The dates for Orientation are:
Session 1: Monday, July 8 - Tuesday, July 9 (session full)
Session 2: Thursday, July 11 - Friday, July 12
Session 3: Monday, July 15 - Tuesday, July 16
Session 4: Thursday, July 18 - Friday, July 19
Hawaii Orientation: Saturday, July 27 (in Honolulu, HI)
Wednesday, September 18
Attending Orientation is mandatory. Programming during our Orientation sessions is the same, so you only need to attend one. You are encouraged to take full advantage of our Welcome Week activities, which include new information and opportunities prior to the start of fall quarter classes.
Sign up for Orientation, including signing up any family members or other guests who'll be attending with you, by logging into your SU Applicant Portal and completing the process online. (Be sure to use your SU Applicant Portal email address and password here - this is the same email address and password you used for this portal to submit your application to SU, to check the status of your application, etc.)
All first-year students are expected to attend Summer in Seattle Orientation. International students, students who will be out of the country in July, and those for whom travel to Seattle would pose a significant financial hardship should contact us at orientation@seattleu.edu to describe their circumstances. We will provide information about September Orientation, a make-up session to be held prior to the start of fall quarter on Thursday, September 19.
If you need to make any changes to your Orientation reservation, including adding early arrival/late departure, adding or removing a guest, and updating any information for either yourself or your guest(s), please contact our office at orientation@seattleu.edu or 206-296-2525 to request changes.
Summer in Seattle will begin early in the morning on Day 1 and continue through the late afternoon on Day 2. Students are expected to stay on campus overnight, even if they are commuting during the academic year.
We provide:
Students should bring:
SU's Conference and Event Services manages a limited amount of on-campus accommodations in Chardin Hall for family members attending Summer in Seattle with their student. This lodging option is available on a first-come, first-served basis for an additional fee. Click here for more information and to make a reservation. If you have questions specifically about this on-campus family lodging option, please send a message to register@seattleu.edu. (Please note that on-campus housing for families is not available during the Orientation sessions held in September.)
Students should sign up for their desired Orientation session by logging into their SU Applicant Portal and completing the process online. There is limited space in each session and it is available on a first-come, first-served basis. After sign up, you will receive a confirmation for the chosen Orientation session, which is then your assigned session.
We strongly encourage you to wait until you have confirmed your Summer in Seattle Orientation session before booking travel. Earlier sessions tend to fill up the fastest, so please be sure to sign up as soon as you are able for the best choice of dates. (When signing up, be sure to use your SU Applicant Portal email address and password - this is the same email address and password you used for this portal to submit your application to SU, to check the status of your application, etc.)
For Summer in Seattle Orientation for first-year students and their families, check-in begins at 10:00 a.m. on Day 1. The session will end at 3:30 p.m. on Day 2.
For transfer students and their families, the one-day Transfer Orientation on Wednesday, September 18, begins with check-in at 9:00 a.m. The session will end at 4:30 p.m. (Adult Learner Orientation - for students 25 years old and older - will begin at 2:00 p.m. and end at 5:30 p.m. on September 18.)
First-year students are expected to spend the night of Summer in Seattle Orientation on campus so that they may fully participate in the social opportunities offered, and have more time to meet new people and make new friends. Students will be assigned a shared room in one of the residence halls (Bellarmine Hall) for the night. Due to summer camps and conferences taking place on campus in July, the rooms that students are assigned to for Orientation will not be their same rooms for fall quarter.
First-year students who attend September (make-up) Orientation and transfer students who will be living on campus will be invited to move into their housing assignment the day prior to their Orientation session. Housing and Residence Life will email detailed instructions about this to the student later in the summer.
Family members and other guests may not stay with their student during Summer in Seattle Orientation. SU's Conference and Event Services manages a limited amount of on-campus accommodations in a different residence hall (Chardin Hall) for guests. This lodging option is available on a first-come, first-served basis for an additional fee. Click here for more information and to make a reservation. If you have questions specifically about this on-campus family lodging option, please send a message to register@seattleu.edu. (Please note that on-campus housing for families is not available during the Orientation sessions held in September.)
There are a variety of ride-share options in the Seattle area. You can check out Uber, Lyft, or taxis to get a direct ride from the airport to campus. Additionally, there are a variety of public transportation options available. You may want to use Google Maps or the King County Metro Transit websites to plan your trip in advance.
Between July 6 and 21, Lyft is offering Summer in Seattle attendees 15% off a ride from/to Sea-Tac International Airport (discount is good for one ride one-way). Use this code - SIS19 - to download and claim this discount.
You can also consult the Admissions website for driving information and directions to campus.
Check-in for all Orientation sessions takes place on the ground floor of the Student Center. Summer in Seattle Orientation check-in begins at 10:00 a.m. September (make-up) Orientation and Transfer Orientation check-in begins at 9:00 a.m. (Adult learners, students 25 years old and older attending Transfer Orientation, check-in at 2:00 p.m.)
All students are required to participate in their entire Orientation session.
For students attending Summer in Seattle, the session begins with check-in at 10:00 a.m. on Day 1 and ends at 3:30 p.m. on Day 2.
For first-year students attending September (make-up) Orientation and for transfer students attending Transfer Orientation, sessions begin with check-in at 9:00 a.m. and end at 4:30 p.m. (Adult learners, students 25 years old and older attending Transfer Orientation, check-in at 2:00 p.m. and their session ends at 5:30 p.m.)
Orientation is not mandatory for family members, so students' guests may arrive late and/or leave early, if necessary.
Please check in, after 1:00 p.m., at Bellarmine Hall, located at 1111 East Columbia Street (the corner of 12th Avenue and East Columbia). A Conference Assistant will be available at the front desk to assist you. You may call the Bellarmine front desk at 206-296-6280.
Check-in for Summer in Seattle begins at 10:00 a.m. on Day 1. During check-in, you will have time to drop off your luggage and other belongings in your assigned room and settle in.
Placement exams are optional, but recommended for some students based on major and interests. If you are unsure if it is recommended, please contact the advising center at your college and they can assist you with the process. You have the opportunity to take these exams during Welcome Week and your class schedule can then be updated to reflect any necessary changes.
Advisors are working to get current and new student schedules prepared by fall. They are also helping at all of our Orientation programs for both first-year and transfer students. Due to this large workload, students will be able to meet with advisors and get their fall quarter schedule no earlier than their Summer in Seattle Orientation session.
Move-In is scheduled for Saturday, September 21, starting at 9:00 a.m. New students will receive an email from Housing and Residence Life with details for Move-In appointments and giving them an exact check-in time. It is crucial that new students and those helping them move in are at the front desk of their residence hall at the exact check-in time.
Move-in appointments end in the early afternoon, and students and their families will attend the Family Farewell with Fr. Steve Sundborg, SJ later in the afternoon. Family members should plan to leave campus after the Family Farewell, which will conclude no later than 4:30 p.m. This allows new students, at the conclusion of the Farewell, to reconnect with their Orientation Advisor and begin Welcome Week activities.
Welcome Week begins on Move-In Day on Saturday, September 21. Welcome Week is designed to reacquaint you with the people, places, and resources that you’ve learned about through the admissions process and through Orientation events. You should also use Welcome Week as an opportunity to meet fellow Redhawks and build community on campus.
All new students who'll be living in one of the residence halls will receive an email from Housing and Residence Life with details for Move-In appointment times. In the afternoon, students and family members will attend the Family Farewell with Fr. Steve Sundborg, SJ in the Redhawk Center.
Commuter students and their families are also encouraged to attend the Family Farewell, and students should participate in the evening events, including a gathering in the Commuter Link while residential students attend floor meetings.
All family members and other guests should plan to leave campus at the conclusion of the Family Farewell (no later than 4:30 p.m.). Students will then meet with their Orientation Advisor small group to begin Welcome Week activities.
Some Welcome Week events are mandatory, including Family Farewell, small group meetings, floor and Collegia meetings, OA Cabaret, Street Sense, School and College Day, Convocation, and Common Text discussions.
Other events are not required, but are strongly encouraged!
Family members and other guests of new students are asked to leave campus at the conclusion of the Family Farewell with Fr. Steve Sundborg, SJ (no later than 4:30 p.m.). Welcome Week programming is only for students and is designed to help them acclimate to campus and the surrounding area and get acquainted with their peers.
Family members and other guests of new students are asked to leave campus at the conclusion of the Family Farewell with Fr. Steve Sundborg, SJ (no later than 4:30 p.m.). Welcome Week programming is only for students and is designed to help them acclimate to campus and the surrounding area and get acquainted with their peers.
Yes, friends of a new student may attend Orientation as long as they are registered for their student's session. For Summer in Seattle and Hawaii Orientation, there is a guest fee of $75 per person to cover a portion of the meals, materials, and other costs of the event. The guest fee for September (make-up) Orientation and Transfer Orientation is $50 per person. (Please note that we cannot refund guest fees for Summer in Seattle or Hawaii Orientation after July 1, and we cannot refund guest fees for September Orientation or Transfer Orientation after September 1.)
It is our policy that all guests who accompany a student stay on the family orientation track. This is important since the student orientation track offers information especially for new students and allows them to meet and get to know their peers.