UMass Boston

Yes. Attendance at orientation is mandatory for all undergraduates (first-year and transfer students) and highly encouraged for graduate students. The program is designed to help you transition to the UMass Boston community. At orientation, you will learn about vital campus resources and the opportunities available to you that can supplement and enhance your educational experience.  Undergraduate students who do not attend will not be able to register for classes.

You must register for orientation at least five business days in advance. We want to make your orientation experience a great one and we need your advance registration to prepare all of your materials, including those needed for course registration. Visit the Beacon Gateway to register. 

You can register for orientation through the Beacon Gateway. If you have tried to register on the Beacon Gateway and are having a hard time signing up, contact our office via email or phone and we can do our best to help you.

If you require special accommodations (including dietary, mobility, sight, hearing, language, religious or other), please indicate what you need when you register. Please be as detailed as possible in your request. A representative from our office may contact you prior to your scheduled orientation to confirm your accommodations. 

If you have a documented disability and need special academic accommodations for Assessment Testing, please contact the Ross Center for Disability Services at 617.287.7430 or ross.center@umb.edu.

Orientation is a critical step in your success as a student at UMass Boston. We ask that you do everything you can do to attend one of the scheduled dates. If you really can not attend any of the posted dates, please contact our office and we will discuss your options. 

We encourage you to attend the earliest date possible. This ensures that you will have maximum class selections. This will also give you time to see if there are any issues that need to be worked out before the semester begins. 

All new students must attend an orientation session in order to register for classes.  At the program, you will meet with advisors from your college who will offer guidance about course registration for the upcoming semester.  You will not be able to see any academic advisor on campus or register for classes on your own until you have attended the orientation program in its entirety.

Guest are not permitted at New Student Orientation.  If you are a student parent and have questions about accommodations for your child at orientation, please email us at orientation@umb.edu.

We host separate Family Programs events that run concurrently with all First-Year & Transfer Orientation dates. Family Orientation involves a lot of information sharing, so it is not always interesting for young family members. If you have family members that would like to attend, encourage them to email family@umb.edu for more details.

Students may change their orientation date by returning to the Beacon Gateway and returning to the New Student Orientation section under the 'events' tab.  Please contact our office directly at orientation@umb.edu if you are having difficulties with changing your orientation date.

Attendance at orientation is mandatory for new students. While we certainly understand that attending an orientation session is a time-commitment, the information provided during orientation eases the transition to UMass Boston and is absolutely essential.  Please make plans to attend the program in it's entirety and come prepared and with an open mind – we feel confident that you will enjoy your time with us!

We understand that many of our students work full time or have other family commitments. If you absolutely cannot attend the entire day, or an emergency comes up then please contact our office immediately at orientation@umb.edu and we will work with you to reschedule your session for a day that works better with your schedule. 

Students who miss portions of the day may be required to attend another session to ensure that they have received all the important information for new students and class registration.

Virtual orientation is available as an option for all undergraduate (first-year & transfer) students who live more than 250 miles from campus.  There is also a virtual option for all graduate students regardless of distance from campus. 

Students who are eligible to register for a virtual orientation program will automatically see these options on the Beacon Gateway when they try to register for a session.  If you do not see the virtual dates and you meet the criteria listed above, please email us at orientation@umb.edu. 

First-year student orientation is a two-day overnight program.  Check-in opens at 7:30am on day one and our program starts promptly at 8:45am.  Orientation will conclude on day two at 5:00pm.

It is expected that all first-year students attending the overnight orientation will remain on campus in our residence hall for the program.  At check-in each student is assigned a double, triple, or quad room to share with another student or students.  Students have the choice to sharing a single gender or gender inclusive room.  Single rooms are only available to pre-approved medical or religious accommodation requests that were submitted during the registration process.

Yes.  You can share a room with a specific friend or friends at orientation.  To do this, you need to check-in at orientation together and tell the staff at the room assignments table you would like to room together.  If you check in at different times, we cannot place you in the same room.

Yes. All new first-year students are required to complete placement/assessment tests. Testing consists of a self-guided writing assessment and the ALEK math placement test. Details on these can be found under the assessment section of the 'Pre-Orientation Checklist'

Now that you have registered for orientation, please check your email regularly for updates and complete the tasks outlined in your 'Pre-Orientation Check-List' including claiming your UMass Boston email, completing your assessment/placement tests, ordering your Beacon Card (student ID), and more.

Students are encouraged to bring the following items to orientation:

• notebook and pen
• water bottle
• appropriate dress (the buildings may be very cool so we recommend that you bring layers)
• and Energy! Orientation is a dynamic experience, so come ready and willing to participate.

For the overnight stay, attendees will also receive a recommended packing list via email seven days prior to the orientation which includes the following items:

• change of clothes
• toiletries and a towel
• medications
• pillow and sleeping bag or sheets

Transfer student orientation is a one day program that runs from 8:45am to 3:30pm.  After 3:30pm, students will have time to self-explore the campus and visit any offices they need to meet with for individualized questions.

Yes. All new first-year students are required to complete placement/assessment tests. Testing consists of a self-guided writing assessment and the ALEK math placement test.

If you are a transfer student bringing in credit for ENG101, you are not required to take the writing assessment.  We encourage you to sign up if you would like our faculty to evaluate your readiness to complete the Writing Proficiency requirement (WPR) of your college as well as placement in a Critical Reading and Writing course. Click here for more information on the Writing assessment.

Most transfer students will need to complete the ALEK math placement test before attending orientation. Details on these can be found under the assessment section of the 'Pre-Orientation Checklist'

Now that you have registered for orientation, please check your email regularly for updates and complete the tasks outlined in your 'Pre-Orientation Check-List' including claiming your UMass Boston email, completing your assessment/placement tests, ordering your Beacon Card (student ID), and more.

Students are encouraged to bring the following items to orientation:

• notebook and pen
• water bottle
• appropriate dress (the buildings may be very cool so we recommend that you bring layers)
• and Energy! Orientation is a dynamic experience, so come ready and willing to participate.

Family orientation is a separate one day orientation program that runs alongside all first-year and transfer student orientations.  First-year family orientation runs concurrently with day one of first-year student orientation.

Family orientation provided an overview of campus resources and the many ways that supporters can help their student have a successful experience at UMass Boston.

Students do not attend family orientation as they are attending their own orientation at the same time.

Due to the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) there is limited information that we can provide to anyone other than the student. We can provide general information about what the students will be doing at orientation, but federal law prohibits university employees from disclosing any personal student information.

We encourage you to have your student email us at orientation@umb.edu if they have questions.