About Us

New undergraduate students are required to pay a $35 fee to attend Orientation upon making a reservation. Additional charges may apply for families and guests who choose to attend Orientation. If you’re experiencing financial difficulties, please contact us at myorientation@usf.edu.

Sarasota-Manatee campus and St. Petersburg campus conduct their own separate, mandatory Orientation sessions. Visit their sites for additional information and schedules.

Orientation is mandatory for all new students at the University of South Florida. We strongly encourage anyone who has concerns about being able to attend an Orientation session to call us immediately at (813) 974-3060. Additionally, you might consider updating your term of entry to a later term to allow you to attend a later orientation. To do this, you would need to contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at (813) 974-3350.

Orientation strives to provide the same experience to all participants. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), we provide special accommodations to students and guests who require this to participate in the session. Requests are often submitted for assistance with mobility, vision or hearing issues.

Other requests might include special dietary concerns or special arrangements for religious observances.

If you need any type of accommodation during your session, please call our office at 813-974-3060 so we can ensure that all your needs are met. Requests should be submitted at least 7 business days prior to your session. In cases of emergency situations, we will do our best to meet your needs.

Students requiring accommodations should also contact Students with Disabilities Services at (813) 974-4309 for accommodations needed once classes begin.

You can make changes to your reservation details and/or add guests by logging into your MyOrientation account. Refunds are not issued for students or guests who do not show up to their scheduled sessions. Further, reservations changed within 3 business days of a session or due to "no show" status may be subject to a $25 late/no show fee.

See our Policies page for additional information regarding late fees or no show fees.

To change your major, you must contact your college/department in which the major you want to change to is located. You must also express your reason to change your major when you contact your college.

PLEASE NOTE: There are many academic programs at USF that are limited access majors which require very specific courses and credits in order to be admitted to these majors. We strongly recommend that you speak with an advisor from the college of your desired major change prior to submitted the Application Update Form.

You should notify both the Office of Orientation by calling (813) 974-3060 and the Office of Admissions by submitting an Application Update Form. Application Update Forms can take up to two (2) weeks to process.

While this rarely occurs, it could be due to a number of reasons. To troubleshoot this issue, please contact our office at myorientation@usf.edu or (813) 974-3060. We will work with you to resolve the issue. 

Students may add a family member/guest to attend the Family/Guest Orientation session by logging back into their Orientation reservation up to 10am on their desired session date. Log into the student reservation with your NetID and password, scroll to the section that states “Add a Guest” and paying the additional $35 fee per family member. Once reservations are closed a family member/guest may contact the Office of Orientation via email or phone to be added to the session date.

While we prefer that you pay for your Orientation with a credit card or e-Check, we can accept checks or money orders. Student reservations are not confirmed until payment is received, so please note that this method will delay your confirmation.

To pay with a check or money order, please log into your Orientation reservation and complete the reservation process up to the point of submitting payment. Then, complete the Cashier Payment Form and mail it to the address listed on the form. You should also then e-mail myorientation@usf.edu to let us know that you submitted payment. We will need to manually confirm your reservation.

Students choosing this option of payment are fully responsible for the Orientation fees. Financial aid may or may not cover these charges. By submitting this form, student agrees to pay Orientation fees within other University tuition and fee deadlines.

At this time guest fees will not be charged to a student's account. Guests may register and pay for Orientation at any time including check-in (if space is available.)

Refunds are available only in specific situations. Click here to request a refund. For more information, contact our office.

During the reservation process, you were given the opportunity for a parking permit for each student and guest. The parking permit will be included in your e-confirmation packet. If you do not have your e-confirmation packet, log back into your MyOrientation account and download the PDF from the My Reservation tab.

Please note that your parking permit can only be found in your reservation for Orientation so please make sure to log back into your Orientation account to access the permit.

If you did not receive a parking permit in your e-confirmation packet, you can log into your Orientation reservation and request a permit under the Student tab or for a guest under the Guests tab.

Knowing the specific classes you have taken and/or being able to provide an expected AP/IB score will assist in choosing the right classes. To support this, we encourage you to bring your unofficial transcripts with you to Orientation to assist you with your course registration. However, this is not required. An unofficial transcript can be a document from your high school/college or something you print from your school's online site.

Bringing unofficial transcripts is especially important for students starting in the summer when final transcripts are not yet available. Your academic advisor will work with you if your final transcripts or scores later indicate a change that impacts your pre-requisites.

To ensure you have a seamless virtual session day, please be sure that you have access to: 

• Reliable Internet Connection
• Laptop or Desktop Computer
• Webcam and Microphone

If you cannot access any of these required items, please contact the Office of Orientation immediately by emailing us at myorientation@usf.edu.

The Office of Orientation does not provide overnight accommodations.  

To submit a request to move-in to your on-campus residence hall the night before your Orientation session (January 2023 only), please visit the the Housing portal. There is an additional fee that will be added to your student account in OASIS.

All transfer students who receive confirmation they have been admitted to USF and have registered for their USF Orientation will receive an email from their academic advisor informing them of the action to take to receive advising and register for classes. You can anticipate receiving the email from your advisor within 15 business days after registering for your USF orientation. Please check your USF email and be sure to follow the instructions from your advisor.

After you are admitted to USF and registered for your USF Orientation, you will receive an email from your advisor. Within the email, your advisor will prompt you to make an advising appointment via Archivum. If you are able to make an advising appointment prior to the date of your USF Orientation, this will be referred to as “preadvising”. Once you complete your USF Orientation and receive preadvising or advising, you can register for classes.

You can make an advising appointment using the online appointment scheduling system known as Archivum.

If you decide to change your major, you should contact both the advising office of the new major and your current major to seek guidance on whether you are eligible for the new major and how to complete the change of major process. General contact information on advising in each college can be found on our website.

USF Tampa Students: After you register for your university Orientation, you will receive an email from your advisor to your USF account. You can anticipate receiving the email from your advisor within 15 business days of registering for Orientation. If you find you have not received an email from your advisor after 15 business days of registering for your university Orientation, you are welcome to contact the Office of Orientation at myorientation@usf.edu or by phone at (813) 974-3060. If Sarasota-Manatee is your designated home campus, please contact sar-orientation@sar.usf.edu or by phone at (941) 359-4342.

USF St. Petersburg and Sarasota-Manatee Students: Students registered for an Orientation on the St. Petersburg and Sarasota-Manatee campuses will receive information from Academic Advising via their USF email 5 days prior to their Orientation date.

The advising community recognizes new students are eager to connect with their advisor, so we will reach out to you!  After you register for your university Orientation, your advisor will begin preparing for your upcoming university orientation date. As part of that preparation, your advisor will email you within 15 business days after you register for Orientation. Be sure to check your USF email for an email from your advisor!  

If you still wish to make an advising appointment, you can do so using Archivum. If you have technical difficulties with Archivum, please contact the IT helpdesk at help@usf.edu.

If you have technical difficulties with Archivum, please contact the IT helpdesk at help@usf.edu.

You will need to complete an application update form and send it directly to admissions@usf.edu. The update form must be received by the admissions deadline for the semester. The form takes 4 to 6 weeks to process. Students that fail to register for the semester in which they were admitted will have their admissions canceled. *This would also apply if you want to change the major you had initially indicated on your application form.

Students who do not register for classes for the term in which they’ve been admitted  will have their admission canceled. Use the Application Update Form when requesting changes to your original application information, such as term of entry, major or campus, or when submitting changes in contact information. Be sure to submit this form by the application deadline of the term in which you wish to enroll.

You will need to contact Student Health Services at (813) 974-2331.  You may also login to myBullsPath to review and upload required documents. 

Sponsored international Students should complete their Orientation reservation to the point of payment and then email the Office of Orientation at myorientation@usf.edu. Let us know that you are a sponsored student and include your name, UID, and date of Orientation. We will respond to confirm your Orientation date and with details about payment arrangements.

All international students must attend Orientation (Glo-Bull Beginnings). This Orientation date has been chosen to correspond with the Glo-Bull Beginnings program and the arrival date on your visa. All international students must arrive at Orientation no later than the scheduled arrival date. 

International students who have lived and attended school in the U.S. for at least one year may be eligible to attend another Orientation date. More information about this option is available on our Date Change Request page.

We understand that sometimes weather conditions and other events may delay travel. If you are experiencing a travel delay, please contact your admissions representative and our office as soon as possible. You can email us at myorientation@usf.edu or call at +1 (813) 974-3060. We will work you with you to make sure that you receive all the information you need.

Glo-Bull Beginnings is a program for undergraduate, international students to prepare them for being a student at USF and living in the US. Glo-Bull Beginnings is your opportunity to experience what it's like to be a USF student, both in and out of the classroom. In addition, this program will prepare you, as an international student, for being a student at USF and living in the US. Glo-Bull Beginnings includes all the information in the Orientation, but offers additional information and services to assist you in your transition.

Learn more at the Glo-Bull Beginnings page.

iStart is an online service for international students from USF International Services. This system collects all the information needed from you, and provides you with a short task list. You will need to complete most of this information before you leave to travel to the U.S. During Glo-Bull Beginnings, you will attend a Document Check where International Services will need your travel documents and will verify that all information is complete.

All of the items in Glo-Bull Start must be completed before you start classes. Visit the Glo-Bull Start information page for more details.