International Student Orientation

Spring 2025 International Student Orientation (ISO) will be held on Monday, January 20th at the Livingston Student Center, 84 Joyce Kilmer Avenue, Piscataway, NJ, 08554, Livingston Campus

This page will be updated with the latest information about Spring 2025 ISO.

Welcome, our new Scarlet Knights to Rutgers!

Rutgers Global–International Student and Scholar Services conducts a comprehensive orientation for all new international first-year and transfer students students every fall and spring semester. This mandatory orientation welcomes, prepares, and engages new students and their families in their transition to Rutgers University - New Brunswick. At orientation, students become familiar with their new surroundings and are told about available opportunities and resources on and off campus. New students also meet other new and returning students, learning from their experiences and making new friends. For Spring 2025, the ISO program is an in-person experience along with virtual pre-arrival components.

We're looking forward to meeting you at the upcoming Orientation program! Our primary goal is to ensure that every student walks away from their orientation program with the resources, tools, and answers to make sure their first semester is a successful one.

How to Register for Orientation 

Undergraduate Students: ISO Registration will open in late November! 

Graduate Students: You are automatically registered for ISO.

What You Can Expect

The fall International Student Orientation (ISO) is a two and a half day program for graduate and undergraduate international first year and transfer students. Through presentations and interactive activities, students will learn more about the Rutgers campus, connect with Rutgers departments, resources, and staff, and get guidance from current Rutgers students. ISO is also an opportunity for students to make friends as they begin their Rutgers journey. 

Graduate students may be invited to department and school specific orientation programs that are separate from the ISO. Please make sure you attend those programs as well. 

We want to ensure that everyone is able to fully participate in our Orientation experience.  If there are questions and/or concerns about the method(s) of delivering content, please do not hesitate to contact our office at isss-students@global.rutgers.edu.

Note about RUIDs: Students must upload a photo to receive their ID card. Students with on-campus housing will pick up their ID card when they check-in at their residence hall. All other students can at obtain their ID cards at a Student ID Card Service Center. 

ISO Welcome Event and Sessions on Monday January 20 at Livingston Student Center

All International students will be required to download a "getINVOLVED" QR code to sign in at the ISO Welcome Event on Monday, January 20 at 9:00am at the Livingston Student Center. Please follow the instructions below to obtain the QR code and add it to your Apple or Google Wallets before the event.

Instructions: 

1. Log on to your getINVOLVED profile: http://getinvolved.rutgers.edu/  
2. Once you have logged in with your Net ID and password, click on your name in the top right-hand corner
3. Click the QR code icon
4. Add Event pass to your Google or Apple wallets by clicking one of the following links

Academic Sessions for Undergraduate Students

Students will be invited to their respective school's academic planning Canvas course or mandatory academic orientation. All students must complete their Placement Exams within 30 days of enrolling. Preliminary schedules for international students will be generated in late July. Depending on the school, there might be additional virtual advising sessions over the summer. More information will come directly from school advising offices, and students are expected to check email frequently, including junk/spam folder for important information about enrollment and course registration. Each school has a unique registration process and curricula, so you want to make sure you get correct information directly from your school, NOT from your peers. When contacting the University, include your full name, school, and RUID or NetID, and use your Rutgers email whenever possible. 

International Parent and Family Orientation (for parents of undergraduate students only)

All Parent and Family Members are also encouraged to join the R Family Hub, our parent communications platform. Sign-up and select what type of information you want to receive and how often you want to hear from us. Email ruparents@echo.rutgers.edu with any questions.

Post Orientation

Here are a few tips to help you prepare for your first semester:

Review our Pre and Post Arrival Steps for more information on how to prepare for your arrival and important tasks you should complete to prepare you for your first semester.

Undergraduate Students: Review the information and resources on the Student Orientation and Transition Programs website.