New Student Orientation for Spring Admits

New Student Orientation for students admitted to the Spring 2027 term (classes begin January 11, 2027) is a one-day program scheduled for Sunday, January 10, 2027.

Students who are living on-campus for the spring semester should plan to arrive to campus and move-in to their assigned residence halls on Saturday, January 9, 2027 in preparation for attending NSO activities on Sunday. Additional details about move-in and arrival will be available soon. Students who are not living on-campus for the semester should attend NSO activities on Sunday; there is no requirement on Saturday for you.

We recognize that parents and families play a critical role in a student’s success at Penn State. We encourage families to participate in our in-person New Student Orientation program; each student can bring a maximum of two guests with them to NSO. Students will be able to add their guests to their NSO reservation through their NSO tasklist. Please keep in mind that NSO is not designed for young children.

Please review the information below for more information. Additional details, including what to bring, where to park, and more will be available in December 2026.

Schedule Overview

Students

New Student Orientation is required for all incoming first-year students.  

  • New Student Orientation is a one-day program on Sunday, January 10, 2027 from 10:30 a.m. through 5:00 p.m. 
  • Please eat breakfast before NSO; lunch will be provided. 
  • Student will be able to access a detailed schedule three days in advance of the program via the NSO Tasklist, and additional details will be sent via email in advance of the program.

Families

The family programming offered during New Student Orientation is optional but encouraged. During the family programming, you can expect to be in different sessions than your student for the duration of orientation. 

  • The NSO schedule for guests is from 10:30 a.m. through 5:00 p.m on Sunday, January 10, 2027. 
  • Meals are not provided for guests of new students. There is a lunch break for families from 1:00 through 2:00 p.m.  
  • A guest schedule for NSO will be available three days prior to the program and will be sent via email to any guest who has a reservation.