Orientation and First Year Programs
We're excited to welcome you to campus!
The Office of Orientation and First Year Programs welcomes and introduces new undergraduate students and their family members to the NIU community. We work in partnership across the university to provide a complete picture of the new-Huskie experience.
We also support incoming students throughout their first year as an NIU Huskie. In addition to orientation, our office coordinates Week of Welcome (WOW) and University Experience courses, as well as support programs including the First-Year Success Series, Common Read and mentoring.
COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Response
Your health and well-being are the top priorities at NIU and Orientation and First Year Programs. In response to COVID-19, students, faculty and staff will follow guidelines to Protect the Pack.
This plan is about protecting ourselves, each other and our community. Additionally, we're adapting our on-campus orientation dates to a non-face-to-face (online) format.
First-year and transfer students starting at NIU in summer and fall 2020 will complete a four-part orientation sequence this summer:
- Pre-Orientation Program (POP)
- Online orientation sessions
- Advising and registration
- Huskie to Huskie live chats
Additional information about the virtual orientation experience can be found on the first-year and transfer landing pages.
Students will receive emails guiding them through each step of their checklist, and orientation will culminate in welcome activities being planned just for new Huskies as classes start this fall. We also have recently updated our first year and transfer FAQ pages in response to these changes.