as to discuss your course registration for Autumn term.  After you arrive, you will first need to visit the Office of International Affairs (OIA) on main campus.  Here you will receive orientation materials and schedule any tests that are needed.  They will also give you information about obtaining a social security number.

After you get your permanent social security number, please meet with our Physics Human Resources Professional to update your records.  You should also go to the Graduate School and tell the receptionist what your new social security number is. 

Regarding taxes, you may qualify for a tax exemption status. The Human Resources person will cover this when you meet with to finish your hiring paperwork. 

[PDF] - Some links on this page are to .pdf files. These are designated by [PDF] following the link. PDF files require the use of Adobe Acrobat Reader software to open them. If you do not have Reader, you may use the following link to Adobe to download it for free at: Adobe Acrobat Reader

The term starts on Tuesday August 26th, 2025. Please plan to arrive on campus no later than two Sundays before the start of the term, as you need to report for duty by Monday, August 18th, a little over one week before the start of the term.  It is highly recommended to arrive before then to hunt for an apartment as most leases begin prior to the start of the semester.

Monday, August 18th 

• MANDATORY Report to campus date. You need to be in Columbus by this date, and you will have daily assignments you will need to be on campus to complete. 

Monday, August 18th- time TBA

• MANDATORY Orientation Day 1 in PRB room 1080-Smith Seminar Room (SSR):   Introduction to OSU, the department, and our graduate studies program. 

Tuesday, August 19th- time TBA

• MANDATORY Orientation Day 2 in PRB room 1080-Smith Seminar Room (SSR):   Information and resources. 

Thursday, August 21st- time TBA

• Physics Department MANDATORY Teaching Associate (GTA) day one training -by peer grad students experienced with being a GTA
• Smith Lab teaching keys to be issued during Thursdays GTA Orientation
• Time & Location TBD:  Office Assignments and Office Key pick up from Physics Grad Prog. Coord.
• Last Mandatory International Student Orientation at Office of International Affairs (OIA) 

Friday, August 22nd- time TBA

• Physics Department MANDATORY Teaching Associate (GTA) day two training by Prof. Andrew Heckler and the Course Coordination staff

Sunday, August 24th

• Student Involvement Fair, 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm Oval and South Oval
• See website for more details: Student Involvement Fair

Date TBA 

• Physics Department MANDATORY Teaching Associate (GTA) 2-hour training and materials pick up for specific teaching responsibilities with your Course Coordinator. Info will be emailed to GTAs from Dr. Nandyala 

Tuesday, August 26th

• Classes Begin!

• Fees explanations are available online at: Registrar
  • Everyone will be charged the following fees per term: COTA Bus fee, Student Activity fee, Recreational fee, Student Legal fee, and 15% of your student health insurance costs (the department covers the remaining 85%). Fee rates can be found on the fees explanations page linked above. Your fees will automatically be deducted from your paychecks throughout the semester.
    • Please note that Student Health Insurance (or proof that you already have your own insurance) is required for full-time students.  
  • Familiarize yourself with the regulations about registering on time--this will save you money.  BE VIGILANT EVERY TERM REGARDING REGISTRATION. Not registering on time generates late fees, and late fees are extremely costly at Ohio State—up to $500.
• You can change your schedule online through the first week of classes.  For the 2nd week, your schedule can be changed by submitting a Course Enrollment form to add a new course.  After the 2nd week, you will need to petition to add a new course and the petition is available through the Graduate School’s forms website, gradforms.osu.edu.
• For preliminary information on Ohio State’s graduate student health insurance plans, please check the Office of Student Life Web site and click on the section for “Graduate Students.”  The department covers 85% of the cost and you will cover 15% per Term. this works out to be around $200 per term and is deducted from your monthly paycheck.
• Parking passes can be purchased after you receive your Buck ID. Please visit the Traffic and Parking website for more information.
• After you are issued your Buck ID, we will need for you to fill out a form to request your office key and to activate your ID to allow you into the building after hours.  Carly Scopel and Sierra Brimhall will facilitate issuing your office key and activating your building access.  Please see Mark Reed, Room 1146 if you have any difficulty using your ID for building entry after the first few weeks of classes.
• Whenever you move, please change your address online at Buckeyelink
• If you need financial assistance, you can apply for a short-term loan.  Please visit the Student Financial Aid website for more information.
• An interactive map of Ohio State’s campus can be found at http://www.osu.edu/map/
• For more information about your first year as well as other useful information to physics graduate students, please check the Physics Graduate Student Council’s Web site.
• OSU ID Card - as soon as you enroll in classes and/or get on the payroll, you can obtain your OSU ID, also called Buck ID.  The Buck ID card is necessary for using the library and for riding the city bus for free.  The Buck ID center is located in the Ohio Union on the 3rd floor. For more information, please visit https://buckid.osu.edu/Default.asp
• Office and desk assignment will be determined by the Graduate Studies Program Coordinator and the Vice Chair of Graduate Studies.  You will be notified of your location sometime during the week of your reporting to campus but no later than by the last Friday before the start of the term. All 1st and some 2nd year students are usually assigned to offices located on the 3rd floor.
• Your mailbox will be located in the main office in PRB room 1040.  We recommend that you please check your mailbox regularly. You will only be able to access your mailbox during regular University business hours Monday - Friday 8 AM to 5 PM.
• Your initial advisor will be Prof. Jay Gupta, Vice Chair of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs.  More information about opportunities to connect with research advisors will be provided during your first semester.

The OSU Physics Department supports the student developed and run, Physics Graduate Student Council (PGSC), which is the representative body for physics graduate students at Ohio State. The PGSC is an active and engaged group that advocates and facilitates communication and activities between the department and graduate students on all matters of mutual interest. The PGSC holds quarterly meetings and meets regularly with the department chair and vice chairs to discuss issues of concern as raised by the graduate student body. The council also hosts regular social events, mentors new graduate students, helps publicize graduate student research opportunities, organizes an annual graduate research poster competition and "core-course" faculty teaching awards, and generally enhance the social, academic and reserach experience for all physics graduate students. As such the PGSC has developed some great resources for incoming graduate students. Please feel free to browse their First-Year Survival Guide, and their website as a whole. 

First Year Survival Guide: https://u.osu.edu/pgsc/resources

PGSC Website: http://pgsc.physics.osu.edu/

OPERS

OPERS will be taken out of your first paycheck even if you opted out. If you did submit your form to opt out of OPERS they should reimburse you in Octover for the amount they took out in September. However, it is a good idea to call and verify with them that they did receive your form. 

More information on OPERS can be found here: OPERS help

Student Center Account Holds

If you are unable to register for classes, there might be a hold on your account. Please check to see if you've signed the Financially Responsibility form as well as checking off your vaccicination status. 

The graduate and professional student (GPS) ombudsperson is an independent, confidential, impartial, and informal resource for all graduate and professional students for resolving issues and conflicts, and for exploring options and making important decisions.

Professor Rebeka Campos-Astorkiza, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Department of Spanish and Portuguese

More information can be found on the Office of Ombuds Services website.

• Student Life and Disability Services
• Office of Student Life
• Office of International Affairs
• Department Resources page
• Code of Conduct
• Department Calendars
• Department Travel page