First Year Student Experience

student at orientation
First Year Student Experience

Step 1

Meet with Academic Advising

Newly admitted first-year and transfer students will meet with their professional advisor to review their academic requirements and select courses for the next semester. 

More information about the advising process

Step 2

Register for Orientation

First-year students begin their UNH Manchester experience by attending one of our summer in-person or virtual Orientation sessions! We’ll be working with all of our student Orientation Leaders (OLs) to develop an interactive program for you to connect with your peers, learn about what the UNH Manchester community has to offer, and to ask us questions.

All Orientation sessions have reached capacity. If you were unable to attend an orientation, we highly recommend attending our Wildcat Welcome Day. Space is limited, so please follow the registration instructions below.

Students attending orientation will be automatically enrolled in our COVID testing program, and will be contacted to make an appointment to submit a COVID test prior to the event. 

Guests accompanying students will be required to show hard copy proof of one of the following:

  • Full vaccination including the two weeks post-vaccine
    • On or before June 7 for 6/21 Orientation
    • On or before June 11 for 6/25 Orientation
  • A negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of the event

Guests who may experience significant cost and/or time barriers to accessing COVID-19 testing should contact covid_unhm@unh.edu for an opportunity to test at UNH Manchester.  The UNH Manchester test is a nasal swab that will be administered by our lab technicians.  Guests participating in this testing service acknowledge that the screening performed by UNH Manchester Is only a preliminary screening, not a diagnostic test.  In the event of an abnormal result, it is the responsibility of the guest to obtain a third-party diagnostic test and to present proof of a negative result to gain entry to this event.

Step 3

Complete Online Navigation Module

After our Orientation sessions, First-year students will be given access to our online Navigation module that walks them through our many resources on campus. It is a go-at-your-own-pace module and once completed, students will receive a UNH-Manchester sweatshirt.  

Step 4

RSVP for a Wildcat Welcome Day

The week before classes, UNH Manchester hosts our Wildcat Welcome Days! It’s the best way to kick off the semester right, get some tasks done, eat some food and meet new people. This year, our Wildcat Welcome Day for first-year students will take place on Thursday, August 26. It is mandatory, so please choose from the following two sessions:

Step 5

Take First Year Seminar Course

All first-year students will take a First Year Seminar course during their first semester. This 1-credit course co-facilitated by Peer Assistant Leaders (PALs) is designed to cultivate the academic and resiliency skills and resources necessary to become confident and engaged learners. You will select your First Year Seminar when you meet with your professional advisor

 

Student Housing

Located at 1000 Elm Street, UNH Downtown Commons offers spacious rooms, lounge spaces, laundry facilities, cable TV, internet and more. The residence hall is just a short walk to campus and steps from downtown Manchester’s vibrant restaurants, shops and nightlife. 

Learn more about living on-campus

 

Spring Semester Start

If you are starting UNH-Manchester in the Spring semester, there will be Winter Orientation sessions available to you. More information on those sessions will come closer to the start of the Spring.