For the modern college student, onboarding is a key component of success. In fact, it can be an essential strategy for retention and persistence, as new students starting off right on the first day become more likely to engage with others in their studies and stay on track throughout their college career. But whether you consider it an enrollment initiative or an inherent need for student success, onboarding cannot effectively happen on its own. Instead, you need a strategic approach, which is where a new student onboarding checklist comes into play.
A comprehensive college student onboarding checklist enables institutions of all types and sizes to ensure that every new class starts on the right foot. It addresses frequently asked questions, provides crucial contact information, and communicates resources from Title IX to financial aid students may need. Use this student onboarding checklist to get started in your university.
1. Pre-Arrival Communication
Communication with your incoming students has to start early. Ideally, it never ends, transitioning seamlessly from recruitment into the logistical information they need about orientation, deadlines, and other items. Especially this year, as summer melt is more significant due to issues like FAFSA processing, consistent communication is the key to getting additional information across and keeping your students students engaged.
Welcome Email/Package
Start your communication plan by thinking about how you want to welcome newly committed or deposited students to your university. The welcome email should be the start, but also consider sending a direct mail package that includes gifts like stickers or other swag and essential information about your institution and next steps.
For example, the welcome package can include your orientation times and schedules. It can also include core contact information for key offices around campus. And, of course, it can include links to your .edu website for additional resources and checklists your incoming students can work through.
Important Dates and Deadlines
Whether it is on your website or in your welcome communication, be as clear as you can be about the upcoming dates and deadlines your new students need to know about. Some common dates to communicate might be:
- Your orientation dates
- Class registration dates and schedules
- Housing and move-in dates
- The start date for classes
- Any due dates for student health insurance, like vaccination forms or waivers
Beyond these key documents, you might also need other information, like the dates for incoming students working on campus to complete background checks or the visa deadlines for your international students. The more comprehensive, the better.
Required Documents
Finally, your student onboarding checklist should include a list of required documents for your students. This should include any information your students absolutely have to hand in to start classes, including immunization forms, high school or transfer transcripts, financial aid paperwork, billing paperwork for your student account office, and more.
It also helps to note how these might need to be submitted; for example, the checks for your students’ first tuition bills may require in-person authentication.
2. Orientation and Welcome Events
It’s time to dig deeper into what your new students’ biggest events will be until move-in: your new student orientation. Plan it early, and include the necessary items in your checklist to ensure that you leave no hole in your communication and maximize both attendance and engagement at the event.
Orientation Schedule
Any student onboarding checklist has to include a comprehensive orientation schedule. Include details about each event, such as:
- Academic sessions to campus tours
- Meet-and-greet opportunities with faculty and peers
- Informational seminars for other campus services
Creating this schedule requires the help and collaboration of a larger orientation committee composed of cross-campus unit representatives that range from academic affairs to financial aid.
Icebreaker Activities
As you plan orientation, start thinking early about how you can build community among your incoming class of first-year students. There are countless options for potential icebreakers of large groups in this age range. The key is picking a few that make sense for your student body and planning the logistics necessary to make them effective. Pick and plan your activities based on their ability to help new students get to know each other in an otherwise stressful environment.
Welcome Address
Finally, as you plan your orientation and welcome schedule, organize a welcome address that officially welcomes new students into your campus community. Ideally, this should be performed by the university president, raising the profile and ensuring a high attendance. Alternatively, campus leaders like the VP of Student Affairs may be a good fit. Try to work with the presenter to make the address as engaging as possible and connect it back to the unique offerings of your institution and community.
3. Campus Resources and Services
As part of your student onboarding checklist, make sure you share campus resources and services available to your students as clearly and transparently as possible. From library services to student and technical support, these resources can help convey crucial student information that ultimately enables their success in the onboarding process.
Library and Study Spaces
No matter the extras, a college education is ultimately about academics. Sharing your library information early helps convey that. Discuss details like how to easily access books and digital resources that incoming students may not be aware of. From there, consider going deeper and sharing information about study spaces, academic support areas like the writing center, tutoring spaces, and more.
Student Support Services
With mental health concerns on the rise among college students, openly and transparently communicating your support services has become more important than ever. Introduce your students to the support they’ll receive as soon as they enroll, from your health center to counseling services and beyond.
Don’t forget about career services, either. After all, outcomes have become a key enrollment and student success driver for incoming college students. So, helping your students understand early what career resources they’ll have available can make a massive difference.
IT Services
It’s easy to forget as part of a student onboarding checklist. But technology will be among your students’ key concerns and considerations as soon as they move in. Moreover, sharing this information early opens up new communication channels that you can then use for many of the tactics outlined in this checklist.
Provide students with information about how to access their university email and any student portals they might need access to, from billing to class registration. Then, outline exactly where they can find technical support should they need it, either by accessing those resources or when they move in.
Health and Wellness
Though they are part of student support services, highlighting your health and wellness programs on campus requires further attention. Outline your available health services, including wellness programs like yoga or meditation that might benefit students. If some or all of these services are available before move-in, that could also be valuable information for your students.
4. Housing and Dining
As the first day of classes moves closer, at least some modules of your student onboarding checklist should revolve around housing and dining. That includes not just move-in instructions but also more general information about life in the residence halls and their campus dining options.
Move-In Instructions
Naturally, incoming students will need to know about the details surrounding move-in. Build communications with clear check-in times and windows, parking information, and driving directions. But you can also develop more innovative move-in day strategies, like sharing a suggested packing list that helps students more easily transition to campus life.
Residential Life Orientation
As part of your summer communications, residence life requires special attention. Your students will need to know about hall and floor rules, amenities, and safety procedures. They’ll want to know who their residence hall assistants are. They’ll also be curious about what items they can and cannot keep in their rooms.
Consider building an online or in-person residence life orientation into your move-in and welcome weekend. Provide easy guides that help to answer these and other questions, ensuring a smooth transition into living on campus.
Dining Plans and Options
What they’ll eat will be a key and basic concern of all students. Share information about your meal plan options, along with the benefits of each. Let them know what food they can and cannot make in the residence halls. Also, show where they can grab on-the-go items.
You can even take it one step further. Give a tour of your dining facilities to provide the inside scoop of your on-campus options.
5. Student Life and Involvement
Finally, studies repeatedly find that engaging in campus life is among the key success barriers for new college students. But if you get this step right, you can make a massive impact on helping your students stick around and eventually graduate. The following information and steps can help you get there.
Clubs and Organizations
Showcase all the student-run clubs and organizations your university has to offer. Span the breadth of club sports and other options like sailing, e-sports, or knitting. The key here is communicating clearly that every student can find something that matches their preferences or curiosity. If possible, plan a club fair into your orientation or welcome events. Then, new students can see for themselves what involvements they can choose from.
Campus Events
Of course, involvement can also be as simple as attending an upcoming campus event. That’s much easier if you can promote them effectively to your incoming students ahead of time through your website and other digital channels. Build a calendar solution highlighting:
- Social gatherings
- Cultural events
- Athletic games
- Other involvement opportunities in which students can easily participate
Community Engagement
Finally, pay special attention to how students can find community at your college or university. We know how a sense of community can impact student retention, so building those connections will be essential. Nudge your new students into involvement, and create mentorship programs with upperclass students that can integrate naturally into student life. The more you can prioritize community engagement early, the better.
Elevate Your Student Onboarding Experience With Concept3D
With this comprehensive student onboarding checklist in place, you can build a comprehensive and effective plan to do everything in your power to help new and incoming students succeed. From pre-arrival communication to ensuring strong involvement in student life, this checklist can become a guide that stakeholders across campus can follow.
While onboarding new students requires careful planning, the right tools can help you in the process. Concept3D’s calendar solution, for example, can help you easily highlight events from social gatherings to the big move-in weekend. Meanwhile, our virtual tour solution allows you to spotlight areas like residence life, your wellness center, and your dining facilities. Contact us to learn more about the solution and how we can help make your student onboarding experience a success.