Students:

Do I have to attend SPOP? What can I expect at SPOP?*

Do my parents have to attend?

Are there scholarships for the orientation programs?

Can Transfers attend SPOP?

What is the room arrangement at SPOP?

What do I need to do to get a student ID card?

Is academic advising included in SPOP?

I received a scholarship but I already paid full price for the session. How and when do I get refunded?

Is parking free?

Do I register for classes at SPOP?

How do I register for Placement Testing?

Can I make a reservation for Summer Orientation over the phone?

Can I make a reservation for Summer Orientation over the phone?

Why didn't I get my first choice for orientation dates?

Is there a waitlist for SPOP?

What if more than 1 member of our family will be starting at UCI this year?

What if I cannot afford to pay for SPOP?

What if I still cannot afford the program?

What if I cannot make it to any of the SPOP dates?

I am an international student and visa restrictions prevent me from entering the US in time for any of the orientation programs. What should I do?

I will be attending the Freshman Summer Start Program, do I stil need to attend SPOP?

Do I have to pay for orientation now?

What do I do if I want to change my major?

Why am I not getting any confirmations/emails?

Selecting gender information during the reservations process?

How will information about orientation be sent to me?

Parents:

Do parents have to attend?

How do I get from John Wayne Airport to SPOP or Transfer Success?

How do I make hotel arrangements?

Can I bring more than 2 parent/guardians or a brother or sister?


Students:

Do I have to attend SPOP? What can I expect at SPOP?*
If you are a freshman, Yes. SPOP offers a comprehensive orientation to UCI. Academic advising, program planning and class registration are part of all the programs for freshman. Campus tours, social activities and meeting current and new UCI students are also available at SPOP. You can attend SPOP with or without your parents/guardians ...whatever works for you!
(*Students participating in CAMP or Summer Bridge do not attend SPOP)

Do my parents have to attend?
While parents/guardians of new students are welcome at Summer Orientation, they are not required to attend.

Are there scholarships for the orientation programs?
Yes, partial scholarships are available for STUDENTS ONLY! We work with the Financial Aid Office and scholarships are based on need and meeting all prior deadlines for Financial Aid. If you qualify, your rate will be automatically reduced when you sign up. Please visit https://www.ofas.uci.edu/visualaid/ to check on the status of your financial aid package.

Can Transfers attend SPOP?
Unfortunately, No. SPOP is geared to "first-timers" to college. We do have a program geared towards transfer students called Transfer Success. While Transfer Success is an excellent resource, please note, it does not include academic advising. Academic advising is mandatory for all incoming students. If you are a transfer student, be sure to schedule an advising session with your school as soon as possible.

What is the room arrangement at SPOP?
Within each residence hall there are single sex suites only!

What do I need to do to get a student ID card?
UCItems is located in the UCI Student Center. You will need your student ID number to obtain an ID card. There is time during SPOP or any time in the summer to get your photo ID

Is academic advising included in SPOP?
Yes. Academic Advising is one of the many benefits of attending SPOP. You will receive the advising that is required for you to register for your classes during orientation.

I received a scholarship but I already paid full price for the session. How and when do I get refunded?
Please contact us at orientation@uci.edu or (949) 824-5182.

Is parking free?
No. You will have to purchase a parking permit at the parking structure upon arrival.

Do I register for classes at SPOP?
Yes, freshmen register for classes at SPOP. Incoming transfer students register for classes after they receive academic advising.

How do I register for Placement Testing?
Placement testing precedes each of our programs; however, it is highly recommended that students test in June. Students can sign up for Placement Testing separately on either the SPOP site, or the Testing Office site. Questions? Call (949) 824-6207.

Can I make a reservation for Summer Orientation over the phone?
No. Reservation for orientation will be available on May 27th for select populations (Athletes, CHP Students, and students registered with Disability Services) and June 2nd for all freshmen. We will only accept reservations for orientation online. All reservations will be processed in the order they are received by our office. All confirmations will be sent via email unless otherwise noted.

Why didn't I get my first choice for orientation dates?
Unfortunately we are limited in the number of students and parents we can accommodate at each orientation. If your first choice is full when we receive your reservation, please try to find another program to attend or add yourself to the wait list.

Is there a waitlist for SPOP?
Yes, you can add yourself to the waitlist of as many programs as you like. Only programs that are currently full are available to be waitlisted. If academic advising for your school is unavailable at a program, you will not be able to waitlist that program.

Please Note: If space becomes available for you in a waitlisted program you will be notified via email with a link to the reservation form. You will have 48 hours from the time of the offer to accept the space and complete your reservation. If you fail to accept the space in that time it will be offered to the next person on the waitlist and you will be moved to the bottom of the list for that particular program. Please be sure to check your email often so you do not miss an offer.

The waitlist is available here.

What if more than 1 member of our family will be starting at UCI this year?
Please sign up each student individually for orientation. UCI wants to make sure that every new student receives academic advising before enrollment in classes begins. Our current Summer Orientation registration request website can only accommodate 1 student per order. Please place reservations for any additional students separately.

What if I cannot afford to pay for SPOP?
We understand that not all students can afford to pay the reservation fee for SPOP.  In many cases, students who have difficulty with the reservation fee will have qualified for a scholarship rate (see question #3).

What if I still cannot afford the program?
Whether or not you qualified for a scholarship, if you still cannot afford the reservation fee, you have two options.  Anyone can sign up for the program with a deferred payment.  This means you can attend a SPOP this summer, but will not be required to pay for it until the fall.  The deferred payment option is available when you make your reservation.  The second option is to request an exception.  If an exception is granted, you will not be required to attend SPOP, and will make arrangements for alternative academic advising and course enrollment.  Go to the Orientation Exception Request Form to request an exception.   See question #18 for more information on exceptions.

What if I cannot make it to any of the SPOP dates?
SPOP is required for all incoming freshmen, so you are strongly encouraged to arrange your schedule to accommodate a program.  If this is absolutely impossible, you can request an exception. If an exception is granted, you will not be required to attend SPOP, and will make arrangements for alternative academic advising and course enrollment.  Please note, documentation will be required in order for an exception to be granted.  Go to the Orientation Exception Request Form to request an exception.

I am an international student and visa restrictions prevent me from entering the US in time for any of the orientation programs. What should I do?
If you are an international student and you are unable to be in the country in time for SPOP, you should submit an exception request. Go to the Orientation Exception Request Form to request an exception. When the request is granted additional information on how to receive academic advising and enroll in classes will be provided. In addition to orientation, new international students will need to attend MANDATORY New International Student Check-In on Friday, September 18th, reporting with all immigration documents. Information regarding New International Student Check-In will be available this summer on the International Center <http://www.ic.uci.edu> website.

I will be attending the Freshman Summer Start Program, do I stil need to attend SPOP?
Please note that Freshmen Summer Start Program (a Summer Session program) runs independently from SPOP (Student Parent Orientation Program). Choosing to participate in FSSP is not a substitute for your required participation in SPOP, nor does your participation in FSSP give you priority for any specific SPOP dates. Please make sure you plan accordingly and sign up for your desired SPOP date as early as possible. Visit the FSSP website for more information about the Freshmen Summer Start Program.

Is there a waitlist for programs that have already filled?
Yes, there will be a waitlist available for full programs. Like reservations for SPOP, you will be able to sign-up for the waitlist online for the program(s) of your choice. You are able to sign up for as many waitlists as you like.

If you are next on the waitlist for a specific program and space becomes available, you will receive an email and have 48 hours ONLY to respond and claim your space for that particular program. Please mind your inbox (as well as your SPAM/JUNK folder) after you place yourself on the waitlist. We cannot give priority to those who missed their window. If you do not claim the spot within 48 hours, the space will be given too the next student on the list.

Do I have to pay for orientation now?
You are encouraged to pay for orientation with a credit card when you signup. If you cannot pay for orientation now, you can opt for a deferred payment. The option to defer your orientation payment is available to you when you make your reservation. Terms and conditions of a deferred payment will be available soon. Check back for updates.

What do I do if I want to change my major?
You may request a major change through the Admissions office. The deadline is Monday, June 1st, at 9 a.m. Submit your request on the 'My Admissions Application at UCI' website. Your Admissions Counselor will notify you, if it is approved. Approval depends on whether you qualify for that new major and if the new major is accepting major changes.

If you miss the June 1st deadline, you may be able to change your major at SPOP. Be advised, if you change your major at SPOP, you must attend the academic advising session for the school of the major you are changing into. This means that your current school and the school you plan to change into must both be present at the program you attend (i.e. If you are a civil engineering major looking to switch to Criminology, you will need to attend a program where both Engineering and Social Ecology are present).

It is also possible to change after you've taken some classes at UCI. There are specific criteria governing this process which your Academic Counselor can explain to you when you attend summer orientation.

Exception list: changing to the following majors may require additional review or may be highly unlikely due to space limitations:

Arts:

To change majors to Dance, Music, or Music Theatre, you are required to pass an audition. Please contact the Claire Trevor School of the Arts Student Affairs Office for more information.

Business:

The Business Administration major will not be accepting ANY change of majors until the 2010-11 school year.

Engineering:

Engineering will NOT be processing changes of major during SPOP.

Health Sciences:

The Nursing Science major does not accept change of majors until students have finished their first year of courses, which must include the General Chemistry series and Biological Sciences 93.

ICS:

The Business Information Management (BIM) major is limited to 40 students per class level. Entering freshmen who are interested in changing into BIM may join a wait list administered by the Bren ICS Student Affairs Office. Should interest in the major exceed capacity, Bren ICS will hold change of major requests from new freshmen until Week 3 of fall quarter. If space exists at that time, students will be admitted to the major using a competitive review process based on GPA, test scores, and preparatory coursework. Freshmen interested in BIM are also encouraged to affiliate immediately with the Bren School as an ICS Undeclared Pre-Major. If you have any questions, please contact the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences Student Affairs office.

Why am I not getting any confirmations/emails?
Due to the automatic nature of the emails we send out, sometimes our emails are thought of as SPAM/Junk. If you haven't received a confirmation email within one day of completing a reservation, do check your Junk folder. When it becomes available, MySPOP is a good resource for following up on your reservation.

Why am I able to select gender information during the reservation process?
Information that we pull from registrar data can sometimes be inaccurate and not reflective of ones gender identity. Though you cannot change gender related registrar data through the SPOP reservations process*, we ask that you review your gender information for the purposes of bed assignments during orientation.

We understand that not everyone identifies as either male or female, but for the purposes of bed assignments we ask that you please provide your biological sex. Participants will be assigned to single sex suites at SPOP.

*If you have questions about aligning your gender Identity with the information submitted to the office of the registrar, please contact the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Trangender Resource Center (LGBTRC) at 949 824-3277 or visit www.lgbtrc.uci.edu Also, the LGBTRC is working closely with the UCI Housing departments to create options that are accommodating for the gender variant. Contact us for more information.

How will information about orientation be sent to me?
All correspondence regarding orientation will be sent by email to your UCI
email account. Please check this account regularly. If you have not
received any messages regarding orientation at this account, please check
your junk mail.

To ensure that you receive messages regarding orientation, add the following
addresses to your approved e-mail list:

orientation@uci.edu
orientation-exceptions@uci.edu
orientation-needs@uci.edu

Parents:
Do parents have to attend?
While parents/guardians of new students are welcome at Summer Orientation, they are not required to attend.

How do I get from John Wayne Airport to SPOP or Transfer Success?
Click here for printable directions and a map. You will need to park in the "Student Center Parking Structure"(SCPS) or the "Mesa Parking Structure"(MPS).
DIRECTIONS

How do I make hotel arrangements?
We have a list of hotels in the area with special UCI rates. Please contact the hotel directly for current prices.
SPOP Hotels

Can I bring more than 2 parent/guardians or a brother or sister?
Spacing is limited and only available to students and 2 parents/guardians. If you require additional parent/guardian spots, please contact our office to see if an exception can be made at orientation@uci.edu or (949) 824-5182

Campus Contact Information

Academic Contact Information

Up to date as of 5/4/09