HOUSING

Do I have to live on-campus?

If you have completed less than 90 quarter hours (60 semester hours) of transferable course work, you will be required to live on campus unless you meet one of the following exemption criteria:

• Special/medical conditions
• You live within 50 miles of campus and intend to commute
• You are married
• You are a veteran with 18 months of active duty
• Part-time student carrying 11 credit hours or less
• You are 23 or older

When will I receive information on housing?

Your Oak ID and password are your keys to most online services at Ohio University. If you are new to the university you will need to activate your Oak ID. Please follow the instructions below:

To activate a student Oak ID, you will need the following items:

• Your Activation Letter - Shortly after being admitted to the university, you should receive a letter via US Mail containing your Oak ID and a temporary activation code. 
• Your PID - This can be found on your letter of admission.  Athens campus students also can look in the materials they receive from the Housing Office.
• A Valid E-Mail Address - This will be your electronic address of record until you arrive on campus and verify your identity in person.  At that point, you will be issued an official Ohio University e-mail account.

When you have the above items ready, go to the following web site: https://technology.ohio.edu:9443/myaccount/activate.php

Once activated, you can use your Oak ID to access financial aid web pages and submit an online housing contract. Before you can access other OHIO online services, including e-mail, Blackboard, and network storage, you must verify your identity in person. Normally this happens during orientation. Please note housing contracts are binding for the entire academic year.

If you have any problems activating your Oak ID or if you are missing any of the above information, please contact the Service Desk at 740-593-1222 or servicedesk@ohio.edu.

Room assignments are not made until mid July.  If you are going to live in the residence halls, you can learn your room assignment online at the Housing Office website.

What if I'm not required to live on-campus and wish to find off-campus housing?

If you do not make off-campus housing arrangements before you come, you should plan to arrive about a week ahead of the date on your I-20 or DS2019. Off-campus housing is difficult to find at the opening of a quarter and you will need time to find a suitable place to live. In order to assist new students in finding off-campus housing, our Office of International Student and Faculty Services (ISFS) will have an advisor working in the office prior to orientation. There will also be a listing of some available off-campus housing posted at the ISFS office. That office may be reached at isfs@ohio.edu or by phone at 740.593.4330.

Other sources of off-campus housing information are the local papers, including the Athens News, the Athens Messenger, and The Post.

Temporary housing is available to students during the orientation period. For information, contact International Student and Faculty Services at isfs@ohio.edu or by phone at 740.593.4330.

What can you tell me about the meal plans?

You may ask the University to provide you with 10, 14, or 20 meals a week. If you have religious or other dietary restrictions or are unfamiliar with U.S. food, you may wish to start with a 10 meal a week plan. If after eating in the dining halls you find that you would like to increase the number of meals on your plan, you can always ask Housing to adjust your plan to a higher level. You cannot, however, ask them to reduce the number of meals as the contract is binding for the entire academic year. Please don't hesitate to contact our housing office with any questions. The Housing Office web site contains a wealth of information regarding housing options and meal plans.

ORIENTATION AND ARRIVAL INFORMATION

Final transcripts

Your admission letter will indicate whether we still need a final secondary school or college transcript to complete your file with the University. Please remember to send these to us as soon as they are available or be sure to bring them with you if necessary.

Orientation

At the beginning of each quarter International Student and Faculty Services (ISFS) sponsors an orientation and registration program for new and transferring international students. The orientation program provides you with the opportunity to receive assistance with academic advising, course registration, health services, exposure to various facilities on campus, and meet other new and returning international and American students and faculty.

I am beginning to make my travel plans. Do you have any information or advice?

The best advice is plan early and thoroughly. We also do not recommend that you actually purchase your ticket (unless it is fully refundable) until you have obtained your visa from the U.S. Embassy or Consulate. The web site for International Student and Faculty Services contains additional information about obtaining visas, travel to Athens, et cetera.

BILLING

Ohio University uses an electronic billing system. The Office of the Bursar will send eBill notifications to the student Oak email accounts once they have registered for classes. All billings will reflect any scholarships or the monthly payment plan option if that information has been provided to Ohio University prior to the billing date.

Visit the Office of the Bursar web site for more information regarding billing, the billing schedule, payment options, the monthly payment plan option, and direct deposit.

ARRIVAL DATES

You should plan to arrive no later than September 2, 2008 to participate in the required orientation program for international students. Temporary housing will be available and we would suggest that you contact International Student and Faculty Services at isfs@ohio.edu for more information in this regard. Classes begin on Monday, September 8, 2008.

Winter Quarter

You should plan to arrive no later than December 29, 2008 to participate in the required orientation program for international students. Temporary housing will be available and we would suggest that you contact International Student and Faculty Services at isfs@ohio.edu for more information in this regard. Classes begin on Monday, January 5, 2009.