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 March 17, 2026
Orientation 2026
All new students (first year students and transfer students) beginning enrollment in September 2026 are required to register for an on-campus session which includes academic advising and course enrollment.
IMPORTANT: New students will not be able to enroll in their fall classes without registering for and attending one of the required on-campus sessions.
Session Dates
First Year Students:
- Session 1: July 8-9, 2026
- Session 2: July 13-14, 2026
- Session 3: July 16-17, 2026
- Session 4: July 20-21, 2026
- Session 5: July 23-24, 2026
- Session 6: July 27-28, 2026
- Session 9: September 15, 2026
- This session on September 15 is primarily for international students and those with extenuating circumstances that prevent attending a session in July.
- In this context, an international student is defined as any student with a home address outside of the United States.
- International students are automatically approved to attend the September 15 session but they also have the option to attend a July session instead if they have the time and resources to do so.
- Any non-international student with extenuating circumstances must email the Director of the Center for Student Involvement (Tedd Vanadilok) at tvanadilok@scu.edu to request an exception to attend Orientation on September 15 instead.
- Attendance in this September session requires approval by the Director of the Center for Student Involvement (Tedd Vanadilok).
- For those admitted to SCU after July, you will be approved to attend this September session.
Transfer Students:
- Session 7: August 25, 2026
- Session 8: August 28, 2026
Registration
Registration for your required Orientation session goes live on the following dates:
- Early Decision students (EDI and EDII): March 12, 2026
- Early Action students (EA): March 16, 2026
- Regular Decision students (RD): March 17, 2026
Once registration opens:
- Click on the red button link 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.
Fees & Billing
Fees
Registration fees for Orientation and Welcome Weekend are as follow:
- $425 per first year student
- $310 per transfer student
- $60 per parent, family member, or legal guardian
- Free for anyone 12 years old or 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.
- If you are seeking a waiver for other fees, please contact the office that assesses that fee.
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.
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 one 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.
- For those transfer students attending one of the on-campus August sessions (one day), check-in begins at 7:30am then the session ends no later than 5:00pm.
- For those first year students attending the on-campus September session (one day), check-in begins at 7:30am then the session ends no later than 5:00pm.
- 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.