Incoming Students

 

Welcome to Tulane!

 

Your first year at Tulane will be an exciting time full of new friends and learning experiences. The Newcomb-Tulane College Advising team is here to support all Newcomb-Tulane College students in a holistic approach to academic, career and personal success. Every Newcomb-Tulane College student has a dedicated team of advisors available for one-on-one meetings to discuss academic and career interests and plans throughout their undergraduate career.

By working with our team of advisors, you will have an opportunity to:

  • Explore and choose majors and minors
  • Develop academic plans
  • Cultivate career strategies
  • Investigate pre-health and pre-law tracks
  • Connect with faculty and major advisors

 

As you get acquainted with our office, all incoming freshman students will work with our First-Year Advising team throughout their first year at Tulane. Individual advisors will be assigned by the end of June. Until then, you can direct general questions to advising@tulane.edu. Many questions will be answered as you complete the May modules, review College Advising emails, and complete suggested checklists. You will schedule a registration meeting once directed to do so at the end of May.  Due to advising capacity in the summer, individual follow up advising appointments will be available in July and early August after your summer advising meeting.

Registering for Your First Semester

Please review the appropriate registration information below to learn about your registration process. Your experience will differ slightly depending on your exact student population (First-Time Freshmen, Top Scholar, 2027 Spring Scholar, Transfer Student, or Student Athlete).

Note about advising holds: All incoming students receive an Advising Hold in Gibson. The hold will be lifted when you meet with Advising to finalize your first semester schedule. Summer meeting attendance is required before schedule changes are permitted and the hold is removed. For more information, please click the topic below that best describes you. 

For more information, please click the topic below that best describes you:

 

Class scheduling happens during the summer. In May, you will start your first New Student Orientation Module. In this online course, there is a module dedicated to College Advising. It provides information on the undergraduate registration process at Tulane. There are tasks that must be completed by the end of May to ensure a schedule closely aligned with your academic goals. Your May orientation module will discuss how and when you will sign up for your summer advising session. Summer advising sessions will take place in June. Prior to summer registration, all students will be pre-registered for a base schedule connected to their current primary major interest. 

Top Scholar students will register in May, following the May 1 deposit deadline. Starting April 15th, you will start your first New Student Orientation Module. This online course includes a module dedicated to College Advising. It provides information on the undergraduate registration Process at Tulane. There are tasks you must complete to prepare for your advising session. Upon completion of the May module, you will gain access to scheduling your advising session.

Any Top Scholars who are not registered by the end of May will be looped into our regular summer advising process. More information about the First-Year Honors Scholars program can be found here. 

In May, you will complete your first New Student Orientation Module. The May module includes a section dedicated to College Advising at Tulane. It provides information and steps you must complete related to registration at Tulane. The May modules will review degree requirements, major options, and scheduling goals for your first semester at Tulane. You will complete your first course registration with a Tulane College Advisor in late October 2027.

College Programs will be reaching out to support planning for fall programming outside of Tulane that you are considering. For helpful information, please visit the Spring Scholars Admissions FAQ, https://admission.tulane.edu/spring-scholars/faqs.

Your exact timeline varies depending on when you deposit. Your exact course selection depends largely on how your credits are evaluated and transferred to Tulane. Once deposited, it is really important to get your transfer courses evaluated. The process and policies surrounding transfer credit can be found here: https://admission.tulane.edu/transfer/credit. Other important information can be found in the Guide for Admitted Transfer Students: https://admission.tulane.edu/transfer/admitted-guide and our Transfer FAQ page: https://advising.tulane.edu/students/transfer.  

Student athletes at Tulane are registered through their assigned senior academic advisor in the Don and Laura Peters Academic Center. Check your Tulane email for a welcome message and additional information that will help with the registration process. College Advising will connect with you for additional support during your first year in August. 

Undergraduate international students in F-1 status are required to register for and attend a full course load of classes each fall and spring semester until they complete your academic program. Per federal regulations, undergraduate students must take a minimum of 12 credit hours while school is in session, which in the case of Tulane University means the main academic year, including both fall and spring semesters. 

Additionally, undergraduate international students cannot take more than 3 credit hours of their required minimum credits in online classes. For example, an undergraduate student must take 12 credit hours, so they may take 3 credit hours of online classes but must take 9 credit hours of in-person classes. Any classes beyond the required minimum may be taken online. 

If you have any questions about maintaining your immigration status or about enrollment requirements, please visit this page, https://oiss.tulane.edu/maintaining-your-f-1-status, or reach out to OISS at oiss@tulane.edu. 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

First, check your Tulane email daily. The College Programs team in Newcomb-Tulane College (NTC) has already sent you information regarding your May New Student Orientation Module. Here, you will find an entire section dedicated to College Advising. We provide information about who we are, list tasks needed for accurate pre-registration, and detail degree requirements, major options, and scheduling goals for the Fall.

Completing your May module will give you instructions on how to sign up for one of our summer advising sessions in June.

Your registration process may differ depending on your exact student population (First-Year Student, Top Scholar, 2027 Spring Scholar, Transfer Student, or Student Athlete). Please review registration timelines on our Incoming Students website if you are a Top Scholar, Transfer Student, or Student Athlete. 2027 Spring Scholars will receive outreach in the fall to prepare for spring registration. 

All first-time undergraduates will be pre-registered for some courses at the beginning of June. For more timeline and specifics about pre-registration, review this Pre-Registration Website.  

After pre-registration, students will sign up for a virtual advising session to be held during the month of June. During that meeting, you will finalize your registration for your first semester at Tulane. 

All incoming first-year students will work with our First-Year Advising team during their first year at Tulane. For your summer advising session, you will meet in small groups with two staff advisors for registration review and advising support. This advisor may not be your assigned fall advisor, but they will be an important summer resource to you until specific advisors are assigned.  

After the summer advising sessions are complete, you will have the opportunity to have follow-up meetings with your assigned first-year advisor.  

While you may have seen a note that says, “Your registration time is open on June 1 for Fall 2026,” you will also notice there is an “Advisor Reg Hold.” After pre-registration, we do not want you to make any changes to your schedule until you meet with us. On the day of your scheduled summer advising session, we will lift the registration hold so that you can actively make changes or additions.

Students may add up to three (3) waitlisted classes to their schedules. Placement on the waitlist is visible on the register add/drop tab of the Class Schedule, but do not count towards your currently enrolled credits. When a student gets off the waitlist, they will receive an automated message from the Registrar that they have gotten off the waitlist and have 48 hours to add the class. You will go to the Register Add/Drop page for the Class Schedule and submit registration for the new course. Please check the Current Schedule tab to ensure the add was complete.

If you run into issues, email advising@tulane.edu for support or stop by the virtual drop-ins you will learn about during your advising session.

Our staff will be available for Virtual Advising support from 3-5 p.m. CT, Monday through Friday, during the month of June. Please feel free to drop in for support on a first-come, first-served basis to make schedule tweaks, problem-solve, or get clarity on your burning questions!