When you are worried about your student at The Ohio State University
Verified August 2026 against osu.edu. Every number below links the page it came from.
Ohio State is worth reading carefully, because the thing most parents assume exists here does not. There is no family-facing office you can call to ask someone to go check on your student. Ohio State does have a Consultation and Assessment Team, but it takes requests from faculty, staff and students, and it is built around students who may pose a risk to others rather than students who are struggling.
So the two numbers that matter for a worried parent are different from the ones you would guess. The first is the counseling line, which is one number doing two jobs: during the day it books appointments, and after hours, on weekends and on holidays, choosing option 2 reaches crisis support. Most people never learn about option 2.
The second is campus police. At a school with a dedicated care office you would rarely call the police for a welfare check. At Ohio State the non-emergency line is the practical route, and asking for one is a normal request, not an escalation.
Who to call, and when
Most parents freeze at this step, because campuses publish these offices separately and none of them is labeled for a worried parent. The short version:
- Worried, but not urgent. Start with counseling. This is the call for a student who sounds flat, anxious, or overwhelmed, and it is the one most families put off longest.
- You have not heard from them and you are scared. Call the dean of students office. This is the office that will actually go check on a student, and almost no parent knows it exists.
- Right now, and they may not be safe. Call campus police, below. From out of town that is the emergency number, not 911, because they are the ones who can actually go.
Calling is not overreacting. These offices exist because students get into trouble away from home, and staff would far rather hear from you early than late.
Counseling and Consultation Service (CCS)
Your student is struggling, anxious, or sounding overwhelmed. This is one number doing two jobs: in business hours it books appointments, and nights, weekends and holidays option 2 reaches crisis support. Ohio also runs a crisis text line: text 4HOPE to 741741.
- Crisis support, 24/7
- 614-292-5766
9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday
Student Advocacy Center
Your student is stuck in something institutional: a withdrawal, a grade grievance, a dismissal, a personal situation that has knocked their semester sideways. Families can contact this office. Note that the phone goes to voicemail, so email is often faster, and this is not the number for an urgent safety concern.
- Phone, voicemail
- 614-292-1111
Ohio State Department of Public Safety
Your student may not be safe and it cannot wait. From out of town this is the number rather than 911, which would reach dispatch in your own city first. At Ohio State this line carries extra weight: it is also the practical route for a welfare check, because there is no separate family-facing office that performs them.
- Public Safety, non-emergency
- 614-292-2121
- If you are local, or with your student
- 911
Other numbers worth having
Not for a crisis. Worth saving now so you are not searching for them later.
Student Life Student Health Services, Wilce Student Health Center
An illness that is dragging on, or a health question during the week. This one is business hours only, so an overnight worry goes to the CCS crisis option or, if it is physical and urgent, to an emergency room.
- Appointments and information
- 614-292-4321
8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, closed weekends
Parent and Family Relations
You do not know who to call. This office runs family communications and events rather than student casework, but it can point you at the right department, which is worth something on a campus this size.
- Phone
- 614-292-9153
Student Emergency Fund, Student Advocacy Center
A documented, unexpected expense is threatening your student's ability to stay enrolled. The student applies and there are real eligibility conditions, including enrollment hours, a minimum GPA, a current FAFSA, and no outstanding balance on their account.
- Student Advocacy Center
- 614-292-1111
Common questions
- Who do I call if I am worried about my student at Ohio State?
- It depends on how urgent it is. If your student sounds flat, anxious or overwhelmed but is not in danger, start with Counseling and Consultation Service (CCS). If you cannot reach them and you are frightened, or they may not be safe right now, both go to Ohio State Department of Public Safety at 614-292-2121. At Ohio State that is one call rather than two, because no separate family-facing office performs welfare checks.
- What number do I call in an emergency at Ohio State if I live hours away?
- Call Ohio State Department of Public Safety at 614-292-2121 rather than 911. Dialing 911 reaches the dispatch center covering wherever you are, not the campus, and that agency would have to relay the call. Campus police already have jurisdiction on university property and can go directly. Use 911 only if you are local or you are with your student.
- Will Ohio State check on my student if I ask?
- Yes, but not through an advocacy office. At Ohio State a welfare check goes through Ohio State Department of Public Safety at 614-292-2121, because there is no separate family-facing office that performs them.
- Does Ohio State have an after-hours crisis line?
- Yes. Counseling and Consultation Service (CCS) publishes crisis support, 24/7 at 614-292-5766. You can also call or text 988 at any hour to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, which is for you as much as for your student.
Encourage Us is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by The Ohio State University. Every contact above is published by the school and links back to its source.
Know something we do not? If a number here has changed, or there is an office at Ohio State that belongs on this page, tell us and we will fix it. Parents tend to find these things before we do.