Master of City and Regional Planning Application Process

Master of City and Regional Planning Application Process

Deadlines

Autumn Admissions

Round 1 Deadline (Funding Priority): December 1
Round 2 Deadline: February 1
Round 3 Deadline: April 1
Round 4 Deadline: June 1

Application Review Closes: June 15

Spring Admissions
Application Review Begins: July 1
Application Review Closes: November 1

Applicants are encouraged to apply before December 1 to be considered for the greatest number of potential funding opportunities.

The MCRP program does accept students for the spring semester, however, applicants are strongly encouraged to plan for an autumn start to their degree program.

Learn more about funding for the MCRP program

Admissions Process

The Office of Graduate and Professional Admissions administers the application, and a complete set of instructions can be found on their website.

  1. Begin an application through Graduate and Professional Admissions
  2. Prepare Materials
  3. Complete and submit your application
  4. Monitor Your Application Status Online

Cost of Attendance

For information about the cost of attendance, see the Graduate and Professional Admissions website.

For information about funding, see Funding & Scholarships and funding for the MCRP program.

Statement of Purpose

The MCRP Program uses a holistic admissions review process, which means that the Graduate Committee is as interested in who you are as an applicant as we are in your academic credentials and preparation for graduate study.

To that end, we are interested to learn about personal and/or educational experiences that have shaped you and led you to the decision to pursue this degree; what topics and/or faculty members are you most interested in learning about/from; how you will contribute to our learning community and the life of our MCRP program; and, your professional aspirations after completing this degree.

Your personal statement should be a well-written and compelling 1–2 page statement that speaks directly to the above and why Ohio State University’s MCRP program is a good fit for your professional aspirations.

GRE

The GRE is not required for admission to the Master of City and Regional Planning for applications received during the 2023–24 academic year.

CV or Resume

This 1–2 page professional resume should include academic and relevant professional history. Please be sure to include details about technological skills, past teaching/teaching assistant experiences, and languages spoken, if applicable.

Transcripts

To be considered for admission into the MCRP program, a bachelor’s or professional degree (in any discipline) from a department of approved standing and granted by an accredited college or university is required. There are currently no course prerequisites to be eligible for admission into the program, but it is recommended that you have a basic knowledge of statistics, economics, math, and writing prior to starting the program.

Official transcripts are required from each institution from which college credit was awarded. Ohio State transcripts are not required. A scan of an official transcript (front and back) may be uploaded to the online application to fulfill this requirement. If admitted, a final official transcript must be submitted. Mailed transcripts should be sent to Ohio State's Office of Graduate and Professional Admissions.

GPA
In order to be considered for admission, applicants should have at least a 3.0 cGPA on a 4.0 scale, or a B average on another scale from the last institution from which they earned a degree.

If an applicant has taken undergraduate coursework at multiple institutions, the GPA will be combined into one overall undergraduate GPA. Graduate credit is calculated into a separate graduate GPA.

Letters of Recommendation

Enter information for three recommenders in the online application including a professional or academic email address for each. Once you have submitted the application, each recommender will receive an email request with a link to submit their letter online.

As a part of our holistic review process, your letters of recommendation are important for the admissions committee to assess preparedness for graduate work. It is strongly recommended that at least one letter and preferably two should be written by faculty from undergraduate or graduate study. Other letter writers should be from supervisors or similar professional contacts who have monitored your work. Recommenders should be able to relate your skills in some detail. Personal associates (friends, family members, or peer work colleagues) are not appropriate references for admissions consideration.

English Proficiency Scores

Official TOEFL, IELTS or MELAB scores are required for any applicant whose native language is not English, and who has been educated primarily outside of the U.S. Exclusions and details can be found on the Graduate Admissions website. Target scores are as follows: 100 TOEFL IBT, 86 MELAB, or 7.5 IELTS. Valid test scores must be from within the last two years.

Financial Review

All admitted international applicants are required to show evidence that they have sufficient funding to pay for all tuition and living expenses while at the university. Instructions would be sent if/when the applicant accepts the offer of admission. Please do not send these documents until requested. For more information, see Graduate and Professional Admissions.

Monitor Your Application Status

Your initial status will first become available 2–3 days after we receive your application and you should monitor the status of your application at appstatus.osu.edu.

First time applicants are sent an email assigning them an OSU ID and username. Previous Ohio State students will use their regular Ohio State login.

If your status shows missing letters of recommendation, you can use this link to send reminders and add new recommenders. As materials are received, they should be marked as complete online within 5 business days.

Test scores and transcripts typically take several weeks to be processed. Note that during the months of December and January, we do receive an influx of applications and processing time may take longer. Please continue to monitor the status of your application and let us know if you have any questions or concerns. Please do not upload documents multiple times as each item submitted will be included in your application.

Your application status will say “pending” until a decision has been made on your application. When a decision has been made, your status will reflect the decision and you will receive a notification. The majority of admissions decisions and financial aid awards will be made February through March, though notifications may continue through the summer.

Need more information? Please contact:
 

Jon Bullock
Graduate Programs Coordinator
614-688-1795
bullock.151@osu.edu