Freshman Application FAQs

Freshmen applicants are defined as those who have graduated from a secondary high school, approved homeschooling program, or earned high school equivalency through a program such as the General Educational Development (GED) test.

Students who earned college credit before high school graduation (College Credit Plus, post secondary enrollment options, dual enrollment, etc.) are considered freshmen with advanced standing and should have their college transcripts sent to the Office of Admissions.

If you have earned 12 or more college-level (non-remedial) semester hours after high school graduation (or equivalent), you are a transfer student.

Freshmen applicants should submit their application for admission online utilizing BGSU's Falcon Application or the Common Application.  Students should only select one of these application options and should not submit both as this will cause significant delays with application processing. 

The admission standards and processing time are the same no matter how a student chooses to apply.  Applications for admission are reviewed once all required materials are received (application, transcript, test score, fee/fee waiver, etc.) and decisions are sent via email and postal mail.

A PDF version is available and will cause significant delays with application processing and review.

Admission documents (high school, college, and university transcripts; GED diploma; ACT/SAT scores; student conduct form, etc.) should be sent directly to the Office of Admissions. Many schools offer electronic submission of official transcripts and BGSU accepts/prefers electronic submission of official credentials including transcripts and ACT/SAT scores.  

ACT/SAT scores can be sent electronically by selecting BGSU as a school to receive your scores.  BGSU's college codes are:  ACT - 3240 & SAT - 1069.  BGSU also accepts test scores if they are listed on an official high school transcript.

Official Advanced Placement (AP) score reports should be sent to the Office of Transfer Credit Evaluation.

If admission documents must be mailed, please be sure they include your full name as listed on your application and your date of birth.  Documents should be mailed to:

Office of Admissions
200 University Hall
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, OH 43403-0085

All applicants may check their application status online or by contacting the Office of Admissions.

If you applied using the BGSU application please use the username and password you created when filling out your application.

If you applied using the Common Application, username and password information was emailed to the email address listed on your Common Application.  You will not be able to use your Common Application username and password on page linked above.

If you applied using the BGSU application, you may pay your application fee online by logging in with the username and password you created.

If you applied using the Common Application you can pay the application fee by logging into your Common Application account.

Congratulations and welcome to the Falcon Family!  Once you receive your Certificate of Admission, you should immediately activate your MyBGSU account to begin the next steps in the enrollment process including applying for financial aid, registering for classes, and securing on-campus housing (if applicable). Please visit the Next Steps webpage for detailed information.  

You can also connect with other Future Falcons by using #BGFutureFalcon on social media.

Current course requirements for your BGSU area of study can be found online in the BGSU Undergraduate Catalog.

Once you register for University Orientation, your Academic and Career Planning Specialist with gather more information from you to help build your class schedule. Class scheduling will happen before and after your orientation date so it's important that you check your BGSU email regularly. Additional information about University Orientation, including details on how to sign up, can be found on the University Orientation website or by calling 419-372-0353.

Students are encouraged to complete and submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) using BGSU's FAFSA School Code: 003018.  Additionally, please visit our Scholarships & Financial Aid page for information on financial aid and student employment. Specific questions about financial aid should be directed to the Office of Student Financial Aid, 419-372-2651.

Students who earned a diploma from an Ohio high school and move back to Ohio to pursue a degree at BGSU are considered Ohio residents through the Forever Buckeyes program. All other students must establish residency in Ohio for twelve (12) consecutive months before being considered an Ohio resident. It is the student’s responsibility to indicate the proper state of residence at the time of registration. Information on Ohio residency requirements can be found online through the Office of Registration and Records. In some cases, the Residence Status Review Committee may request additional information as part of their official review. Questions should be directed to the Office of Registration and Records.

Undergraduate students are required to reside in University-owned housing as a condition of enrollment unless:

• They are commuting daily from the permanent home of their parents, guardians or spouse (within 50 miles of Bowling Green) –or–
• They are over the age of 20 by the start of the academic term –or–
• They have earned 60 semester hours and/or four semesters of campus residency by the start of the academic term

Applicants who initially request on-campus residence, then decide to live off-campus, must return their housing agreements with a note explaining their intention to commute. Please contact the Office of Student Housing at 419-372-2011 for further information on this process.

If you earned college-level credit while still enrolled in high school, through a program such as College Credit Plus, post-secondary enrollment options (PSEO), dual enrollment, etc. you must submit an official transcript from each school you earned credit from. BGSU will not accept college credit reported on an official high school transcript.  Please see our transfer of credits page for additional information on how credits may transfer and submit official transcripts to the BGSU Office of Admissions.

Office of Admissions
200 University Hall
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, OH 43403

If you earned Advanced Placement (AP) credit by successfully completing the AP final examination, credit may be awarded based on the score you earned.  Please see the Undergraduate Catalog for information on how AP credit is awarded and submit official scores to the BGSU Office of Registration and Records.