Policies
Registering for Orientation
Eligibility
Orientation sessions are curated to support student success and encourage connections
with peers during the transition to college. New Lakers joining our community will
learn about the enrollment process and explore their new university academically and
culturally.
Orientation registration is open to newly admitted degree-seeking freshman, transfer, and nontraditional undergraduate
students only. Transient students, post-baccalaureate students, readmitted students, and students
in certificate programs are not required to complete orientation. Dual Enrollment students and graduate students have separate orientation requirements.
Eligible students must register for an orientation session that is designated for their start term, program type (seated or online), and student type. Log in to the DUCK and click the Student Profile tile to view your admission classifications.
Students are eligible to register for sessions for their start term/admit term (Spring, Summer, or Fall).
- Freshman students enrolled in seated programs must register for hybrid orientation and attend an on-campus session.
- If your degree program does not include the word Online, you are eligible hybrid online orientation.
- Students in 100% online degree programs, transfer students, and nontraditional students may elect to register for hybrid orientation or complete the fully online orientation.
- If your degree program includes the word online, you are eligible for fully online orientation.
- Students who intend to enroll in mini-mester may elect to sign up for full session hybrid orientations or complete fully online orientation.
Students eligible for hybrid orientation will be able to register for on-campus sessions labeled for their student type/admit type:
- Freshman: Students with 0-29 college credits who graduated high school less than five years ago.
- Transfer/Nontraditional: Students who meet one or both of the following criteria:
- Students with 30+ college credits.
- Students who graduated high school five or more years ago.
- Catch-All: All eligible student types may register for orientation sessions labeled Catch-All.
Fees & Registration
New Student Orientation is a self-supported program; your registration fees cover the cost of program expenses, including but not limited to refreshments, printed materials, and supplies.
Orientation fees are one-time, non-recurring fees determined by students’ start term, student type, and enrollment history.
Students can register one guest with the $30.00 guest fee. If students bring unregistered guests to the orientation event, they may register the guest and pay the guest fee at check-in.
All orientation fees are non-refundable.
Orientation registration is transferable to a different session within the same semester, including Second Session/Next Wave. Students who wish to enroll for a later semester must re-register and pay the fee again. To request a session change, submit the Orientation Session Change Request Form.
Orientation completion is valid for three semesters.
- Students who complete orientation but do not enroll may request to start classes in the subsequent two semesters by submitting a Change of Semester Form.
- Students whose orientation has expired must re-register and pay the fee again.
If students cannot attend any of the sessions available and do not wish to transfer to a different session, they may cancel their orientation registration by the end of drop/add for their start term.
- Students interested in starting at Clayton State for a later term must first submit a Change of Semester Form before canceling their orientation registration.
- Students no longer interested in attending Clayton State can request to void their admissions application by submitting an Application Withdrawal form. (Please note: Opting out of receiving emails from Clayton State does not void your application for admission, so you may still receive communications in the form of calls, texts, and mailings.)
Finishing Orientation
Orientation Attendance & Completion
Eligible students must complete orientation to register for classes.
To allow time for advisors to create class schedules for students after they complete the online component of orientation, the registration deadline is five days prior to the event.
Students should complete the online portion of orientation as soon as possible after registering for the event.
Orientation hold removal varies by format.
- For students registered for online orientation, orientation holds will be removed after students complete the online orientation completion quiz.
- For students registered for hybrid orientation, the hold will be removed at the on-campus event.
Students registered for hybrid orientation who arrive to their on-campus event more than 45 minutes after check-in begins must fill out the Orientation Session Change Form and attend a future on-campus event.