New Student Orientation

Welcome to the University of Saint Francis!

As an incoming first-year or transfer student, you are required to attend New Student Orientation, a day designed specifically to prepare you for life as a Saint Francis student.

During New Student Orientation, you will:

  • Register for classes
  • Meet your academic advisor
  • Discover campus resources and support services
  • Know how to log-in to Saint Francis platforms, such as MySF
  • Understand financial aid obligations
  • Learn about how our textbooks are ordered for you and when you will receive them*
  • Fill out housing intent form (even if you’re not living on campus!) 

It’s also the perfect opportunity to meet fellow students, make connections, and start feeling at home at Saint Francis!

Bookstore will be open 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. for New Student Orientation.

Spring 2026 Orientation Date

  • Friday, December 12, 2025

Register by December 7, 2025

Register Here

What to Expect

Ashley Childress ’25

“Orientation is where you start making friends. Everyone is new and feeling the same way, so it’s a great starting point. By the end, you’ll know lots of new people and will feel a part of the Saint Francis family.”

Ashley Childress ’25 Orientation Leader

Prepare for New Student Orientation 2024

New Student Orientation is for confirmed fall 2024 students. If you are unsure of your status, sign in to My Admissions Account and submit any missing items. Once you have been admitted and have confirmed with a deposit, you can prepare for Orientation via the following steps:

1. Select a New Student Orientation date (above) and register via the “Register” link.

2. Log in to the Saint Francis student portal, My Cougar Connection, at my.sf.edu using your student/Cougar email. If you have not logged in before, set up your password by selecting “Forgot my password.” Follow steps to set up multi-factor authentication. If you don’t know your student email, contact the Office of Admissions for help. Call 260-399-8000, text 260-217-0854 or email [email protected].

3. In My Cougar Connection, visit My Sites, then Colleague Self-Service. Ensure you are able to open Self-Service. During the course registration portion of New Student Orientation, this is the area you will access to register for classes. Self-Service also houses your Financial Aid (financial aid award package, scholarships and more), the Course Catalog and Student Finance where you will make payments and more.

4. In Colleague Self-Service, select your name and person icon in the top right corner to review and complete necessary documents. Be sure to verify your User Profile, submit Emergency Information and complete Required Agreements. 

  • Accept the Registration Agreement (Required Agreements)
  • Confirm your address, email, and phone number (User Profile)
  • Confirm your emergency contact information (Emergency Information)
  • Name who can access your student records (Student Records Release)

6. If you haven’t already done so, submit your SAT, ACT and AP test scores.

7. Bring information, like course codes and transcripts, for dual, transfer and AP credit to New Student Orientation.

  • Visit the website of the institution where you earned your dual credits:
  • If you aren’t sure where you earned your credits, contact your high school and ask where your credits were earned.
  • You may have earned credits at more than one college. In which case, you will need to complete these steps for each college.
  • If you earned your credits from a different institution, use a search engine to find the transcript request page. Search for “[name of college where you earned your credits] transcript request.” For example, if you earned credits from Saint Francis, you would search for “University of Saint Francis transcript request.” Click on the appropriate search result to access the college’s transcript request page.

8. Before you come to New Student Orientation, think about your ideal schedule, especially how to balance classes with extracurricular activities, practice and work.