Advising & Orientation (A&O) is your comprehensive introduction to the UW. You’ll connect with other students, learn about campus resources, meet with academic advisers and register for classes.
- Reserve your spot
- Explore majors
- First-year Interest Groups (FIGs)
- Placement testing
- New Husky experiences
Reserve your spot
Advising & Orientation sessions and Family Orientation will be offered in a hybrid format. You must accept your offer and pay the Enrollment Confirmation Deposit (ECD) before before you can reserve your spot for A&O. First-year students are required to make a reservation for a remote A&O session.
You are required to attend the full A&O program, which includes three parts:
- Part 1: Self-guided First-Year Checklist and pre-A&O modules
- Part 2: Remote live session on Zoom
- Part 3: In-person, on-campus community connection meetings
After reserving your A&O session, you’ll get access to complete the online pre-A&O modules (Part 1) on your own time. Be sure to complete these modules at least 72 hours before attending your remote A&O session on Zoom (Part 2).
During A&O you will register for classes, discover campus resources and begin making connections with the UW community. Your Orientation Leaders (current students) will guide you through discussions and activities with academic advisers and campus experts. They’ll also be on-hand to give advice and answer questions.
And for Part 3, we look forward to welcoming you to campus for your community connection meetings!
International students
International students are required to register for an A&O session. You must accept your offer and pay the Enrollment Confirmation Deposit (ECD) before you can register. Each sessions capacity is limited.
Family Orientation
In the optional, remote Family Orientation, parents and family members can learn more about the UW and how best to support their new Husky.
International student welcome programs
The Center for International Relations and Cultural Leadership Exchange (CIRCLE) supports new international students’ transition to the UW in the following steps:
- Virtual International Husky Welcome (June 21 & June 8): meet UW staff, current students, and student organizations from your region over Zoom.
- Regional Connection Groups (June 15 – all summer): join a social media group chat (Wechat, WhatsApp, Kakao, Line or Instagram) assigned to all new students from your region, to receive in-chat support.
- International Welcome Programs (IWP) (September 15 – Oct 3): Join us for a series of in-person welcome events after you arrive in Seattle. We’ll help you with essentials like setting up cell phone plans, getting vaccinated, opening bank accounts, shopping for furniture, completing immigration check-ins, and much more!
Explore majors
UW students pursue their interests and discover new ones through learning experiences in and outside the classroom. Many students are undecided about their majors when they enter college — and others will change their minds more than once before they graduate. There’s a lot to choose from at the UW, and many factors to think about as you consider potential majors.
At Advising & Orientation, you’ll register for your quarter courses, and you’ll find out about courses that can help you learn about — and prepare for — potential majors. Exploring majors by topic is an easy way to see the breadth of options.
First-year Interest Groups (FIGs)
Get connected, fulfill general-education requirements and meet other new Huskies! A FIG is a set of high-demand courses that you take with a small group of other new students. FIGs help you build your quarter schedule quickly and easily. FIGs serve both freshmen and transfer students in their first quarter at the UW.
Placement testing
Placement tests have one goal: to make sure you’re adequately prepared for the UW. To succeed in difficult entry-level courses, it’s important to start in the right class for your skill level. The UW offers placement tests in mathematics, many foreign languages, chemistry, and music history and theory. International students, be sure to read about the English language proficiency requirement.
Consider a smooth transition
Ease your way into life at the UW this fall by attending College Edge.