How to Participate
Eligibility
- Age 60 and older before the end of your admission term;
- Current Ohio resident for a minimum of the past 12 months prior to the start of your admission term;
Application Cycle
Admission to Program 60 is required for anyone wishing to participate in the program, even if you have taken courses for credit at Ohio State through any other program.
Program 60 accepts applications to the program three (3) times a year, ahead of each semester. The general date ranges follow (see our main page for specific dates for the next cycle):
- mid-July to mid-August for Autumn semesters;
- mid-November to mid-December for Spring semesters;
- mid-March to mid-April for Summer terms;
You do not need to reapply if you have previously joined Program 60 since Spring 2017. If you joined but never enrolled, or if it has been more than 3 years since your last enrollment, please contact us to check your status in case we need to bring you back from a leave of absence.
Courses
You may take undergraduate or graduate level courses for audit on a space-available basis during autumn and spring semesters and the summer term. Audit means that you will not earn credit hours or a final grade for your participation.
Instructor permission is required. In-person, distance learning (online) courses or hybrid courses at any of our campus locations are an option.
There are some limits on which courses are available to Program 60. Check our Department Policies page for more information. Program 60 also offers course selection support for program participants.
Fee Information
- There is no application fee to join the program.
- You are not charged any tuition or general university-level fees.
- Some courses may require paying applicable course or lab fees and may suggest purchasing a textbook. These fees are not covered by the program.
Prospective Students - Steps to Join Program 60
This step only needs to be completed once. If you have already completed the application in a prior term and have activated your Ohio State Username (lastname.#), BuckeyePass and BuckeyeMail, please continue to the Current Students page.
Admission to the university as a Program 60 participant became a requirement starting in spring semester 2017. If you are unsure of your status, please contact our office at 614-247-0868.
Important note: the Program 60 application is only for Program 60 participation. If you wish to enroll in any other program at The Ohio State University, you will need to follow the procedures for that program. Please reach out to us if you have questions or need to be directed to the appropriate office.
Within 7-10 days of submitting your application, you will be sent an email confirming that you are now a Program 60 participant. This email will include your OSU username (lastname.#) and your OSU ID (8- or 9- digit number). Be sure to save this email as you will need to reference these numbers for Step 3.
(This step cannot be completed until you have received your confirmation email or you will receive an error message.)
To activate your Ohio State username:
- Visit my.osu.edu
- Click the Activate Now button
- Follow the instructions to activate your Ohio State Username (lastname.#)
BuckeyePass
You also need to set up BuckeyePass, a multifactor authentication service you will use to log in to many Ohio State services. One is My Buckeye Link, the secure site where you will be able to view your course enrollment.
- Visit BuckeyePass.osu.edu
- Click the Register/Manage Devices button
- Follow the instructions to finish setting up BuckeyePass
For more detailed instructions and help with BuckeyePass, visit the Office of Technology and Digital Innovation's Duo page.
Important and time-sensitive business communications from Ohio State and Program 60 – such as confirmation of your enrollment in class and communications from your instructors – will be emailed to your official Ohio State email account.
Your Ohio State email will be in the following format: lastname.#@osu.edu. Check your email several times a week until school begins, and then daily. Upon creating your password, it may take 24-48 hours to access your email.
Students who joined Program 60 in Summer 2026 and earlier were assigned a Buckeyemail email account. The university is moving away from Buckeyemail as a separate email account and the change is happening over Summer 2026. We anticipate that new Program 60 students joining in Autumn will be assigned a simple @osu.edu account only.
Microsoft 365
Your OSU email also gives you access to Microsoft 365, which Program 60 participants are eligible to use for free. Your Microsoft 365 ID is your full OSU address, and your password is the password you chose when you activated your Ohio State username. For directions on how to use Microsoft 365, visit the Administrative Resource Center's Microsoft 365 page.
Program 60 hosts an online orientation session via Zoom after the application closes. We record it for anyone who cannot attend live but it has a lot of important information about how to request your courses, navigate campus, and other information that will help you transition more easily. We will send out the recording to all new students within 1-2 days of the orientation being held.
Autumn 2026 Orientation Session
Tuesday, Aug 18 9:00 - 11:00
Registration link coming soon
Contact Program 60
We're here to help you achieve your academic goals. For general aid and questions about Program 60 at the Columbus campus, please email program60@osu.edu or call 614-247-0868.
If you have questions about your Ohio State username (last name.#), please contact the IT Help Desk at 614-688-4357(HELP).