The First Steps
Congratulations on your acceptance to the University of Northern Colorado! We'll help make your transition to UNC an easy one. Use this guide to find the information you need to get started.
New Graduate Student Orientation
A great place to begin is with the Graduate School half-day orientations, which cover important topics such as adjusting to graduate student life, financial assistance, student support services and health insurance. Follow this link for dates and more information.
Academic Advising
The graduate coordinator in your program will introduce you to the faculty member who will serve as your academic advisor. He or she will help you understand your program requirements, create a plan of study and mentor you in your studies and research. If you are a doctoral student, you will need to select a faculty member to serve as your advisor and direct your dissertation. Remember, all graduate students must maintain a 3.0 GPA and your program may have other standards that you must meet, so be sure to check with your advisor.
Registration
As soon as you are able, visit with your advisor to discuss what courses you should take your first semester. You can register for classes through URSA (Banner). URSA is your online portal for course registration, financial aid information, campus announcements and many other tools.
To access your account, you will need your Bear Number, which was sent to you in your acceptance letter. If you've never logged into URSA, click on the New Student link under the log in. Once you are in URSA, click on the yellow Student tab, and in the Registration Tools box, click on Register, Add or Drop Classes. Learn more.
Recommended Tasks
- Look at the dates on the Northern Colorado academic calendar and activities calendar.
- Review tuition costs for the Academic Year.
- Apply for Financial Aid (by March 1 of each year) and review the graduate scholarships .
- Check out more detailed information regarding graduate scholarships.
- If you are interested in an assistantship, check out the graduate eligibility guidelines. Apply for a graduate administrative assistantship and view all vacancies.
- Check out the on-campus housing accommodations.
- Choose a dining plan if you'd like to eat on-campus.
- Decide if you would like to enroll for university health insurance.
- Check to see if you meet the immunization requirements.
- Obtain a UNC Card.
- Find out about parking options.
