Winter Admits
New students (first-year and transfer) beginning enrollment in Winter 2026 are not required to register for Orientation. Please refer to the next steps for Winter Start students on the Admission website for important information and deadlines.
The Drahmann Center will send out an email on December 4 regarding various opportunities as well as the mandatory advising and enrollment session, which will take place on December 11.
The Orientation website is updated frequently so please refresh your web browser each time you visit a page within the website to make sure you are getting the most up-to-date information.
Information as of June 24, 2025
Orientation 2025
All new students (first year students and transfer students) beginning enrollment in September 2025 are required to register for an on-campus session which includes academic advising and course enrollment unless otherwise noted below.
IMPORTANT: New students will not be able to enroll in their fall classes without registering for and attending one of these required on-campus sessions.
Session Dates for First Year Students
- Session 1: July 10-11 (on campus)
- Session 2: July 14-15 (on campus)
- Session 3: July 17-18 (on campus)
- Session 4: July 21-22 (on campus)
- Session 5: July 24-25 (on campus)
- Final Session: September 18 (on campus)
- For those registering for the final session in September for Session 6, your academic advising and course enrollment will be online (virtual) on July 28.
- For those registering for the final session in September for Session 7, your academic advising and course enrollment will be online (virtual) on July 29.
- For those admitted to SCU after July, your academic advising and course enrollment will be online (virtual) on August 28 then you will attend the final session of Orientation in September (on campus).
- Students attending this final session of Orientation in September and who will be living in the residence halls for the 2025-26 academic year will be approved to move in the day prior to this session.
- All other first year students who are attending their required on-campus Orientation in July and who will be living in the residence halls for the 2025-26 academic year will move in on September 19.
Session Dates for Transfer Students
- Academic Advising & Course Enrollment Session 1: August 25 (online)
- Academic Advising & Course Enrollment Session 2: August 27 (on campus)
- Transfer Orientation Session: September 17 (on campus)
- Transfer students need to participate in either the August 25 or August 27 session for Academic Advising & Course Enrollment.
- Then all transfer students are required to attend the Transfer Orientation session on September 17 (on campus).
- Any transfer students living in the residence halls for the 2025-26 academic year will be approved to move in the day prior to this session.
Additional Dates to Know
- New Student Move-In: September 19 *
- Welcome Weekend: September 20-21
- Fall Classes Begin: September 22
* unless otherwise noted above
Registration
Registration for your required Orientation session is now live!
- Click the button below to register for the session that best fits your availability.
- Use the same login you used to check your SCU Admission process.
- If you do not recall your password, you can reset it.
Additional Details
Travel Planning
Here are some details to assist with planning travel to and from Santa Clara this summer for any of the on-campus Orientation sessions:
- For those first year students attending any of the on-campus July sessions (two days), check-in begins at 7:30am on the first day and the university welcome begins at 8:30am that day then the session ends on the second day no later than 2:00pm. The July session schedule is now available.
- For those transfer students attending the on-campus August session (one day), check-in begins at 7:30am then the session ends no later than 5:00pm. The exact schedule will be announced in late June.
- For those first year and transfer students attending any of the on-campus September sessions (one day), check-in begins at 7:30am then the session ends no later than 5:00pm. The exact schedule will be announced in late June.
- View additional travel resources and discounted hotel and car rental rates.
On-Campus Session Schedules
The full detailed schedule for the on-campus Orientation sessions will be available in June.
- For the two-day sessions in July, this includes a stay overnight in one of our residence halls.
- For the one-day sessions in August and September, there is no overnight component.
Earlier vs. Later Sessions
Seats in many of our courses have been reserved for our new students. These seats are equally divided between the course enrollment / orientation sessions listed above. So whether a student participates in their course enrollment / orientation session in July or September, they will have the same chance of enrolling in the available courses.
Unless otherwise noted, academic advisors will be assisting students with enrollment and students will leave with courses that fulfill requirements. Students do need to be open-minded and willing to try out new areas of learning that they have not experienced before. It may actually lead to new major and/or minor options.
Fees
Registration fees for Orientation and Welcome Weekend are as follows:
- $415 per first year student
- $305 per transfer student
- $40 per parent, family member, and other guest
- Free for children 12 years old and younger
What Do Fees Cover?
Fees cover staffing, meals, event logistics, materials, publications, and activities during Orientation and Welcome Weekend.
Fee Waivers
Students must be Pell Grant-eligible in order to receive a fee waiver.
- Most students who are Pell Grant-eligible will automatically receive the fee waiver, so there is no need to request a waiver; however, final determination for waiver eligibility will be made by the Financial Aid Office.
- Also, students must accept their financial aid packages first before a fee waiver can be fully processed.
- The fee waiver is for the Orientation & Welcome Weekend Fee only.
Important Note About Payment
Fees are billed to each student's SCU account under the Bursar Office. For students who are beginning enrollment in September 2025:
- Fall billing statements will be available in the student's Workday portal account starting August 1.
- The payment deadline for this bill is August 21.
- Please contact the One Stop at 408-551-1000 or email onestop@scu.edu with payment questions.
Authorized Payers
Students can also grant access to other Authorized Payers to view and use the online bill/pay system. Authorized Payers can be parents and other family, essentially whoever is responsible for paying bills for a student.
Financial Aid
Students need to accept their financial aid award in their Workday portal so it appears on their bill.