Office of Student Life

Your Student Life: Support for Graduate and Professional Students

August 20, 2024

The Office of Student Life is excited to welcome you to Ohio State! Our goal is to provide support and guidance for all Buckeyes to empower them to learn, engage and thrive during their time at Ohio State and beyond, and this includes graduate and professional students.

The Office of Student Life is organized around six core areas of focus, all of which offer services and programs specifically for you:

Here are some of the programs, services, initiatives and support designed just for you as a graduate and professional student.

Student Engagement and Support

As you will hear often during your time at Ohio State and throughout orientation, "Engage. Learn. Thrive." is the core mission of the Office of Student Life. Departments within the Student Engagement and Support focus area are focused on all aspects of campus engagement and programming, with an emphasis on leadership, service and resiliency.

Leadership and Community Engagement

Leadership and Community Engagement creates transformational involvement and leadership opportunities with student organizations, immersive service trips and initiatives to serve the community.

The Ohio Union and Student Activities

The Ohio Union and Student Activities has events specifically for graduate students, including quiz nights, kitchen demonstrations, workshops, panel discussions and more. Many of these events are family friendly for those who have partners, children and/or are in multigenerational households.

Other offerings include:

In addition to programming, graduate and professional students can get involved with student organizations. There are more than 1,400 student organizations, including many groups specifically tailored for grad-prof students. Many student organizations are related to academic discipline, community service and special interests.

Student Conduct

Student Conduct is focused on protecting student rights and helping to foster a safe and secure educational environment by upholding the standards of the university community. The Code of Student Conduct applies to all Buckeyes, including graduate and professional students.

Student Conduct partners with the Moritz College of Law to offer a free, confidential mediation service. Mediation is an incredibly helpful tool to address many forms of interpersonal conflict.

Student Advocacy

The Student Advocacy Center is committed to helping students navigate Ohio State's structure and to resolving issues that they encounter at the university. Student Advocacy is available to help graduate and professional students with a range of issues, including academics and enrollment, financial support, health and personal crises and more.

Health and Well-being

We want our Buckeyes, especially our graduate and professional students, to be well and thrive. The Health and Well-being area of focus leads on all aspects of student health and well-being, including counseling, fitness, recreation, health care and holistic well-being.

Counseling and Consultation Service (CCS)

Counseling and Consultation Service (CCS) provides individual and group mental health services, educational workshops, and consultation to enrolled graduate and professional students. CCS also works with the spouses or partners of students who are covered by the Student Health Insurance Benefits Plan.

There are several psychotherapy groups designed and offered specifically for graduate students. Graduate and professional students are encouraged to take full advantage of these on demand services. There is a wide variety of resources available on campus an in Central Ohio.

Recreational Sports

Recreational Sports helps provide members of the Ohio State community the ability to live active and meaningful lives while on-campus. Rec Sports offers award winning facilities including five indoor locations along with spacious parks and outdoor spaces.

Graduate and professional students can participate in fitness classes, join intramural leagues and have access to use the general recreational spaces, indoor and out. Rec Sports facilities can be reserved for student organizations and other programming and events. Rec Sports also offers family hours and the option for family memberships.

Student Health Insurance (SHI)

Student Health Insurance (SHI) manages the university's health insurance requirement and provides options to meet it. SHI helps students make informed health insurance choices so they can protect their academic progress from disruptive health care costs. The SHI Benefits Plan (SHIBP) is medical, mental health, prescription, vision and dental benefits with local, national and international coverage.

A full breakdown of deadlines, rates and dates can be found on the SHI website. To opt-out of the SHIBP, students must complete the Select/Waive process before the deadline. If this is not completed, their choice defaults to the SHI Benefits Plan and the fee will post to their university Statement of Account for each coverage period they remain eligible within the policy year. Default coverage is single ("student only") or, if you are a returning member, the level you selected for the previous term.

For students who are reaching the age limit of their coverage, in many cases turning 26 years old, this is considered a qualifying event that allows you to add or remove insurance coverage for you or your dependents outside of regular enrollment periods. In these cases, students can reach out to SHI for guidance on their next steps in receiving coverage.

SHI also offers Early Arrival Coverage for students who are arriving early to campus. Students can purchase up to four weeks of insurance coverage before the regular SHIBP policy starts. Graduate and professional students are strongly encouraged to read their statement of accounts, especially students with subsidies.

Student Health Services (SHS)

Student Health Services (SHS) is available to meet the healthcare needs of all graduate and professional students. SHS is a student's on-campus one-stop shop healthcare facility that provides preventative medicine, primary care, a pharmacy, dental clinic and physical therapy services onsite. Patients not covered under SHI are encouraged to contact their insurance company prior to appointments to review benefits available for services provided. Currently, SHS is contracted with:

  • Ohio State Comprehensive Student Health Insurance Benefits Plan
  • Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield
  • Aetna
  • CareSource Medicaid of Ohio
  • Cigna
  • Medical Mutual of Ohio
  • OSU Health Plan
  • United Healthcare (UHC)

Student Wellness Center (SWC)

The Student Wellness Center empowers all students to strive for balance and wellness. The Student Wellness Center offers a wide range of services and programs including the Buckeye Food Alliance food pantry, financial coaching and wellness coaching.

All services offered by the SWC can be tailored to the specific student, which means all students will get the exact support they need through one-on-one coaching appointments and workshops specifically designed for them. Services are private and facilitated by peer coaches rather than certified mental health practitioners.

Belonging and Inclusion

Student Life is dedicated to building structures, providing support and offering resources that foster, and lead to, a sense of belonging. It's more than just being here; we want you to know you belong here. The Belonging and Inclusion area of focus is designed to create innovative and customized initiatives, as well as lasting and comprehensive programs that uphold and grow Student Life's commitment to facilitating an environment that is supportive and welcoming.

Disability Services

Student Life Disability Services (SLDS) supports students with disabilities to have an empowering and engaging Ohio State experience. SLDS coordinates support services and programs that enable equal access to an education and university life. Graduate and professional students can work with SLDS to request accommodations for participation in academic and campus life. SLDS consults with the students' program directors and faculty on individualized needs within their programs.

SLDS has an embedded career vocational counselor who can specifically assist students with disabilities obtain internships, part-time and post-graduation employment. They can also advise students on the choices around workplace disability disclosure.

Center for Belonging and Social Change (CBSC)

The Student Life Center for Belonging and Social Change (CBSC) builds community by cultivating an inclusive and positive campus environment. They offer a safe space to engage in dialogues, workshops, intercultural programming, outreach and community engagement that touch on a wide range of societal and educational issues. Graduate and professional students can get involved with the CBSC by engaging with their many events and programs. The CBSC is also a great place to study, hang out and connect with fellow students and staff members.

Residential Experience

The residential experience is essential to student success. No matter where you live, whether in university housing or nearby in the University District or as a commuter student across the state, the Student Life team is here to support you. The Residential Experience area of focus provides programming and services that influence the daily lives of Buckeyes, including dining, housing on- and off-campus and the residence life experience.

Dining Services

Dining Services operates more than 30 locations on campus, including cafes and grab and go options in the places where graduate and professional students spend the most time. Have a meal, a quick snack or something to drink. No dining plan needed. Dining offers an online search tool to find a location to satisfy your craving.

Willie J. Young Sr. Off-Campus and Commuter Student Engagement (OCCSE)

The Willie J. Young Sr Off-Campus and Commuter Student Engagement (OCCSE) department is the university's resource center for off-campus living and commuting, providing services for students to find housing and roommates in the University District and across Columbus. OCCSE offers resources to encourage safe practices, as well as OCCSE resources including:

Residential Experience

Graduate, professional and non-traditional students may choose to live on campus or off campus. We are proud to offer convenient, safe, graduate and professional student housing in our Neil Avenue Building and at the Gateway Apartments.

Living on campus also offers many advantages and has been proven to enhance students' success at Ohio State. Housing and Residence Education works to accommodate the needs of all students, including graduate and professional students.

Academic Partnership and Career Success

While your main focus will be on your academics, your co-curricular, outside of the classroom, experiences make an impact on your life as a student as well. The partnership between the academic and co-curricular units are crucial to helping you make the most of your experience, and the Academic Partnership and Career Success area of focus ensures this alignment and advancing your career success.

Buckeye Careers

Graduate and professional students can receive support as they look for their next career step by accessing the resources offered by Student Life's Buckeye Careers. Career resources are available to specifically serve the career development needs of graduate and professional students. Resources include career coaching, resume/CV review, workshops on preparing for jobs in academic, career change and more. Other offerings include:

  • Handshake, Ohio State's intuitive, easy-to-use job search system to help connect graduate and professional students with employers for full-time career opportunities.
  • Career Resources that all graduate and professional students have access to.
  • The Ohio State University Career and Internship Fair is a university-wide event that takes place over two days each fall, both in-person and virtual. The career fair will include new exciting opportunities to engage with diverse students across all graduate programs and career levels.

You can learn more about what Student Life has to offer on our website (studentlife.osu.edu) or in our module in the Graduate School Online Orientation CarmenCourse.

Office of Student Life