Supporting a Student Through the Onboarding Process
If you're supporting a student during their onboarding to Oregon State University—whether you're a parent, family member, friend, or another trusted champion—this page is here to help you understand the process and provide guidance along the way. We recommend starting with the Onboarding Sequence page, which outlines the key steps your student will follow.
Encourage them to check their OSU email regularly for updates and instructions.
We also encourage you to give them space to navigate the process on their own first. Your support matters—and so does their independence as they begin this new journey.
Here are some example questions that position you as a supporter rather than a leader in their process:
- What are your next steps with OSU orientation/onboarding?
- When might you do those?
- Are there consequences if you wait?
- Is there something I can help you with?
- Are you feeling stuck? What might help?
- Who can you ask about that?
Prepare: Online Modules
Students who complete the pre-orientation checklist tasks will receive an email to their OSU email address inviting them to complete the Prepare: Online Modules phase. The modules only take 60-90 minutes to complete and are filled with valuable information for students prior to working with an academic advisor and getting registered for classes at OSU.
Recommendation:
- Complete the modules sooner, rather than later: For students starting at OSU in Fall 2025, access to Activate: Advising & Registration begins in early June. We recommend students complete their Online Modules before June 1 so they can move along to advising and course registration and maximize their access to courses for fall term. Additionally, once your student completes their Prepare: Online Modules, they’ll be able to register for their Launch orientation session; completing Prepare earlier means students can select a Launch session and begin summer planning. Note: while we recommend June 1, students who complete their Online Modules after that date will still have access to advising and registration throughout the summer.
Activate: Advising & Registration
Activate: Advising & Registration opens for students in June, provided they’ve completed the pre-orientation tasks and the online modules. Each academic college at OSU has a customized set of advising instructions for students available via the Beaver Hub platform. These step-by-step tasks will show up in Beaver Hub by June 9 and will show your student how to set up their academic advising appointment. Their academic advising appointment will help them clarify which classes to select. After advising, your student will be able to register for their classes.
Recommendations:
- Sign up early: We recommend students select an advising appointment before they attend their Launch session, and as early as their schedule allows.
- Ask for help: If students have questions about registering for classes, the New Student Onboarding office will be hosting a series of online registration labs to help students navigate the registration process. Those are a great place to get help with the technical aspects of getting registered.
Launch
The Prepare: Online Modules need to be completed before students can register for Launch. Within 12-24 hours after your student completes the Online Modules, an invitation to register for a Launch orientation session will be sent to their OSU email.
We encourage students to register early for their Launch session. Launch sessions have a capacity limit and, for maximum choice and flexibility, students should register for a Launch session as soon as they’re able to, based on their summer availability.
Recommendations:
- Make the time to attend in-person: The Launch program is intended to give students a chance to meet other students and become more familiar with campus. While we offer a virtual Launch experience for students who can’t travel to Corvallis, we recommend making every effort to visit campus!
- Join a Family & Supporter Launch session: We have a great program for folks supporting students — parents, family members, spouses, etc. We encourage you to consider attending the Family & Supporter Launch Session to learn more about the OSU student experience and how to support your student through the transition. We know it’s a commitment to dedicate a day to the Launch experience, but we think it’s worth it! Family members and students won’t be together throughout the day, so you’ll have lots to share with each other about what you’ve learned. If you’re unable to attend the in-person session (we know you have busy lives too!), we’ll have programming available online.
FAQs
The Sequence Overview can give you a broad overview of what needs to be done at each stage.
Your student can find personalized information and to-dos in several places:
- In their OSU email account
- In Beaver Basecamp checklist items from the Office of Admissions
- Once they begin Activate: Advising & Registration, they’ll transition to using Beaver Hub, OSU’s dashboard for enrolled students, and can check there for tasks and reminders.
If your student has questions about onboarding tasks, they can contact our office for support. We’re unable to release student status information to parents and family members due to FERPA regulations. You can support your student by encouraging them to call, live chat or email our office, and by brainstorming with them about what questions they may need to ask.
A lot of the information students need will come to them through their OSU email and it’s good to build a habit of checking that regularly. In addition, the Transfer & New Student Navigator website provides students with guidance on some key tasks that they’re working on during their transition to OSU.
We monitor student progress through the sequence and will actively send reminders to students if we see that they’re not completing their onboarding phases. As with many university processes however, there are places where it’s ultimately up to the student to complete specific tasks. If students wait until the end of the summer to complete their online modules, there may be fewer time slots for advising appointments available. If a student doesn’t turn in their immunization records, they won’t be able to register for their second term of classes until they do so. While we provide reminders (via email most often), we also encourage students to use an organizational system that works for them to help them track and complete tasks in a timely fashion.