Frequently Asked Questions

In order to attend Orientation at the Palm Desert Campus, you must have been admitted to the Palm Desert Campus. Otherwise, you must attend Orientation at the San Bernardino campus. For more details about Orientation at the Palm Desert Campus, visit our website or call us at 909.537.5233.

The "Orientation Hold" is an advising hold that will be removed AFTER you complete Orientation. If you have completed Orientation and the hold is still active on your account, please contact the Orientation and First Year Experience at 909.537.5233 or orientation@csusb.edu. 

Final documents such as transcripts are due to Admissions and Student Recruitment by July 15 for fall admissions. For the spring semester, please contact the Office of Admissions at 909.537.5188 for final document deadlines.

All students must accept their offer of admission and pay their Enrollment Confirmation Deposit BEFORE May 1. Accepting your admission and paying your deposit are two separate processes; both need to be completed in order to fully accept your Admissions. Visit our How To Guide for step-by-step directions. Please allow 24-48 hours after paying your deposit before attempting to register. In order to register for a session, log on to your myCoyote portal, navigate to the My Tasks tile, and you will find Orientation Registration there.

For our transfer students, Orientation is only for admitted CSUSB students; guests are not permitted due to space. 

For our first-year students, it is not required for parents or family members to attend Orientation with you, however we do have a Parent and Family orientation program just for them! Learn more about this program on our Parent and Family Orientation page.

All new undergraduate students are REQUIRED to attend Orientation in order to register for classes. A Orientation hold is put on a student's account until they have successfully completed Orientation.

Orientation provides each student an opportunity to get all of the questions answered and feel comfortable with the expectations that will be required here at CSUSB. Also, CSUSB's faculty, staff, and administrators want to welcome you to the Pack!

You must be present for the entire Orientation session. Transfer and First-Year Orientation for 2022 will be in-person and on campus! Expect to be on campus for a full day of information, Coyote spirit, and time to welcome you to the CSUSB community. Please select your Orientation date carefully and plan accordingly for work, childcare, vacations and other conflicts.

Failure to attend an Orientation session in full will result in your Orientation Hold not being removed. 

During Orientation, you will receive advising so that you can register for classes. Transfer students will register during their scheduled appointments through their myCoyote Student Center, once Orientation has been completed. First-year students will be pre-enrolled for their fall semester courses by the University in what we call Pack Enrollment!

Orientation fees are non-refundable. If you do not attend the required session, you are still responsible for paying the fee. You will also be charged a no-show fee should you miss your scheduled session. For more information on the fees associated with Orientation, please see the Orientation Fee Policy page.

All newly admitted undergraduate students will be charged a one-time, mandatory Orientation fee that will appear on your student account after class registration.

No money will be collected at the time of registration for your Orientation session or at your program. You will pay the Orientation fee through myCoyote Self Service after your class registration. All Orientation fees are non-refundable and non-transferable. For more information on the fees associated with Orientation, please see the Orientation Fee Policy page.

For our first-year students, it is not required for parents or family members to attend Orientation with you, however we do have a Parent and Family orientation program just for them! We strongly encourage family members to attend our Parent and Family Orientation. This is a good time to learn about resources available at CSUSB to help families support their students. Your family can also learn about Parent and Family Orientation and special events just for them by visiting the Parent and Family Orientation page.

Parent and Family Orientation is only offered concurrently with our first-year orientation program, not with our transfer orientation program at this time.

If extenuating circumstances make it impossible for you to attend any of the scheduled sessions, please contact us at orientation@csusb.edu. However, this is college and we expect you to make this a top priority! Only extenuating circumstances will be reviewed.

The Orientation program for new undergraduate students (both first-year and transfer students). At Orientation, you will have an opportunity to meet other new students, discuss academic choices with advisors, explore majors and career options, get a feel for life on campus, introduce you to campus resources and get acquainted with Cal State San Bernardino. Orientation provides you with key resources and tools to help ease the transition into the CSUSB community and prepare you for life as a Coyote.

The First-Year Seminar is mandatory for all UNDECLARED first-year and it is HIGHLY recommended for ALL new students. The students who complete this course have a higher continuation rate for the following academic year than the university's overall rate.

The Orientation registration system does not allow you to make changes on your own. To change your Orientation registration, send an email to orientation@csusb.edu with your name, Coyote ID number, your Orientation date and the date you would like to change to. There will be a $25.00 fee for changing your date more than once. Please note that changing into another Orientation session date is contingent upon that session having space available.