Orientation Guidelines | New Student & Transition Programs (2024)

The below policies below apply to new students attending Cal Poly for the current 2024-25 academic year.

Reservation Deadlines & Fees

• Early Bird Fee Reservation Begins —Friday, April 20, 2024
• Deadline for SLO Days Exemptions —Sunday, June 16, 2024(5:00 p.m. PST)
• Deadline for Early Bird Fee Reservation— Sunday, June 16, 2024 (5:00 p.m. PST)
• Regular Fee Reservation Begins —Sunday, June 16, 2024 (5:01p.m. PST)
• First Year Students must register for their SLO Days and Transfer Students must registerfor Transfer SLO Days by Thursday, August 1, 2024
• Change of Date Requests —see below chart for change of date deadlines per session
• Week of Welcome (WOW) Exemption Requests —Saturday,August31, 2024 (5:00 p.m. PST)
• Deadline to Submit Refund Requests —Saturday,August31, 2024 (5:00 p.m. PST)

All newly admitted students are required by the University to attend SLO Days and the Week of Welcome (WOW) orientation.

All SLO Days sessions have limited capacity. Space is not guaranteed until your submitted payment is received for your reservation. There is no waitlist for closed/locked sessions. Change of date requests for SLO Days must be submitted by the Orientation Request Form before the allotted dates listed below.If approved, a change-of-date fee of $50 will be applied to the student's orientation reservation. Failure to submit a request prior to the deadline or submit payment before the preferred SLO Days date will prohibit the student from participating in the event.

Newly admitted students —both first-time freshmen and transfer students —must participate in and register for the mandatory orientations. Transfer students participate in a two-part Transfer SLO DaysSession, which will be based on the college of their major.

Readmitted students may seek a written approval from their College Advisors to receive exemption from one or both orientation events. Please follow the instructions found on our website, HERE.

We encourage students to make their reservations promptly to secure their preferred SLO Days session at a discounted rate before Sunday, June 16, 2024 (5:00 p.m. PST). The regular fee will be applied after Sunday, June 16, 2024 (5:00 p.m. PST) to the overall orientation reservation reflecting an additional $75 under the Week of Welcome portion of the bill.

SLO Days/Week of Welcome (WOW) Overall Exemptions

All first-year and transfer students are required to register and attend orientation (SLO Days and the Week of Welcome). In rare and extenuating circ*mstances, a student may be granted an exemption from attending all or part of orientation. Circ*mstances may include a medical need,family circ*mstances, or inability to travel to San Luis Obispo at the time of sessions. Additionally, if our department is unable to accommodate another available SLO Days session, thiswould qualify as a request for exemption.

Request to be exempted from SLO Days must be received by Sunday, June 16, 2024 (5:00 p.m. PST)Exemptionrequests forWeek of Welcome must be received by Saturday, August31, 2024 (5:00 p.m. PST.). Failure to submit requests prior to the allotted deadlines will result in an immediate denied request.

Documentation may be required as part of the request, and it is not guaranteed an exemption.

Freshman Students:All first-time freshmen students attending an in person SLO Days session are required to stay on campus in provided accommodations during the overnight portion of thesession. Students may request an exemption from the overnight component for the following reasons only:

1. Live within or stay with family that lives in San Luis Obispo County
2. Medical need or other extenuating circ*mstances

Orientation fees will remain the same regardless of whether or not the student is granted an exemption from the overnight segment of SLO Days. Overnight accommodations arenotprovided for registered supporters. The university providesone night of accommodationsfor studentsas part oftheir session. Please checkour website for additional information on recommended supporter accommodations.

All requests for Overnight Exemptions must be received by Sunday, June 16, 2024(5:00 p.m.PST).

Transfer Students:Overnight accommodations arenotincluded with the registration for both students and guests.

Supporter Reservation

We encourage our parents and supporters to participate inSLO Days and learn about the Cal Poly experience. Register up to two (2) supporters per student for an additional fee under your student's orientation registration tab in their Cal Poly Portal. Weencourage you to register as soon as possible. Once a payment is submitted on the student's portal, you may not edit the reservation.

To add or cancel guests, you must complete the Orientation Request Form a minimum of 14 business days prior to your registered SLO Days event. Failure to submit the requests priorwillresult in an immediate denied request.

Changes,Refund & Cancellation Policy

Change of date requests for SLO Days must be submitted by the requested date (listed above) for your session.Please note, a $50 change-of-date fee will automatically be applied to the orientation reservation account, which must be processed immediately. Failure to submit immediate payment will result in no change of date.

Refunds will be applied automatically to students who have been rescinded from the university for the academic year of 2024-2025. Students who have withdrawn their application from the university must complete the Orientation Request Form byAugust 31, 2024,to receive their refund. Please note, a processing fee of $50 will be applied to the overall reservation.

Refunds will not be offered to students whomisstheir SLO Days session. Options include completing the Orientation Request Form to select a new available date or participating in the recorded presentation. Recorded footage will be available shortly intoSLO Days sessions,and "how to access" will be announced on our website and on our social media. Recorded sessions will only be accessible to students and supporters who registered and submitted payment.

Students attending Cal Poly in Fall 2024 cannot cancel their orientation registration.

To request a change in theSLO Days session, request student or supporter refund, or an overnight exemption, click here to access the Orientation Request Form.Please allow 14 business days from the date it was submitted to be reviewed and note that your request is not guaranteed to be approved or denied.

Published April 12, 2024