About Enrolling in Direct Deposit
If a financial credit balance occurs on your student account, you may receive a refund. Most often, refunds are issued when you receive more financial aid than is needed to pay your bill. These extra funds are usually used to cover personal expenses, books, and supplies.
The fastest way to get your refund is by enrolling in direct deposit. Refunds disbursed this way are typically in your bank account within three (3) to five (5) business days from the transaction date associated with the Refund line item on your statement of account.
This job aid describes how to enroll in direct deposit for student refunds.
Important: you, the student, are the sole owner of your My Buckeye Link account. Because of this, only you can enroll in direct deposit; parents, family members, or others who support you financially cannot complete this action on your behalf.
Enroll in Direct Deposit
- Navigate to buckeyelink.osu.edu and click on My Buckeye Link in the Quick Links section at the top right of the page to log into your student account. Use your Ohio State name.# and password as your log-in credentials.
- Once in your My Buckeye Link account, navigate to the Finances section and click on the Manage Direct Deposit Refund link. This will take you to the Account Refund page. Click on the Enroll in Direct Deposit button.
- Review the information in the pop-up dialog box, then click OK to continue. This will take you to the Direct Deposit Details screen.
On the Direct Deposit Details screen, complete the following fields. Note that all are required.
- Routing Number – this 9-digit number can be found in the bottom left corner of a paper check, through your online banking account, or by contacting your bank. It uniquely identifies the bank to which your account belongs.
- Account Number – this is generally 8-12 digits and can be found in the bottom middle of a paper check or obtained through your online banking account or by contacting your bank.
- Account Holder Name – the name of the person to whom the bank account belongs. This must match the account holder’s name as it appears in the bank’s records.
- Confirm Account Number – re-enter the account information you entered in Step 5.
- Checking or Savings – select the radio button that corresponds to the type of account you have entered. This information can be obtained from your bank.
Now proceed to the Agreement and review the Terms and Conditions. You must agree to these terms and conditions to complete direct deposit enrollment.
- Agree to the direct deposit enrollment terms and conditions – toggle the slider next to “I agree to the terms and conditions” at the bottom of the page from No to Yes.
- Review and submit – review the information you entered to ensure it is accurate. Once you are satisfied, click the Submit button. The green banner on the screen following submission indicates that the process has successfully completed.
You should now see your bank account information displayed as on file. You will also receive an email to your Ohio State email account confirming your enrollment in direct deposit.
Important Information
- You may only have one account for direct deposit refunds on file at a time. Refunds cannot be split across more than one bank account.
- To enroll in direct deposit, you will need your bank account and routing numbers. These can be obtained at the bottom of a paper check, through your online banking account, or by contacting your bank.
- Direct deposit accounts on file must deposit to a U.S. bank account.
- The bank account you provide for student refunds is used for refunding purposes only; payment for tuition and fees will not be withdrawn from this account.
- Questions about enrolling in direct deposit should be directed to Buckeye Link at 614-292-0300 or help.osu.edu.