To apply for and participate in Program 60, you must currently reside in the State of Ohio, with Ohio residency established for at least the past 12 months.  You must be age 60 or older during the semester or term for which you are admitted to the program.

Program 60 students may take undergraduate or graduate courses on a space-available basis by instructor permission.  Courses are taken for audit, which means no final grade is assigned and no credit hours are earned.

There is no fee to join the program.  Program 60 courses are tuition-free, but you may need to pay for books, supplies or lab fees. There are optional expenses associated with parking and transportation, replacing a lost BuckID or purchasing a membership to the Recreation and Physical Activity Center (RPAC).

Once you are accepted into Program 60, you will receive an email from Ohio State with your Ohio State Username. It is your lastname . (dot) an assigned number, (written like lastname.#). It is also the first part of your Ohio State email address. If you are unsure of your Ohio State Username, please contact Program 60 at program60@osu.edu, and we can help.

If you get a BuckID, your Ohio State ID number is the 8 or 9 digit number listed on your BuckID. To view your Ohio State ID Number online:

1. Go to buckeyelink.osu.edu
2. Type into the search bar "Your OSU ID"
3. Log in with your Ohio State username (lastname.#) and password
4. View your OSU ID

Please refer to the Student Health Services FAQ page about the vaccination requirement.

No, Program 60 is not a lifelong learning institute (LLI).  A lifelong learning institute (LLI) is a community-based organization, often hosted by a community college or university.  Members develop sessions based on their own expertise to share with others in their community, and these sessions tend to be short-term.  

Program 60 is an opportunity to take college courses for audit and learn along with our other college students.  

For those who are looking for LLI-type programming, our Lima campus hosts a Lifelong Learning Institute.  While we do not offer this type of programming at other Ohio State campuses, we are happy to help you find something like this in your community.

Our How to Participate page has all the details, and Step 1 is applying to the program. The Program 60 application window happens three times a year, in November/December, March/April, and July/August. 

No.  There is no specific course list since it would be prohibitively long, and the final permission is up to the professor. Review our Department Policies page for guidance.  Graduate level courses should be considered only if you have the relevant background for them. 

For our current students, we have developed some lists of courses by topic to help generate ideas, but you need an active Ohio State username and password to access the lists.

If you have questions about how to find courses in topics that you are interested in, you can email us at program60@osu.edu. 

The AI Fluency initiative was announced in Summer 2025 by the Ohio State University President Ted Carter and Provost Ravi V. Bellamkonda.  This news has generated a lot of interest from current and prospective Program 60 participants.  

Currently, our new undergraduate students are being introduced to the content through their required General Education Launch Seminar (GENED 1201) course and the First Year Success Series (FYSS) events.  These are not appropriate options for Program 60 students.  

The Autumn 2025 Science Sundays public lecture series hosted by the College of Arts and Sciences had Artificial Intelligence as its uniting theme.  Program 60 students are welcome to view recordings of past events on the Science Sundays webpage.

Books might not be required for every class, but you may have a better experience if you have the materials used for the course. Some instructors may select textbooks after classes are in session.

If you purchase books, review all return policies. Search for required textbooks at Barnes and Noble, The Ohio State University bookstore, or access a customized list within Buckeye Link. To access this list in Buckeye Link, click My Class Schedule, select the term, select Continue, then Buy Books in the upper right-hand corner.

You may choose to opt out of this program. However, if you do so, you will be responsible for obtaining your textbook and other course materials on your own. To opt out, complete the CarmenBooks opt-out form before the end of your session's 100% refund period. After that date, no refunds will be available.

Yes. Please read and consider these Department Policies for Program 60 Participants when selecting your courses for the upcoming semester.

Yes, you may take distance learning (online) classes, provided there is space available and the instructor gives permission.  You can search specifically for distance learning courses here.  Be sure Distance Learning is selected under Instruction Mode.

Distance learning courses with listed meeting days and times are synchronous. You are required to "attend" online courses using your instructor's preferred software (Zoom, Teams, etc.).

Distance learning courses that specify TBA for the days and times are asynchronous, meaning that for the duration of the semester, the course will be readily available online to access at your convenience. This is why the time is listed as TBA, as there is no particular set time for asynchronous courses.

CarmenCanvas, also known as Carmen, is Ohio State’s online course management system, which your instructors will use to create and share course materials. Please note, this information may not be available until 24 to 48 hours before the semester start date. You log in to Carmen with your Ohio State username (lastname.#) and password and authenticate with BuckeyePass.

If you need help understanding how to use CarmenCanvas, check out the Getting Started with Carmen for Students guide.

New students to Program 60 from Summer 2026 and onward are automatically given access to a new Program 60 Training and Support page in CarmenCanvas as an extension of orientation, and other current students are welcome to request access.  This gives you an opportunity to practice using it before you are enrolled in classes.

Please refer to the Registrar List of Important Dates for course drop deadlines. For a full refund, drop requests must be processed by the first Friday of the term. For additional assistance, contact the Program 60 Coordinator.

Columbus campus students are eligible to order a student parking permit from CampusParc once they are enrolled in their class for the term. CampusParc does not use physical permits such as stickers or hangtags unless you order a permit with garage access. Your license plate is used to verify a paid permit and you should be able to use campus parking immediately after purchasing your permit online.

If you need accessible parking, please read the information on the CampusParc website about ADA Accessible parking permits.

Regional campuses: 

• Lima: Parking is free but students should register their car with campus security.
• Mansfield: No student parking permit is required.
• Marion: No student parking permit is required. Students are permitted to park in the following areas: Lot 1, 2, 3 N, 3 S, 5 & 6.
• Newark: No student parking permit is required. Please use designated spaces for students and visitors.
• Wooster/ATI: No student parking permit is required.

You can send questions by email to the Program 60 email address.  For appointment requests, see our Program 60 Staff and Contact Information page for more information.

In recent years, more than 85% of Program 60 credit hours have been taken in College of Arts and Sciences departments — a reflection of the strong connection between our faculty, courses and the Program 60 community. Given this close relationship, it was a natural fit for Arts and Sciences to assume administration of the program. With its resources and expertise, the college is well-positioned to maintain the high quality and strong support that Program 60 learners value.

No. If you have completed the Program 60 application form at any point since Autumn 2017, you are still in the program. If you have been placed on a leave of absence from the program for any reason, you can simply reach out to us at program60@osu.edu to request reactivation when you are ready to take classes again.

No. We encourage students to request courses that suit their interests regardless of college. There are course policies for specific departments and courses so please refer to the Department Policies page for more information.

Appointments by telephone and Zoom are available upon request most days of the week. Due to program staff working hybrid schedules, walk-ins are discouraged but appointments can be arranged for in-person visits.  For appointment requests, see our Program 60 Staff and Contact Information page for more information.