Orientation for Transfer and Non-Traditional Students

• Monday, November 2, 2026: Registration for Spring Orientation opens. 
• The online Orientation pathway for incoming  transfer and non-traditional students opens Monday, November 23 and must be completed before the start of the spring semester.
  • Online Orientation includes instructions on how to request academic advising appointments and register for classes.
  • Course registration also opens Monday, November 23, but students must complete online Orientation and meet with their academic advisor prior to registering for classes.
• The priority date to complete online pathways is Friday, January 1, 2027, but online Orientation will remain open until January 8th.

• Students can register for classes once they have completed their online Orientation pathway and met with an academic advisor, who will provide students with their PIN (essentially a one-time password) to access course registration. Instructions for finding out who your academic advisor is and scheduling an appointment with them are included in online Orientation.
• In-person Orientation is 8:00AM - 12:00PM, January 11, 2027 in the Strand Union Building (SUB).
  • Students who are not registered for courses by January 8th will register during in-person programming on January 11th — please plan to stay for afternoon course registration labs if you have not yet registered for classes.
  • Please also plan to stay during the afternoon if you would like to meet with an academic advisor again or modify your class schedule.

Transfer and non-traditional students starting in the Summer term and continuing into the Fall term should register for and complete the Transfer and Non-Traditional Student Orientation program for students starting in the Fall term. Plan to make an appointment with your academic advisor to select your summer classes and complete your online Orientation promptly after it opens in early May. Students starting in the summer term are eligible to register for classes starting May 3, 2027.

• Please note: these dates are subject to change! Updated information will be available soon.
• Orientation registration will open in February 2027.
• The online Orientation for incoming transfer and non-traditional students opens in early May and must be completed before registering for Fall semester classes.
  • Online Orientation includes instructions on how to request academic advising appointments and register for classes. 
• The priority date to complete online Orientation is July 7th, but online Orientation will remain open until August 20th.
• Students can register for classes once they have completed online Orientation and met with an academic advisor, who will provide students with their PIN (essentially a one-time password) to access course registration.
• In-person Orientation is August 22-24, 2027.
  • Students who are not registered for courses by August 21 will register during in-person programming on August 23rd.
  • If students already have a class schedule but would like to modify it, they may do so during in-person Orientation on August 24th. 

Students are not eligible to meet with an Academic Advisor and register for Fall 2027 classes until the dates outlined above.

As long as you are registered for Orientation AND your registration has been processed by our office (which usually takes about two business days after you submit your Orientation registration), detailed instructions to access and complete your online Orientation are availabe on your Orientation confirmation page, which is linked in the Orientation/Class Registration item in your MyMSU Admissions Checklist.

If you registered for Orientation more than two business days ago and you still don't have access to your online Orientation course in Canvas, please email our team at orientation@montana.edu.  

It takes our office up to two business days to process your Orientation registration. After that, you should have access to Canvas. If you have trouble logging in, be sure that:

• You have changed the password associated with your NetID at least one business day since you registered for Orientation. You can manage your login information here.
• You are using the correct username for Canvas. Your username is [your NetID]@student.montana.edu. It will look something like this: x99z999@student.montana.edu.
• Try using an incognito/private window and accessing Canvas directly through MSU's link: ecat.montana.edu. If you've ever used Canvas at a different institution, this can help with your login.

If you’ve tried all of these steps and Canvas still isn’t working for you, please email our University IT Helpdesk at helpdesk@montana.edu  or (406) 994-1777 for more assistance.  

Your online Orientation in Canvas will walk you through finding your academic advisor and setting up an appointment with them. Please review the instructions for academic advising and course registration in your online Orientation modules carefully. 

Credit evaluations are completed for admitted students in the order in which they are received, but will be  prioritized by our team if your other enrollment checklist items are completed, including your Orientation registration, immunization documentation, etc.

You will be emailed when your credit evaluation is complete. You can also view your evaluated credit in your MyMSU Admissions Checklist. 

Please note: You can still register for classes even if your credit evaluation isn't complete! Your academic advisor can help you look at your earned college credit and register for the appropriate classes at MSU. Be sure to bring unofficial copies of your transcripts to your advising appointment(s).

Please check out our Transfer Credit Guide for more information.    

It depends. If your incoming writing credit counts for three or more credits of MSU's WRIT 101W, WRIT 201W, or ELEC ###W, you do not need to take the writing placement test. If your incoming math credit counts for a prerequisite class for the math you need to take or for the math class needed for your major (not elective ELEC credits), you may not need to take the math placement test. Your academic advisor can help you make this determination. 

If you are using transfer credit in lieu of a formally assigned math or writing placement, the "placement" checkboxes in your MyMSU Admissions Checklist will not be checked off.

Learn more about math and writing placement.  

Our office may approve fee waiver requests based on financial need and/or students' individual circumstances. Please reach out to orientation@montana.edu if you would like to discuss requesting that your Orientation fee be waived.

Please contact the Orientation Office at orientation@montana.edu. Please also 
note that we can only make some accommodations based on need, not preference. The Orientation office can work with you regarding your one-day program, but you are responsible for establishing accommodations for your semester. If you have not already been in contact with the Office of Disability Services in preparation for your start on campus, we encourage you to contact disabilityservices@montana.edu or 406-994-2824.