Yes. Fifty minute campus tours will be offered before (8, 8:20) and after (5:30) the in-person Orientation. In August and January a schedule tour of where classes are is built into the afternoon schedule. Tours of the Residence Hall Showroom will be held during the Summer session. We are offering tours of campus and campus housing virtually. Go to our Visit page for more information.
If you go to your UIS Application Status page you will see under Status Update – Payment Due $175 (or more if you added guests). Click on that and it will take you through the process of paying by credit card.
The Orientation and Guest Fees are non-refundable.
There is a mandatory $175 Orientation fee that is assessed to each student and covers expenses for the student. The Orientation Fee can be paid online after registering for Orientation, or the payment may be mailed after registering, or deferred to the student account until the tuition bill is due. The Orientation Fee is mandatory and non-refundable. There are separate Guest fees for each guest a student would like to bring. Students are allowed up to 2 guests. The guest fee is $25/guest and can be paid by credit card when paying the student's orientation fee.
No. By accepting admission the advising and testing services offices will have access to your records to properly advise you. When you complete your Intent to Enroll Form you will receive a Welcome email from New Student Orientation within a couple of days. Within a week of your acceptance of admission you will be on our new student lists and we will mail our orientation brochures to you and your parents. Visit the Admitted Students page for more information.
Yes, UIS’s mandatory orientation program has three parts. The first part is the online orientation in Canvas which focuses on big-picture activities like advising and registration. Freshmen Welcome Week is the last part of our mandatory programs, held right before classes start August 16-18, that will help prepare you for your first semester of college.
The goals of orientation are to make sure our students learn about campus resources, have an understanding of academic expectations and resources, what it means to be a member of our community, and make connections with peers and current students. Orientation activities are designed to meet these goals. You will be attending sessions that will provide you with information, learn UIS technologies, allow you to explore campus and meet your classmates. There will be a general schedule which outlines the content on the First-Year Student Orientation page. You and your parents/family members will receive a detailed schedule in late May.
Yes, we understand that things come up during the Summer. Please email us with the date you want to cancel and indicate your new preferred date. We will cancel your reservation and register you for the other date if it is still open. Do not register for another session online, this will lead to confusion and being registered and charged for two Orientation dates. Please note that once your cancel your reservation the reservation system automatically opens a spot in that date and someone else can register for that spot. So please be sure and check dates before cancelling anything.
Entering students may have to take Math or Reading Placement exams. If you have taken the ACT/SAT and sent UIS your scores this may determine if you can waive one or both placement exam requirements. If you are unclear about what tests you need to take, please contact your advisor. Traditional first-year students contact the Center for Academic Success and Advising (CASA) and Honors students contact the Capital Scholars Honors program.
Yes. You can take your placement testing online, remotely or if you live near Springfield, at our Testing Services office here on campus. It is Free. Placement Testing is scheduled at UIS throughout the year. Refer to the Testing Services webpage for directions to request online or in-person testing appointments and sample testing questions.
Yes, new first-year students are required to attend, including Freshman Transfer students (less than 30 credit hours accepted by UIS). Orientation is a vital part in the transition to college. The information that is presented lays a foundation for your future success at UIS. For more information visit the First-Year Student Orientation page.
Students who need accommodations (Assistive Technology, Documents in Large Format, Sign Language Interpreter) during Orientation, please indicate this on the online registration form. We need at least three weeks before the orientation session to make arrangements with our Office of Disability Services staff who will need time to contact sign language interpreters or take print material like our program and handouts and modify them for students who are blind or have a visual impairment. We will make every effort to make accommodations, but sign language interpreters are dependent on their availability.
We can make some limited arrangements for parents/guardian/guests. Please call the Orientation Office at 217-206-8181 for further discussion.
Visit your UIS Admission Status page and click 'Orientation Sign up is Open'. You will use the login and password from your UIS Admissions application to login to the registration form. For any questions or concerns call 217-206-8181 or email UISOrientation@uis.edu.
In June because we limit the number of student participants in each session they are filled on a first-come basis. Therefore, if you register early you are more likely to receive your 1st choice orientation session. Once a session is full the system will close the session. If someone changes their reservation, a session may open back up. August and January sessions have one orientation date and no limits on the number of student registrations.
There could be a couple of issues. (1). You are not using the logon id and password you created for your UIS Admission Application, or (2) you have not accepted your admission to UIS, or (3) you have selected the wrong date. Honors students must select Honors designated dates and Non-Honors (Freshman) students must select Freshmen dates. View the Admitted Students for more information.
The first people to register have the opportunity to register for courses offered during preferred/peak class times (i.e. 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.). Some popular introduction courses at these times tend to fill up faster. You might have to take it earlier or later in the day than you would prefer, but you will still be registered for these classes. Some general education subjects (i.e. psychology, sociology) are also more popular than others so you may have to choose an alternate subject. Required courses like Freshman Seminar, English, and Math add sections as they are needed throughout the summer. You will be able to register for all the credit hours you need. It may not be at your first choice time or subject.
Students attending August or January (spring semester admits) should use the AdviseU app (https://www.uis.edu/cas/advising/advise-u/) to set up an appoint with their advisor before their 1-day Orientation. Students will still have to attend the 1-day Orientation and Freshmen Welcome programs even though they have been advised for classes. Failure to attend could result in your schedule being cancelled and you will have to wait until the first day of classes to register again.
Yes, first year students must select first year dates and Capital Scholars honors students must select Honors dates
We strongly encourage students and their parents/guardian meet with the student’s financial assistance counselor to review the financial offer notification and cost of attendance before or after their orientation date. The Office of Financial Assistance can meet with the student and parents virtually by appointment. Contact their office to arrange a meeting: Phone: (217) 206-6724 or Email: finaid@uis.edu. Do not make any appointments on the Orientation date the student registered for. The student will have mandatory programming to attend the whole day.
When you submit the reservation you will automatically receive a copy of your registration form to the email you gave UIS on your application. You will also be emailed a confirmation of the session you're registered for. You can also verify your reservation by going to your UIS Application Status page.