Respiratory Therapy Admissions Details | School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences

Admission Policies

Majoring in RT requires an application

The application and instructions for the RT program are available online beginning September 3rd. Although there is one application deadline, there are several admission options. The program invites collegiate students who are following the pre-professional curriculum as well as post-baccalaureate students to apply. Based on the completion of prerequisites, some students may be admitted one to two years before they schedule RT major courses.

The next application deadline is January 31, 2023. Incomplete applications may be deferred for consideration of admission to subsequent classes. Please note, this application process does not apply to high school seniors.

What You Need to Complete the Application

All required parts of your application must be submitted online before you will be considered for admission. Applicants must accurately complete the questions listed under each of the six tabs located on the online application. If you are interested in learning about the application prior to submission, please register for an HRS Application Workshop.

Items required for the RT application include:

List of Currently Enrolled, Planned and Completed Prerequisite Courses - Although prerequisites are not required to be completed at the time of application, applicants should project their completion on the prerequisites. The admissions committee uses this information to determine when applicants will complete their prerequisite courses and are eligible to start the RT major courses.
Activity and Experience Record - an opportunity for applicants to describe relevant volunteer or shadowing experiences
Employment Experiences - an opportunity for applicants to describe work experiences
Personal Statement - an opportunity for applicants to describe themselves and why they are applying to the RT program, as well as how a degree in this program fits into your plans and career goals.
Official transcripts from each institutions listed except The Ohio State University

International Application Additional Requirements

English Proficiency Requirements

Financial Requirements for Student Visa

Admission Decisions are Based on These Factors:

Academic Achievement: For collegiate applicants, academic achievement is measured by the overall college point hour ratio and grades earned in the prerequisite science and mathematics courses. All program prerequisite courses must be completed with grades of C- or higher and the science/math grade point average should be at least 2.50.
Quality of the application: including personal statement and experience record.
Personal interview: focused on knowledge of the respiratory care field, academic & career goals, and communication skills.

How It Works

Admission for the RT program is selective and on a space-available basis. The maximum class size is 22. When more students apply than can be accommodated in a class, admission is competitive and on a space-available basis. Students admitted to all HRS undergraduate programs are required to have a minimum cumulative point hour ratio of 2.50. However, the minimum cumulative point hour ratio of the most recently admitted RT class was 3.30.

Important Deadlines

Respiratory Therapy Dates and Deadlines

Courses in the Respiratory Therapy major start Autumn semester year 3, at the junior level. See RT Curriculum for details.
Autumn Admission Deadlines January 31
We usually admit students at the sophomore level after they have completed their freshman year. The freshman and sophomore years are considered pre-professional.
We also admit students at the junior level, if vacancies are in a class.

Sophomore-Level Admission for AU 2023

This is the most popular admission option.
If you apply before January 31 and you plan to complete the prerequisites for admission by the end of Spring semester 2022, you will be considered for admission to RT for Autumn 2022 at sophomore level.
Your admission decision may wait until you complete the prerequisites for admission.
During your sophomore year you would complete the prerequisites to start RT.
You would start the RT major courses Autumn 2024, if you complete ALL prerequisite courses before Autumn 2024.
Your projected graduation would be May 2026.

Junior-Level Admission for AU 2023

This option is available, but limited to the number of vacancies in the class. Contact RT@OSU.edu for space availability.
If you apply before January 31 and you plan to complete ALL prerequisites by the end of Spring semester 2023, you will be considered for junior-level admission to RT for Autumn 2023.
If admitted for junior level Autumn 2023, you would start the RT major courses Autumn 2023. Your projected graduation would be May 2025.

Current Freshmen

Sophomore-Level Admission for Autumn

This is the most popular admission option. We usually admit students at the sophomore level after they have completed their freshman year. The freshman and sophomore years are considered pre-professional. If you apply by January 31 and you plan to complete the prerequisites for admission by the end of Spring semester 2023, you will be considered for admission to RT for Autumn 2023 at the sophomore level. Your admission decision may wait until you complete the prerequisites for admission. During your sophomore year you would complete the prerequisites to start RT. You would start the RT major courses Autumn 2024, if you complete ALL prerequisite courses before Autumn 2023. Your projected graduation would be May 2026.

Students who are first year (freshman) students may apply to the Respiratory Therapy program if they have completed the first year prerequisite courses or their equivalent with a C- or higher by the end of Spring 2023.

Current Sophomores

Junior-Level Admission for AU 2023

We also admit students at the junior level, if vacancies are in a class. This option is available, but limited to the number of vacancies in the class. Contact RT@OSU.edu for space availability. If you apply by January 31 and you plan to complete ALL prerequisites by the end of Spring semester 2023, you will be considered for junior-level admission to RT for Autumn 2023. If admitted for junior level Autumn 2023, you would start the RT major courses Autumn 2023. Your projected graduation would be May 2025.

If admitted by this path, students will complete the second year prerequisites, then begin the program their third (junior) year.

Early Admissions

Early admission pathway into the Respiratory Therapy (RT) is available for to outstanding students directly out of high school and who are admitted to Ohio State as pre-major RT students.

Eligibility for the Respiratory Therapy early admission pathway:

High school seniors who have been admitted for early action (EA) to Ohio State’s Columbus campus and indicated on their application the intent to pursue RT as a pre-major

Selected students will be offered early admission by the Respiratory Therapy program in writing by April 1. Eligible students admitted to Ohio State after the initial review may be considered for early admission if the student contacts the Respiratory Therapy program director requesting a review.

There are distinct advantages to early admission to the Respiratory Therapy program. Early admission provides students with better access to scholarships, student employment and enrichment opportunities, as well as earlier direct contact with Respiratory Therapy faculty to explore future academic and professional career goals.

In addition, students bypass the secondary admission selection process and are assured a seat in the admission cohort for their preferred track if they maintain academic eligibility requirements.

The first two years of an early admission student’s college experience will include completing general education requirements and program prerequisites. Students are not permitted to begin Respiratory Therapy program-specific coursework until all prerequisites are completed successfully.