Information for New Students and Families
Welcome to the website for all things new students! On this page, you will find resources for first year, transfer, international students, and parents and families. Use the drop down menus below to learn more about next steps. Be sure to check back often; this website will be updated throughout the summer months.
The Information You Need
- New Student Orientation
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Tuesday, August 22-Saturday, August 26
New Student Orientation is where we welcome and onboard our new students, both first-year and transfer students.
The primary goals are to increase personal connections with other students, faculty, and staff, to increase a sense of belonging, and to increase academic success. You will have the opportunity to meet other new students, connect with Student Orientation Leaders (OLs) to ask your questions about what being a Geneseo student is really like, meet faculty and staff, and learn more about Geneseo’s majors and what to expect in class.
New Student Orientation is executed in 2 components:
-New Student Orientation Online Course-Available on June 1!
-Formal New Student Orientation Program-Begins August 22Check your GENESEO email to learn more about gaining access to the course on June 1!
- Transfer Credit
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Did you take classes in high school for college credit? Learn more about how to receive transfer credit.
- Housing
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A residential college, SUNY Geneseo believes that living on-campus is an integral part of the educational experience. Connection with your peers and the campus, support from residence hall staff, and opportunities to meet and live with others are a few of the ways in which the experience of living the residence halls contributes to your academic success. As a reminder, SUNY Geneseo has a 4 semester residency requirement for all incoming First-Year college students and transfer students who have less than 30 credits upon admission.
Incoming students live throughout the residential campus (North, Central, and South Villages) and all areas provide a variety of offerings. You can offer your preference for a few factors to help us determine your placement. Note that all components of the housing application are preferences, not guarantees. You can provide your preference for one roommate, the style of residence hall you prefer (corridor or suite), and apply to live in a Living Learning Communities (LLC) that interests you. Most of our students live in double rooms in corridor communities and about half of our incoming students live in LLCs!
Housing applications (also called New Student Roommate Preference Form) are due June 1! Deposits and applications will be accepted after these dates, but you may miss out on certain Living-Learning Communities. Be sure to check your Geneseo email for information about the Housing application or visit go.geneseo.edu/symplicity.
Housing assignments will be released on August 1.
More Information
- Registration: Design Your Schedule
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Are you a First Year Student?
- Complete the questionnaire sent to your Geneseo email account, so your Summer Registration Advisor (SRA) can learn more about you to begin drafting your course schedule (By May 31).
- Log into Brightspace (Beginning June 1) view the registration & degree planning tutorials and complete your registration quiz
- Look out for an email from your Summer Registration Advisor (SRA) to sign up for your group advising session
- Attend a virtual group advising session with your SRA (June 27-July 7).
- Log into your my.geneseo.edu account to register for your remaining classes (July 10-July 21).
Are you a Transfer Student?
- Transfer students will work directly with an advisor in the Office of the Dean of Academic Planning and Advisement to create their individualized schedule! Please check your Geneseo email account regularly for updates.
The Office of Accessibility Services (OAS) coordinates accommodations and other support services for students with disabilities at Geneseo. More information about our office, how to request accommodations, and student and family resources can be found on the Office of Accessibility website. Questions? Contact us via email at access@geneseo.edu, or call 585-245-5112.
- Paying Your Bill
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The Office of Student Accounts is responsible for billing and collection of tuition, fees, room and board, and other miscellaneous charges assessed to a student's account. The office manages the monthly payment plan, processes payments, disburses financial aid to student's accounts, processes refunds from over-payments, and performs other miscellaneous financial functions. They work closely with the Office of Financial Aid to ensure a smooth financial transition.
Electronic bills will be generated in late-July. Students should be sure to establish authorized payer(s) on their Student Account Center if they'd like an electronic billing notification (e-bill) sent to their parent, guardian, or any other third party. Authorized payers will receive all e-bill notifications and have access to view, print and pay bills online.
Complete the following:
⬜ Setup authorized payer for parent/family access to student account billing
⬜ Select or make adjustments to campus meal plan (included on tuition bill)
⬜ Make your fall term payment
⬜ Complete monthly tuition payment plan form (if applicable)
⬜ Set up direct deposit for student refunds - Health
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Proof of immunization is required for all new/transfer students. Immunization records are due June 1 or 4 weeks from the date of acceptance. Please review the immunization page for additional information.
- International Students
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A specialized orientation program for new international students is held just before classes begin each semester in August and January. Visit the International Student Scholar Services (ISSS) for more information about next steps for international students, international departure and international orientation!
- Parent and Family Orientation
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We are excited to offer a Parent and Family Online Orientation (webinar style)! The parent and family orientation will be hosted online once a month throughout the summer beginning in May and ending mid-August. Parent & Family Orientation provides you, the families, an opportunity to learn more about the services and resources Geneseo has to offer.
Parents and families can expect to hear from Geneseo faculty, staff and administrators about the various opportunities that exist for their students and ways to support your student as they transition to Geneseo. Virtual meetings will be held once a month and focus on specific topics. Specific dates and topic areas are listed below. We encourage parents and families to attend every webinar and take notes. Feel free to prepare questions ahead of time. In the event you are unable to attend, we will record and post each webinar later in the week.
Dates of the Parent and Family Online Orientation
*Registration to attend is required! Registration link for each webinar found below.- May 17: Welcome, Housing and Department of Academic Planning and Advisement (Register Here)
- June 13: Health & Counseling, Title IX, Office of Accessibility Services and Campus Auxiliary Services (CAS) (Register Here)
- July 12: Understanding and Paying Your Bill (Register Here)
- August 2: Student Belonging and Involvement (Register Here)
- August 16: Final questions! (Register Here)
*Are you unable to attend the Parent and Family Online Orientation? Complete the form at this link to receive access to the meeting recordings!
- Campus Technology Requirements
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Review the laptop requirement and set up your mobile devices and campus technology with Geneseo apps and access.
Important Dates
June 1: Housing applications due
Visit the housing portal and log in with your Geneseo username and password to access the housing application.
Applications are available in the system 24-72 hours after you make your deposit.
July 10: Class registration opens
First year students and new transfer students register for classes with the help of the Academic Planning and Advising.
See the registration for new students page for more info.
August 22-26: New student orientation
We're thrilled to welcome you to the Geneseo community!
You'll receive more information about orientation by email, but you can also visit the fall orientation page.