New Student Onboarding FAQs

Your Beaver Basecamp login is the same account you used to apply to Oregon State. This should be a personal account, not your ONID account. 

If you are unable to access Beaver Basecamp, and you’ve already tried the “forgot password,” please contact the Admissions Office at [email protected] for help. 

International Students do not have Beaver Basecamp—they do, however, have a separate set of tasks they need to complete before they can begin the New Student Onboarding Sequence, administered by the Office of International Services.

To prepare for the New Student Onboarding Sequence, you must log into Beaver Basecamp and activate your ONID, confirm your enrollment and pay your Advance Tuition Deposit (ATD), and complete the ALEKS Math Placement Assessment. 

The Advanced Tuition Deposit (ATD) is a $200 deposit payment signifying a student’s commitment to Oregon State University. Paying this deposit confirms your enrollment to Oregon State and is required to move forward with the matriculation process.  

You can activate your ONID by going to the ONID website. You will need to provide your OSU ID Number and your Date of Birth. 

For any ONID, Outlook, or other technology-related issues, please contact the OSU Service Desk. 

Yes, all students are required to take the ALEKS Math Placement Assessment before they are able to move through Oregon State’s Onboarding Process, regardless of any previous coursework taken. 

You can log into the ALEKS interface with your ONID information through Oregon State’s Math Department’s ALEKS webpage.  

It will take 24-48 hours for pre-onboarding tasks to check-off in your Beaver Basecamp to-do list. 24-48 hours after they are checked off, you are eligible to move on to Prepare. 

Prepare is your first official step of the New Student Onboarding process. These required online modules share information you’ll need for academic advising and help you understand processes and tools Oregon State uses to support your academic journey. 

Once the Prepare: Online Modules become available to all students, you will gain access 24-48 hours after your pre-onboarding tasks are completed.  You will know when you are ready to move on when “Complete Prepare: Online Modules” shows up as a new task in your Beaver Basecamp to-do list and/or you receive an email from [email protected] confirming that you may move forward in the sequence. 

Prepare is administered through Canvas, a web-based learning management system you will use throughout your time at Oregon State. Once the system adds you to the Prepare Canvas course, you will receive an invitation through your ONID email address and you will log in using your ONID information.  

You will need to read through each module and complete small tasks, including the Prepare: Online Modules Completion Quiz, to successfully complete Prepare. 

While you can complete the modules using a phone or tablet, we recommend completing the modules on a computer using Chrome or Firefox if possible, as the experience of content, visuals, and video may vary depending on your internet access, device, and settings. You’ll need a reliable internet connection to access and navigate through content. 

We recommend completing Prepare as soon as you are able. Completion of Prepare is crucial for your movement through the New Student Onboarding sequence, namely Activate and Launch.  

Beaver Basecamp is your admissions portal to review your application and view the steps needed to successfully enroll at Oregon State. Beaver Hub is your student dashboard that holds tools and resources that support your experience as an enrolled Oregon State student. 

New students will gain access to Beaver Hub within 48 hours after completing Prepare. 

You will log into Beaver Hub using your ONID username and password.  

Activate is the three-step process in Beaver Hub: completing your Success Plan, meeting with your Academic Advisor, and registering for classes.

Every term, all students, new and current, receive an advising registration hold on their student account. This is a normal part of the process. To lift this hold, students must meet with their advisor to go over their academic plan for the upcoming term.

New students will contact their academic advisors through the last task in their Success Plan. Onward, beginning in the upcoming term, Advisors will be contacted through their Success Team page.

Once Activate becomes available to all students, you will gain access to Beaver Hub and your Success Plan 24-48 hours after you complete the Prepare: Online Modules completion quiz.

Once it becomes available to you, your New Student Onboarding Academic Success Plan can be found under the ‘tasks’ tab in Beaver Hub – click the “+” to expand it. Completion of your Success Plan means you’ve read through each task and have made an advising appointment.

**Please note that your Success Plan is under the "tasks" tab, NOT the "Success Team" tab.

Academic Advisors are working with current students and supporting them as they register for next term’s courses. After all current students have had a chance to register, advisors will then be able to shift their focus to incoming students.

Please reach out to the Office of New Student Onboarding, using your ONID email address, at [email protected] and we will be able to connect you with someone who can walk you through the process. 

Activate connects students with advising representatives, and we recommend that students attend solo. We know that some students want a parent, guardian or family member in the conversation. Because information in your academic record is protected under a privacy act, you would need to complete a Consent to Release Records Form to grant permission for them to be present. 

After you’ve met with your Academic Advisor, you can begin registering for classes using the Schedule of Classes: Scheduler.

(Fall-Admits Only) Yes! Oregon State’s Onboarding Leaders offer registration help over Zoom a few times a week throughout the summer. Contact your advisor for more information. 

Launch is your required orientation day. Either in-person or virtually, you’ll interact with fellow new students, Oregon State faculty, and learn more about opportunities and campus resources.

Once Launch registration becomes available to all students, you will be able to register via your Beaver Basecamp To-Do List 24-48 hours after you’ve completed the Prepare: Online Modules. 

• In-person: This day-long event will allow you to explore your interests, learn about campus opportunities and resources, and interact with fellow new students, our onboarding team, and Oregon State faculty. 

• Virtual: Administered through Canvas, move though these modules at your own pace, within the week timeframe. Watch videos and read through articles about campus resources and opportunities, interact with your peers in a small group, and join in on virtual presentations with our campus partners. 

• (Fall Admits Only) Focused Sessions: Choose between on-site Launch in Hawai'i, or on-campus Bilingüe and Black & Indigenous Student Success Connections Launch sessions that highlight specific communities and programs at OSU. All are welcome to attend. 

It doesn’t! Choose a day that works for you and your schedule. 

Launch Orientation days “lock” 10 days before the event is scheduled to take place—meaning students are unable to register for or change their registration details for said Launch session. This lock date is in place so that Oregon State as a whole can prepare for the event accordingly.

Once a session is full, or the lock date has passed, we are unable to accommodate more students for that session. We do not have a waitlist in place—we ask that you register for an available session.

Please contact the Office of New Student Onboarding, via your ONID email address, at [email protected] for assistance. Include your issue, the changes you would like to make, and your OSU ID number in your message. Please be aware that we may or may not be able to accommodate your request based on availability.

Our onboarding program is designed to meet the needs of transfer students as well as new-to-college first-year students. All of the Launch Days have breakout sessions on different topics, which offers you the chance to customize your experience to meet your needs. Participating in interest tours will help you figure out how to pursue your interests at OSU, and you’ll get a chance to meet other incoming transfer students and staff who were transfer students themselves! 

While it’s not required, we encourage you to take the time to join us for our Parent & Supporter track during Launch. 

Parents and Supporters of Oregon State students have their own guided Launch session, complete with panels, presentations, and discussions about the OSU student experience, campus resources, and how to support your student through the transition. Just a heads up-- you and your student will not be together for most of the day. 

Your student will need to add you to their Launch Registration form on Beaver Basecamp. 

If your student is having difficulties editing their Launch details (guests, housing, accommodations, etc) or cancelling and rescheduling their Launch date, please have them contact the Office of New Student Onboarding, via their ONID email address, at [email protected]. Due to FERPA Privacy Laws, our office is only able to release or change information if contacted directly by the student using their school account.   

Mirroring University Housing & Dining’s roommate matching guidelines, students will be roomed with another student based on their preferences with communal bathrooms on each floor. Students will stay in Finley Hall. 

We do not take roommate requests for Launch housing. 

Parents & Supporters will have their own room(s), complete with a lock, as part of a suite shared with other Parents & Supporters. As part of the suite, there is a shared bathroom and common area. Parents & Supporters will stay in Halsell Hall. 

All students, and their parents & supporters, can stay the night of Launch. Those living 50+ miles outside of the Willamette Valley can opt to stay the night before Launch as well.  

Each person is provided with a pillow, blanket, sheets, and towels. We recommend bringing everything needed for an overnight stay, such as toiletries and medication, as well as a personal fan, as the residence halls are not air-conditioned.   

Housing check-in takes place from 5-8pm in front of Finley Hall. Those who arrive later will need to call the Finley Off-Duty phone, posted on the door to the residence hall, to check in and receive their room keys. 

Housing provides two check-in times for those staying the night of Launch: 7:30-8:30am and 5:30-7pm—both taking place in front of Finley Hall. 

For those staying only the night before, check-out will take place in tandem with housing check-in the next day. For those staying the night of Launch, check-out will take place in the Finley Hall lobby from 7:30-9am. 

Parking permits are required in the A, B, or C Zones, or any ADA space, Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., year-round. Permits are required in all other parking locations at all times, year-round.  Please only park in a space designated by painted lines and pay careful attention to signs to avoid parking in restricted use spaces.   

New Student Onboarding arranges a complimentary parking B/C daily permit for each student attending Launch so you can park nearby. Students can claim this permit via an email sent to their ONID email address about a week prior to their Launch Day. NSO only offers one complimentary parking pass—all extra vehicles will need to purchase their own permits for the day.  

For convenience, we recommend parking at Reser Stadium (Parking Zone B2 or C) or Zone B2 of the Parking Garage (661 SW 26th St, Corvallis, OR 97331), however, you are free to park in any B or C lot on campus. 

There is an attendance fee of $55 and a housing fee of $43/night if students would like to stay the night in one of our residence halls before and/or after Launch. These fees will be charged to the student account and added to their first-term bill.  

There is an attendance fee of $85/guest and a housing fee of $54/guest/night if you would like to stay in one of our residence halls before and/or after Launch. Guest fees can be paid through the payment link of the Student’s and Guest’s Launch Confirmation email. These fees need to be paid before the day of the Launch event.

Launch attendance fees cover the cost of what it takes to host Launch. This includes on-campus parking, meals, program materials, building reservations, and much more. 

• Student fees will be billed to their student account and added to their first-term bill. Guest fees will be paid via the link embedded in the Launch Confirmation email and needs to be settled before the day of Launch.  

• To receive a full refund of registration fees, the student of the guest must email a written cancellation notice to the Office of New Student Onboarding ([email protected]), via their ONID email address, at least 10 days before the Launch session. Due to FERPA regulations, guests cannot contact the Office to make changes to a student's registration, including guest refunds.   

• Guests whose cancellations are not received at least 10 business days prior to their Launch session, or who do not show up for their Launch session, will receive a 50% refund of attendance fee. 

Connect is a multi-day pre-term event that kicks off your first term. You’ll build relationships, attend academic prep sessions, and take part in Oregon State traditions. 

Connect consists of Residence Hall Move-In, Learn By Doing, Convocation, FORTE, the Beaver Community Fair, and more!

Learn By Doing is the opportunity to register for and participate in fun activities before classes even begin. 

Convocation is a ceremony that celebrates new students. This ceremony is preceded by the New Student Processional and takes place before the Orange & Black Rally and New Student Picnic. 

FORTE is Oregon State’s academic orientation event for all new-to-OSU students. Students will attend a keynote session with their primary college followed by two choice breakout sessions. 

Coming Soon!

We highly encourage all students to attend Connect events. It’s the best way to be introduced to campus, your academic college, and your peers.

• Fall Admits: University Housing & Dining Services will begin releasing housing assignments in late July and will continue throughout August and September. 

• Winter/Spring/Summer Admits: University Housing & Dining Services will release housing assignments before the term begins and based on availability. 

• Fall Admits: Move-in dates are based on residence hall and students will need select a timeslot through their housing portal once their housing assignment is released. 

• Winter/Spring/Summer Admits: When you arrive on campus, please go to the Service Center that works with the building you will be living in. Service Center staff will provide you with your room key and direct you to your building. Contact the UHDS administrative office with any questions. 

To help build your success at Oregon State, during your first year you will take part in a Transitions course, be sent a weekly Student Success email, and continue with regular, ongoing support with your success team. 

We do not host any family events during Connect, as Connect is based around students getting to know the campus and their peers, and preparing for the term ahead. 

Stay connected with your student and Oregon State through our Oregon State Parent & Family Portal! Access campus news, personalized newsletters, and stay informed about important deadlines with this interactive news site! 

Family Weekend dates will be announced on this website. Family Weekend dates are announced about a month after the current Family Weekend ends. 

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) protects the privacy of all educational records, in any medium, maintained by Oregon State University. We encourage you to refer to OSU's Guidelines for the Release of Student Records to learn what we can and cannot disclose without a student's written permission. 

Students will need to add authorized users via the MyBill portal. This service lets students and their families view bills, make payments, and manage the student account.  

Under FERPA, students have the ability to protect the privacy of their student records. If the student would like to release FERPA-protected information to an individual, they will need to complete a Student Consent to Release Records Form.