Orientation and Transition Programs

Students admitted to the Associates in Arts program should visit the Associate in Arts website for additional information about orientation. Associate in Arts students are oriented on their home campuses in August.

International Student Orientation (ISO) is mandatory for all international students who are new to the University of Delaware. Students will receive additional information about ISO from International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) within the Center for Global Programs and Services.

Even though you may have attended orientation at your previous institution, you must attend New Student Orientation at UD to learn about our campus’s resources, meet with an academic advisor in your College, and interact with other incoming transfer students.

World Scholars attend a pre-departure orientation facilitated by the Institute for Global Studies in the summer and then participate in NSO before the beginning of spring semester on main campus. World Scholars can find more information about the program on the World Scholars website.

You can sign up for NSO sessions and events on the NSO portal within your My Blue Hen Home. The NSO portal will open in mid-April.

Each new student is billed a mandatory one-time $230 fee* for the NSO experience, regardless of in-person or virtual participation. The fee also includes the math placement program and new student programming in the fall semester. This fee will appear on your first semester bill.

The non-refundable event fee for each family member attending an in-person NSO program is $40, payable by credit card through the NSO registration form. Students can register up to two adult family members or guests.

*Current rates are for the 2023–2024 academic year. Rates are subject to change for the 2024–2025 academic year and will be announced in early July and accurately reflected on student bills.

We encourage families to attend the live NSO program, but it is optional. Attending NSO with your student helps you understand the student experience and be supportive to your student’s transition! As part of the NSO program, families will attend overview sessions about academics, health and wellbeing, student life and university resources. Please note that families will attend sessions separately from their students for the majority of the orientation program.

Families will also have access to orientation content through the Blue Hen Family Hub, and they can choose to attend various virtual topical information sessions about housing, dining, student financial services, and more. Families of students starting at UD in Fall 2024 will receive an invitation to join the Blue Hen Family Hub in mid-June.

The online orientation course in Canvas will be available in June for students beginning in Fall 2024. New students will receive a course invitation at their UD email address in early June or can log in on Canvas.

Students will receive more information on how to schedule a virtual advising appointment in June. More information can be found on your My Blue Hen Home portal.