302-831-3313 otp@udel.edu

First-Year and Transfer Student Orientation

We’re so excited that you’ve decided to become a Blue Hen at the University of Delaware! To ease your transition to UD, we require that all new students participate in New Student Orientation (NSO), an experience designed to introduce you and your family to the UD community, help you learn everything you need to know to be successful, and welcome you to UD!

For new students entering UD in Spring 2024, NSO will be offered virtually on January 26 and on campus on February 1. Details about your NSO experience are available on your My Blue Hen Home.

Your NSO experience includes:

  • A live orientation program, which you can participate in on-campus or virtually, your choice!
  • A self-paced online orientation course through Canvas, UD’s Learning Management System
  • A virtual academic advising appointment within your chosen college, and a virtual college pre-advisement session
  • A variety of live Zoom information sessions about important topics, including housing, dining, student financial services and more offered throughout January

Log into your My Blue Hen Home portal to view the NSO portal for the specific details and how to get started!

If you have any questions, contact us at otp@udel.edu.

Academic Advising

One of the major components of NSO is academic advising. You will meet virtually through Zoom with an advisor in your college to select your fall semester courses. Appointments will last 15-60 minutes depending on your major, and for the best experience, you should plan to use a laptop or desktop computer.

To get started:

  • Log in to your My Blue Hen Home
  • Click on the yellow button to view the NSO portal page
  • View the Academic Advisement section to see how to schedule an academic advising appointment with your college

If you need assistance, contact OTP directly at otp@udel.edu.

In addition to academic advising, your college will offer a live virtual college pre-advisement session. Registration for this session will be available starting in June within the NSO portal on your My Blue Hen Home. ​At this session, you will join academic advisors from your college and other incoming students to learn about the college, your general degree requirements, how advising works, and what to expect at your advising appointment.​

Questions about your college or major? Visit advising.udel.edu/contact-us/ for your college’s contact information.

New Student Orientation Fee
Each new student is billed a mandatory one-time $230 fee for NSO, regardless of participation, which includes the math placement program and new student programming in the fall semester. This fee will appear on your first semester bill.

Live NSO Program

As part of your NSO experience, you and your family are invited to attend a live NSO program to begin to learn about your Blue Hen community.

Live NSO programs will feature a welcome from UD administrators, opportunities to learn more about academic life, campus involvement, wellbeing and family engagement. This program will also provide opportunities for you to meet other new students and our Orientation Leaders (OLs), as well as become familiar with campus and ask questions before classes begin.

You and your family members will choose to attend either a full-day in-person program on UD's Newark campus on February 1 or a half-day virtual program on January 26.

Specific details and registration for this live NSO program are available on the NSO portal within your My Blue Hen Home. If you have questions, contact Orientation and Transition Programs at otp@udel.edu.

In-person Live Program

The in-person program will take place in the Trabant University Center, and students and registered family members will receive specific details about program logistics, including health and safety guidelines, parking and check-in location, at the email addresses provided on the program registration form.

Check-in will begin in Trabant 45 minutes prior to the program start time.

Students can register up to two adult family members or guests (16 years or older) to attend with you. The cost for each family member or guest is $35.

If you need to edit or reschedule your in-person program, use the Edit Registration link in your program confirmation email. If you wish to reschedule and attend a virtual live NSO program instead, you must first cancel your in-person program date using the same Edit Registration link in your confirmation email and then revisit this section of the NSO portal to select a virtual program date.

Schedule Overview

Students and families will begin the program together, featuring a welcome from UD administrators and a session dedicated to academic success and expectations. Students will then attend separate sessions led by the Orientation Leaders (OLs) for the remainder of the program to begin to connect with other new Blue Hens. These sessions will involve walking around campus, so students should plan to wear comfortable footwear.

While students meet with the OLs, families will learn about campus involvement, wellbeing, and family engagement from UD staff and administrators, in addition to hearing from student leaders about their experience as Blue Hens.

Students and families will then reconnect at the UD Barnes & Noble Bookstore to enjoy UDairy ice cream before the program concludes.

Virtual Live Program

The virtual program will take place via Zoom, and students and registered family members will receive the Zoom webinar link at the email addresses provided on the program registration form. Students, plan to log into your UD Zoom account with your UD credentials, and we recommend you review the UD Zoom Student Guide in advance to learn how to connect to Zoom.

There is no guest fee or limit for family members or guests attending the virtual program.

If you need to edit or reschedule your virtual live NSO program date, use the Edit Registration link in your program confirmation email. If you wish to reschedule and attend an in-person live NSO program instead, you must first cancel your virtual program date using the same Edit Registration link in your confirmation email and then revisiting this section of the NSO portal to select an in-person program date.

Schedule Overview 

Students and families will begin the program together, featuring a welcome from UD administrators and a session dedicated to academic success and expectations. Students will then attend a session led by the Orientation Leaders (OLs) and begin to make connections with other new Blue Hens and learn the ins and outs of being an UD student.

While students meet with the OLs, families will learn about campus involvement, wellbeing, and family engagement from UD staff and administrators, in addition to hearing from student leaders about their experience as Blue Hens. Sessions about specific topics and resources such as residence life and housing, dining, student financial services, and campus safety will be offered as individual virtual sessions throughout July and August.

Because students and families will attend separate sessions for part of the virtual program, we recommend that you plan to use different devices to participate in the program, and students should try to use a laptop or desktop computer if possible as your OL-led sessions will be interactive.

Orientation Course

The online orientation course is your roadmap to becoming a successful Blue Hen, and this self-paced, virtual experience will give you an opportunity to learn and explore, while accomplishing important tasks to ensure you’re prepared for your first semester.

The online orientation course is divided into five required sections. For students beginning on UD’s Newark campus in Spring 2024, the first four sections will be available in December, while the remaining section will be available in January:

  • Section 1: Welcome to UD! An overview of how to navigate online orientation
  • Section 2: Important Academic Information & Resources
  • Section 3: Blue Hen 101
  • Section 4: Health & Wellbeing
  • Section 5: What’s Next?!

You will receive a course invitation at your UD email address on or around Wednesday, December 6, 2023.

To start the online orientation course, log in to Canvas, UD’s learning management system, with your UD email and password. If you have not set up your UD email address, log in to your My Blue Hen Home portal to do so. Once you are logged into Canvas, from the Dashboard select the NSO Winter 2024 course and get started with Section 1.

To access Canvas, you will also need to set up your Two-Factor Authentication.

If you have any issues accessing Canvas or the course sections, contact Orientation and Transition Programs at otp@udel.edu. If you encounter issues setting up your UD email address or two-factor authentication, contact Information Technologies (IT) at askit@udel.edu or 302-831-6000.

International Student Orientation

For new undergraduate international students entering UD in Spring 2024, orientation will include both on-campus and virtual components that students are expected to attend. Details about your NSO experience are available on the NSO portal within your My Blue Hen Home. Visit the First Year or Transfer sections to learn more about your NSO!

International students will also have opportunities to connect with the Center for Global Programs and Services to prepare for your arrival on campus. Find out more on their new student page!

If you have any questions, contact us at otp@udel.edu.

Live NSO Program

As part of your NSO experience, you and your family are invited to attend a live NSO program to begin to learn about your Blue Hen community.

Live NSO programs will feature a welcome from UD administrators, opportunities to learn more about academic life, campus involvement, wellbeing and family engagement. This program will also provide opportunities for you to meet other new students and our Orientation Leaders (OLs), as well as become familiar with campus and ask questions before classes begin.

You and your family members will choose to attend either a full-day in-person program on UD's Newark campus on February 1 or a half-day virtual program on January 26.

Specific details and registration for this live NSO program are available on the NSO portal within your My Blue Hen Home. If you have questions, contact Orientation and Transition Programs at otp@udel.edu.

New Student Checklist

Before Orientation:

Before Classes Begin: