Financial Responsibility
Registration Enrollment Deposit
for incoming first-year students
Admitted students must submit the $300 enrollment deposit to register for housing, which begins Feb. 1 for the upcoming fall semester. This deposit includes the $200 housing registration fee (see below).
NOTE: First-year students are required to live in university housing. Learn more about the Freshman Residency Requirement,
Housing Registration Fee
for transfer students and others needing housing
- There is a one-time initial $200 payment, payable in advance, for a housing lease. The fee includes a $150 deposit and a non-refundable $50 application fee.
- The deposit will be refunded by a bursar account credit when applicable, which normally is mid-way through the second consecutive semester of residing on campus.
- A percentage of the housing registration fee is applied to student academic and training programs, including the purchase of food and food supplies, and support of student housing groups such as the Residence Hall Association (RHA). Funds allocated to student housing groups will be spent by RHA bylaws.
OSU Bursar Account
You may view and make payments for housing charges via your OSU bursar account. Failure to make timely payments may result in the termination of your housing lease. Learn more at the Office of the Bursar.
Common Housing Charges
- Housing rates are per person. Rates include utilities (electric, water, sewer, trash/recycling, cable television, internet, and Wi-Fi) and free use of laundry facilities. All undergraduate units are furnished.
- Fees. You may be charged fees for the following: locked-outs (lock changes and passkey fees), damaged or lost keys, improper checkouts (including abandoned property), bed rentals, contract-break fees, no-show fees, room changes and more.
- Damage Fees. Residents are charged for the damages they (or their animals) cause to common living areas (including university grounds, buildings, equipment, lounges, kitchens, laundries and so forth) and inside their rooms, suites and apartments—to name a few. To document the existing condition of residents' rooms before they move in, ResLife requires residents to submit a Room Occupancy Checklist (ROC) at check-in and checkout to verify existing conditions.
- Damages and roommates and/or hall mates. If living with roommates and/or hall mates and damages occur in the common living area (including university grounds, buildings, equipment, lounges, kitchens, laundries and so forth), the charges may be split between residents.
- Noncompliance fees are charged when incoming first-year freshmen fail to comply with the Freshman Residency Requirement. Freshmen must be granted a housing exemption to live somewhere other than OSU housing, or they will be charged a noncompliance fee for two semesters (fall and spring).
- No-Show Fee. This fee is for anyone who missed their check in and did not reach out to communicate plans to cancel or move-in late.
How to dispute or contest bursar charges
- To dispute or contest a charge, submit the Petition for Adjustment of Charges (form).
ResLife Scholarships
ResLife offers 14 awards, whose total is valued at $68,000+, as part of the Leader-Scholar Scholarship Program.
Available for students who live in Housing and Residential Life. Student staff members are eligible to apply for these scholarships. This program is part of the Division of Student Affairs Scholarship Program.