Transfer students and adult learners (students age 25+) must complete all components of Orientation. Transfer students are those that have attended at least one semester at another college or university and are transferring credits to VCU. While we know you have been in college before, we want to ensure you understand how things work at VCU. Whether you are transferring from a two-year school, another four-year school, from in-state or out-of-state, or returning from some time away, we are excited to welcome you to the RAMily!
If you haven't already, please review the Transfer Student Checklist for more details on the need-to-know information to prepare for Orientation and your first semester at VCU!
Check out these additional resources for Transfer Students and Adult Learners:
Spring 2022 Orientation:
For Spring 2022, transfer students will participate in the following components to fulfill Orientation requirements:
- Virtual or In-person Orientation session
- Ram Ready Online Modules
- Virtual or In-person Advising meeting to confirm your schedule
The following Orientation sessions are available for Transfer and Adult-Learner students:
- Wed., Dec. 15, 2021 12-5 p.m. Limited IN-PERSON (College of Humanities and Sciences majors and School of Business majors only)
- Thurs., Jan. 13, 2022 3 p.m. -7 p.m. VIRTUAL (ALL majors)
- Fri., Jan. 14, 2022 12-5 p.m. IN-PERSON (ALL majors)
For students moving on campus, Residence Hall move-in will begin on Fri., Jan. 14 at 10 a.m. Classes for the spring semester begin on Tues., Jan. 18, 2022.
There will be no upfront cost for the Orientation program. The cost for the program is covered by the New Student Transition Fee on your student bill and will be paid alongside tuition and other fees or covered by your financial aid package.
Please note: Fees are subject to change from semester to semester.
For Spring 2022, there is a $25 fee to add a guest to the in-person program and there is no additional fee for the virtual program. To register a family member or guest, make sure you add them to your orientation registration.
Advising and course placement
Advising and registration takes place in tandem with your Orientation session. Advising and registration varies 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.
Transfer students can begin scheduling advising meetings on Dec. 1, 2021. You should complete the Transfer Student Intake Survey prior to scheduling your appointment. If you are attending the Orientation on Dec. 15 (for students with majors in Humanities and Sciences and Business only) there will be available advising appointments before or during the scheduled in-person Orientation.
Course Placement Options:
VCU determines your entry-level math, chemistry and foreign language courses based on your academic background and course placement. All first-year students are required to complete Math placement, and may also need to complete others based on your major. Transfer students are encouraged to complete the math placement if they will not be transferring a college level algebra class or higher. Review the information below for more details.
The math placement test determines the highest-level math course you can initially register for. First-year students are required to complete the test online before registering for orientation. Transfer students are strongly urged to complete the test online 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. 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, current or incoming, planning on registering for General Chemistry I (CHEM 101) are required to take the test. This includes first-year and transfer students who have taken AP Chemistry. The Chemistry Placement Test is a prerequisite for CHEM 101.
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:
- enroll in CHEM 100 – Introductory Chemistry and earn a B or better, or
- complete the ALEKS online unit. (Additional information is available by exploring the ALEKS Frequently Asked Questions.) After successfully completing one of these options students are eligible to register for CHEM 101.
The study of additional language(s) increases mental acuity and global cultural competence. Please refer to the Foreign Language Website for more details on whether or not you may need to complete a foreign language placement test.
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.