Orientation for Transfer and Non-Traditional Students
Welcome to the Bobcat Family!
We are very excited for you to join us for the start or continuation of your college career! Orientation/Class Registration is your introduction to academic and non-academic life at Montana State University.
During Orientation, students will have the opportunity to:
- Learn how to successfully transition to life at MSU
- Engage with University services and resources
- Connect with MSU staff, faculty, and Academic Advisors
- Learn how to use MSU's course planning and class registration systems
- Register for semester courses
Visit the Transfer Student Guide for more information on transferring to MSU.
*Are you an International Student OR a Veteran, active duty military member, National Guard member, or Reservist? Click here to learn more about our Orientation programs for International and Veteran students. Dependents using a parent's or spouse's VA benefits will register for and participate in the Freshman Orientation outlined on this page.
Program Overview
Welcome to Montana State University! If you are ready to reserve your spot in our incoming class, make sure you register for Orientation/Class Registration! Orientation is required for all new MSU students and is when you register for classes. Signing up for Orientation is viewed as a student's intent to enroll.
The Transfer and Non-Traditional Orientation/Class Registration program consists of an online Orientation, which is required for all students, and, depending on your intended start term, an optional or required in-person Orientation session. See more information below.
The Orientation/Class Registration program requires a non-refundable program fee that directly covers programmatic costs such as Orientation maintenance, mailings, etc.
Online Orientation
Online Orientation, which is hosted in the platform CatsConnect, walks you through meeting all prerequisite requirements for enrolling in courses at MSU. It includes items such as submitting transfer credit to review, completing your MyMSU checklist requirements, getting math and writing placements on file, familiarizing you with MSU's technological platforms, and setting up a meeting with your academic advisor and registering for classes.
Online Orientation must be completed before registering for courses.
In-person Orientation
An in-person Orientation session is hosted for incoming Transfer and Non-Traditional students prior to the start of term. During the in-person session, you will have the opportunity to meet with your academic college, attend various information sessions, and connect with other students.
- Students starting in the Spring 2026 semester are REQUIRED to attend a half-day in-person Orientation session 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM on January 12, 2026. Classes start January 13.
- Students starting in the Summer term or Fall semester may optionally attend in-person Orientation programming August 23-25, 2026. Any transfer or non-traditional students not registered for classes by August 21 should plan to attend the in-person Orientation session in order to register for classes.
Timelines and Schedule Information
Click your intended start term at MSU to see your Orientation timeline.
- Orientation registration will open on November 3rd, 2025.
- The online Orientation pathway for incoming transfer and non-traditional students
opens November 24 and must be completed before the start of the spring semester.
- Online Orientation includes instructions on how to request academic advising appointments and register for classes.
- The priority date to complete online pathways is January 2nd, but online Orientation will remain open until January 9th.
- Students can register for classes once they have completed their online Orientation pathway and met with an academic advisor, who will provide students with their PIN (essentially a one-time password) to access course registration.
- In-person Orientation is 8:00AM - 12:00PM, January 12, 2026 in the Strand Union Building
(SUB).
- Students who are not registered for courses by January 9th will register during in-person programming on January 12th.
- Students wishing to meet again with an academic advisor and/or modify their class schedule
Transfer and non-traditional students starting in the Summer term and continuing into the Fall term should register for and complete the Transfer and Non-Traditional Student Orientation program for students starting in the Fall term. Plan to make an appointment with your academic advisor to select your summer classes and complete your online Orientation promptly after it opens in early May. Students starting in the summer term are eligible to register for classes starting May 4, 2026.
- Orientation registration will open on February 18, 2026.
- The online Orientation pathway for incoming transfer and non-traditional students
opens in early May and must be completed before the start of the fall semester.
- Online Orientation includes instructions on how to request academic advising appointments and register for classes.
- The priority date to complete online pathways is July 8th, but online Orientation will remain open until August 21st.
- Students can register for classes once they have completed online Orientation pathway and met with an academic advisor, who will provide students with their PIN (essentially a one-time password) to access course registration.
- In-person Orientation is August 23-25, 2026.
- Students who are not registered for courses by August 21 will register during in-person programming on August 24th.
- If students already have a class schedule but would like to modify it, they may do so during in-person Orientation on August 25th.
Students are not eligible to meet with an Academic Advisor and register for Fall 2026 classes until the dates outlined above.
Additional Resources and Frequently Asked Questions
Registering for Orientation
Students ready to register for Orientation can log into their MyMSU account and navigate to their Admissions Checklist. If registration for Orientation is open and you are eligible to register, you will see a link to register in the Orientation/Class Registration item.
Already registered?
Students already registered for Orientation are encouraged to access their Orientation Confirmation page for the most detailed and up-to-date information on their Orientation program. As long as you are registered for Orientation, your Confirmation page is linked in the first line of the Orientation/Class Registration item in your MyMSU Admissions Checklist.
Want to get a headstart, clarity on items in your MyMSU Admissions Checklist, and additional information about the enrollment process? Check out our Enrollment Roadmap.
Frequently Asked Questions
As long as you are registered for Orientation AND your registration has been processed by our office (which usually takes about two business days after you submit your Orientation registration), detailed instructions to access and complete your online Orientation are availabe on your Orientation confirmation page, which is linked in the Orientation/Class Registration item in your MyMSU Admissions Checklist.
If you registered for Orientation more than two business days ago and you don't see your Orientation path in CatsConnect under the Paths section, please email our team at orientation@montana.edu.
Your online Orientation in CatsConnect will walk you through finding your academic advisor and setting up and appointment with them. Please review the instructions for academic advising and course registration in your online Orientation modules carefully.
Credit evaluations are completed for admitted students in the order in which they are received, but will be prioritized by our team if your other enrollment checklist items are completed, including your Orientation registration, immunization documentation, etc.
You will be emailed when your credit evaluation is complete. You can also view your evaluated credit in your MyMSU Admissions Checklist.
Please note: You can still register for classes even if your credit evaluation isn't complete! Your academic advisor can help you look at your earned college credit and register for the appropriate classes at MSU. Be sure to bring unofficial copies of your transcripts to your advising appointment(s).
Please check out our Transfer Credit Guide for more information.
It depends. If your incoming writing credit counts for three or more credits of MSU's WRIT 101W, WRIT 201W, or ELEC ###W, you do not need to take the writing placement test. If your incoming math credit counts for a prerequisite class for the math you need to take or for the math class needed for your major (not elective ELEC credits), you may not need to take the math placement test. Your academic advisor can help you make this determination.
If you are using transfer credit in lieu of a formally assigned math or writing placement, the "placement" checkboxes in your MyMSU Admissions Checklist will not be checked off.
Our office may approve fee waiver requests based on financial need and/or students' individual circumstances. Please reach out to orientation@montana.edu if you would like to discuss requesting that your Orientation fee be waived.
Please contact the Orientation Office at orientation@montana.edu. Please also
note that we can only make some accommodations based on need, not preference. The
Orientation office can work with you regarding your one-day program, but you are responsible
for establishing accommodations for your semester. If you have not already been in
contact with the Office of Disability Services in preparation for your start on campus, we encourage you to contact disabilityservices@montana.edu or 406-994-2824.
Additional Resources
Questions? We're here to help.
If you have questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to us! You can email our
staff at orientation@montana.edu, or call us Monday - Friday, 8:00am-5:00pm MT at 1-888-MSU-CATS.