A first-year student is any student attending college for the first time (not including dual-enrollment taken in high school), typically straight from high school or after a short time away from school.
Orientation for first-year students offers an immersive experience for students to learn about life at VCU, understand academic requirements, campus resources and to connect with VCU students, faculty and staff and includes an overnight stay on campus.
First-Year Student Orientation
For students admitted for the Fall semester, Orientation consists of two-day overnight sessions held throughout the summer and includes the Ram Ready Orientation Modules.
For first-year students admitted for the Spring semester, Orientation consists of a one-day in-person session held in January and includes the online Ram Ready Orientation Modules.
Spring 2023 Orientation date:
Orientation will take place in-person on Friday, Jan. 13, 2023. More details will be available when registration opens on Nov. 14.
Below is an overview of each component of the Orientation experience. You will receive more detailed information in your email once you have completed Orientation registration. It is important to check your email regularly and read over emails carefully.
- Review the first-year student checklist.
- Important items that must be completed before Orientation include, but are not limited to:
- Setting up your VCU eID and password
- Completing necessary placement tests
- Filling out the first-year advising survey
- Submitting final high school transcripts, when available
- Reviewing your financial aid information
- Completing immunization forms
Spring admits: Registration for Orientation will open on Nov. 14, 2022. For students admitted for Spring, you will be able to select a date in January before classes begin.
Spring 2023 Orientation dates:
Orientation will take place in-person on Friday, Jan. 13, 2023. More details will be available when registration opens on Nov. 14.
Fall admits: Students will be able to select from several dates in June and July based on your school or college and availability. Orientation dates will be posted when they are available.
Before attending your Orientation session, you will need to complete the Ram Ready Orientation modules. These modules cover important academic information, financial planning, campus resources and how to prepare for your Orientation session. Students will also begin the course registration process before attending Orientation. You will receive more detailed information through your VCU email as Orientation approaches. See the Advising and course placement section for more details on the advising and registration process.
Spring Orientation is a one-day program and takes place in-person. This session will consist of large and small-group sessions, a campus panel, an opportunity to connect with your school or college, and a campus resource fair. A campus tour will also be available.
For students admitted for Fall, the First-Year Orientation program is a two-day experience, and students will stay overnight in Gladding Residence Center. At Orientation, you will have large group sessions, small group sessions led by your Orientation Leader, and opportunities for breakout sessions based on your college/school and your interests.
Family and guest Orientation: A separate program for families will also happen in tandem with the student program. Overnight accommodations are not included for families. Learn more on the families and guests page.
After attending Orientation, you will gain access to the final Ram Ready Orientation modules and several online training sessions that are required before starting your first semester at VCU.
Spring students will complete all modules before Orientation.
Orientation cost
There will be no upfront cost for students to participate in Orientation. The cost for the program is covered by the new student transition fee on your student bill in your first semester and will be paid alongside tuition and other fees or covered by your financial aid package (if applicable).
The new student transition fee for incoming first-year students covers your full Orientation experience (including all online and in-person experiences, your Orientation materials and programming in the first weeks of classes that support your transition to VCU).
Visit Student Financial Services for more information on student fees.
Family and guest fee
Students may add up to two guests to their Orientation reservation for an additional fee. This non-refundable, one-time fee covers the cost to attend the in-person program and includes a printed VCU Academic Calendar, materials, refreshments and meals during Orientation, access to Ram Ready modules for families, staffing and rental fees.
This fee is collected at the time of registration via a secure online payment system. All major credit and debit cards are accepted. We cannot accept cash or checks.
Spring orientation guest fee: $30.00 per person.
Please note: Fees are subject to change from semester to semester. This fee is non-refundable.
Advising and course placement
Advising and registration will take place in tandem with your Orientation session. Advising and registration vary by your student type (first-year or transfer) and your academic college/unit. Expand the options for more details based on your student type and the semester you are enrolling.
For more information on general academic advising, visit VCU Advising.
First-year advising
First-year students will be assigned an advisor prior to Orientation and will receive more information on selecting and registering for your first semester classes before attending your scheduled Orientation. You will schedule an in-person or virtually to finalize your schedule. You should complete the First-Year Advising survey and then make an appointment in Navigate. You should try to schedule your advising appointment for a time before your Orientation, but you can meet with your advisor at any time before the start of classes.
Course Registration
Students should begin the course registration process prior to meeting with their advisor. You can review the Course Registration Guide for more information on how to begin the scheduling process and use eServices. To determine what classes to take, review your Major Map for your plan of study.
Be sure you have completed the appropriate Course Placement tests below to ensure you are selecting courses appropriately based on your scores.
Course placement options
VCU determines your entry-level math, chemistry and foreign language courses based on your academic background and course placement test scores. All first-year students are required to complete math placement, and may also need to complete others based on their major. Transfer students are encouraged to complete math placement if they will not be transferring to a college-level algebra class or higher. Review the information below for more details.
All first-year students must take the math placement test before registering for Orientation. If you don’t have a test score or AP/IB/dual enrollment recorded on your VCU transcript, you will not be able to register for a math course.
You can access the test at https://math.vcu.edu/undergraduate/resources/placement/.
Take the test without any help. Receiving a score that doesn’t accurately reflect your math level could place you in a course where your success would be limited.
The chemistry placement test is an online test used to place students into an appropriate general chemistry course based on their background knowledge. All students planning on registering for General Chemistry I (CHEM 101) are required to take the test. This includes first-year students who have taken AP Chemistry.
Majors that commonly require CHEM 101 include engineering, biology, chemistry, forensic science, bioinformatics, environmental studies, interdisciplinary science and many of the pre-professional health programs (pre-med, pre-pharmacy, etc.).
You can access the test at https://chemplacement.vcu.edu.
Those earning a passing score on the test will be eligible to register for CHEM 101. Those not earning a passing score have two options:
- Complete the ALEKS online unit. (Information about ALEKS can be found online at chemistry.vcu.edu/undergraduates/faqs/aleks-program--faq.)
- Enroll in CHEM 100 – Introductory Chemistry and earn a B or better.
After successfully completing one of these options students are eligible to register for CHEM 101. ALEKS must be completed by no later than July 31 (fall) or Jan. 10 (spring).
Students who plan to continue studying a foreign language that they studied in high school must take the language placement test to determine the appropriate language class. Only students with transfer credit from other educational institutions are eligible to enroll in the next course within their language sequence. The foreign language placement test must be taken in-person either before or during Orientation.
For more information about when and where tests are administered, visit worldstudies.vcu.edu/for-students/language-placement-testing.
If you took AP or IB classes and you are advised for classes before your scores are available, your advisor will ask for an estimate of your scores. If your estimate is incorrect, your classes will be adjusted once scores are available. Generally, VCU requires scores of 3 or higher to receive AP credit, and a score of 4 to 6 to receive IB credit.
You can also earn credit through dual enrollment. If VCU does not have the final transcripts from the community college by the time you are advised for courses, you’ll need to inform your academic advisor about the classes you completed and the grades you earned.