This article was originally reported in January 2026.
In January 2026, Ohio State University students presented their projects at the Expo of the Second-Year Transformational Experience Program (STEP) at the Ohio Union. Projects covered six categories: creative and artistic endeavors, leadership, service-learning, undergraduate research, education abroad and internships (Ohio State News, January 22, 2026).
Four student projects
- Cybersecurity internship. Anthony Fox, a computer science and engineering major, interned with Kudu Dynamics/Leidos on the research team that took part in DEF CON, the cybersecurity event in Las Vegas. The company’s cyber-reasoning system is “an AI tool that scans over code bases and finds vulnerabilities,” then patches them automatically. Fox said the work also led him to build a study tool that uses retrieval-augmented generation to help students study from their own notes.
- AI in mortgage lending. Sean Broderick, also a computer science and engineering major, was an AI engineer intern at Union Home Mortgage. “We used a lot of machine learning models for predictive analysis of risk,” he said, describing work on assessing mortgage applicants and on object detection models for reading financial documents. He said he also learned how mortgage companies make money and how interest rates affect them.
- Real estate license. Misa Huls, an operations management major, earned a real estate license through Hondros College and Colibri Real Estate, completing 120 hours of training in areas including real estate law, finance and appraisal, and went on property showings with professionals. “I wanted to get the full roundedness of business,” she said.
- Study abroad in Korea. Carine Adorh, a marketing major with a minor in fashion and retail studies, spent a month in South Korea through the Global May Korea program, studying at Kyung Hee University and visiting Busan and Gyeongju, as part of her goal of becoming fluent in Korean.
How STEP works
- Who can join: all second-year students at Ohio State are eligible. STEP looks for students with one year spent in college (at Ohio State or elsewhere) or one year of college credit hours, not counting credit earned in high school. There is no residency requirement; participants may live on campus, in fraternity or sorority housing, or off campus (STEP eligibility).
- When to start: students must begin in the autumn semester of their second year. For 2027–28, the Columbus campus can take up to 2,400 participants; a lottery is used only if interest exceeds capacity, and students not selected can be admitted from the waitlist through the second Friday of autumn semester.
- Structure: participants meet in small cohorts with a faculty mentor. In spring they can propose a STEP Signature Project in one of the six categories and receive a fellowship of up to $2,000 to carry it out (STEP). Submitting a proposal is optional.
What international students should know
- STEP itself is open to all second-year students, and the eligibility page sets no citizenship requirement. Contact [email protected] to confirm details for your situation.
- Internship projects need work authorization. An F-1 student who uses STEP funding for an off-campus internship needs Curricular Practical Training (CPT) approved by Ohio State’s Office of International Affairs before starting. Ohio State’s current CPT rules require one full academic year of study and that the training be required for the degree; optional internships do not qualify (OIA: Curricular Practical Training). Research, service-learning, leadership, creative and education abroad projects avoid this issue, which makes them practical choices for many international students.
- Cost: Ohio State estimates 2026–27 tuition and fees of $47,374 for international undergraduates at the Columbus campus, including a $3,103 international undergraduate fee, plus $15,630 for housing and meals (Ohio State Undergraduate Admissions: Costs).
- Ranking: Ohio State is No. 44 in the 2027 U.S. News National Universities ranking.
For admissions, cost and international student data, see our Ohio State University school page.
References
- Ohio State News: Ohio State students learn leadership skills through internships (January 22, 2026)
- Ohio State: Second-Year Transformational Experience Program (STEP)
- Ohio State STEP: Eligibility
- Ohio State Office of International Affairs: Curricular Practical Training
- Ohio State Undergraduate Admissions: Costs
- Forward Pathway: Ohio State University-Main Campus