The Ohio State University: laptop requirements

Yes — a conforming laptop is required. The Ohio State University (College of Engineering) publishes a minimum specification students are required to meet: 1TB storage.

📌 This is a requirement, and it is college-specific. It binds the College of Engineering, not necessarily every The Ohio State University student — check your own program before buying.

The published specification

Operating system: Windows 11 Pro

Processor: General: "Intel Core Ultra 5 225H vPro Enterprise". Knowlton School of Architecture and Civil, Environmental & Geodetic Engineering: "Intel Core Ultra 7 255H vPro Enterprise".

Memory (RAM): General: "16 GB or greater DDR5 RAM". Knowlton Architecture and CEGE: "32 GB or greater DDR5 RAM".

Storage: 1 TB or greater NVMe SSD

Graphics: General: dedicated video card with minimum 4GB video memory instead of built-in GPU, "NVIDIA RTX 500 Pro Blackwell or greater". Knowlton Architecture and CEGE: minimum 8GB video memory, "NVIDIA RTX 1000 Pro Blackwell or greater".

Warranty: "4-year warranty coverage with accidental damage coverage". Page adds accidental coverage and extended warranty are "HIGHLY recommended".

What this specification rules out

Chromebook, Mac OS, and Windows ARM-based laptops — "The College of Engineering does not support or recommend Chromebook, Mac OS or Windows ARM-based laptops as they will not effectively run all engineering applications."

Also listed on the same page

Webcam and microphone; 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 6E wireless. External mouse is "optional, but highly recommended for use with engineering applications".

Source

Taken from The Ohio State University's own published page: https://ets.osu.edu/hardware-recommendations-students — stated for Autumn 2026 semester onward. Verified 2026-08-25. Specifications change every intake, so confirm against that page before you buy.

Laptops that meet this specification

Product links go to Amazon search — as an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. Links never change the checklist.

Search Amazon for Windows 11 laptop 1TB SSD →

The search is built from the capacities The Ohio State University actually prints, so compare each result against the published specification above before ordering — listings change and this page does not track stock or price.

Packing for The Ohio State University

A laptop is one line on a longer list. See the full The Ohio State University dorm packing list for bedding, storage and the rest of move-in.

Laptop requirements at other schools: Ohio University · Old Dominion University · University of Mississippi · Oregon State University · Penn State University · Portland State University