Embrace what it means to belong
First things first. Give yourself a little pat on the back. You’re here and you’re now part of a warm, welcoming, open-minded community where possibility thrives. Take some time to celebrate that by connecting with new friends from richly varied cultures. There’s a lot of hard work ahead, but you’ll also have a lot of support as you pursue learning, self-discovery and growth.
Pick up your uOttawa student card
You’ll receive an email once your uOttawa student card is ready for pickup. Make sure to bring valid government-issued ID. Check dates, times and locations for picking up your card since these could vary.
You’ll need to show this card to take exams. It also serves as your transit pass (U-Pass), valid for public transit in Ottawa and Gatineau.
Besides this, the uOttawa student card is your all-in-one card for on-campus access and deals, whether for on-campus debit purchases, access to sports facilities as well as residences and labs, swiping for your meal plan, shopping for textbooks or visiting the Dining Hall.
If you haven’t already done so, submit your student card photo online now and be sure to follow the photo requirements. If you can’t submit a photo online, contact the uOttawa Card Service.
Visit our web page for new students
We hope you’ve already visited this site, but why not refresh your memory: check out what you need to do by reviewing the details on the New Students web page. That’s where you’ll find your pre-arrival checklist, your arrival checklist and the international students checklist.
Get to know the campus
Make sure you get to class on time and know where to go to work out or grab a bite to eat. The University has three campuses: the main campus, Lees Campus (Faculty of Health Sciences) and Roger Guindon Campus (Faculty of Medicine). They’re connected by a free shuttle bus. If you haven’t already done so, there’s still time to take a tour for incoming students. Act soon though as these wrap up at the end of August.
Pro tips: Take a faculty tour to get a good idea of the buildings you’ll be taking classes in. Refer to the interactive online campus map to plan your route. Learn more about the uOttawa shuttle bus.
Put key academic dates in your calendar
When’s Reading Week? Can you still switch classes without penalty? Enter these important dates and deadlines in your personal calendar to keep track of important academic dates and deadlines throughout the year. Check your calendar regularly to stay on track!
Pro tip: Having multiple calendars in different places can quickly get confusing. Synchronize your course schedule, upcoming events and important dates in your uOttawa Outlook Calendar, near the top-left corner of the app’s interface.
Know how to reach your student mentors
You’ve probably already been in contact with our team of regional mentors. We hope you found the sessions on how to prepare for university useful and fun. If you missed these sessions or have any follow-up questions, you can book a relaxed one-on-one chat with your regional mentor until September 30.
Keep your schedule on hand
It helps to keep a screenshot of your schedule on your phone (or a paper copy) to know where your next class is and when.
Pro tip: Get free advice from a mentor on how to build a realistic weekly plan by attending Start strong: Build your weekly plan on September 24.
Pick up your books
Check the syllabus of each course you’re taking to see which textbooks you’ll need. It’s best to get your textbooks sooner rather than later, so don’t put off this crucial step! You can buy or rent textbooks for most courses from the Campus Store. If you get a textbook elsewhere, make sure that you pick up the right edition!
Pro tip: Check the Free Store: you could get lucky and find a used copy of a textbook you need for free!
Know how to stay safe
In the event of an emergency or significant campus threat, these tools deliver critical information to help you take protective action. To ensure you receive emergency alerts, we strongly recommend that you:
- enable notifications for SecurUO on your phone and set them to the highest priority
- prevent your device from offloading the app or removing permissions due to inactivity
- periodically check your settings to ensure they haven’t been altered
- check for the icon with the yellow circle once you’ve installed Alertus on your computer
Review information on Are you ready? to learn how to prepare for emergencies.
Pro tip: Use the Virtual Friend Walk feature in SecurUO to send your location to a friend in real time so they can track your walk until you get to your destination! Remember that Protection Services is available 24/7.
Get familiar with our key IT tools
uoZone: This secure student portal provides access to everything you’ll need while at uOttawa. When you log into uoZone, you gain access to your uOttawa email, your financial statement, information on scholarships and bursaries, and more. Through uoZone, you’ll also be able to access the Student Centre, which is the main hub you’ll be using to explore program and degree requirements, enrol in courses, or change your course selection.
BrightSpace: BrightSpace is your best friend. It’s a learning management system where most of your professors will post course content, including PowerPoint slides, assignments, and reading material. It’s like one of those big binders where you kept all your subjects in high school.
Know the lingo
What is a LEC and what is a DGD? It’s a good idea to get familiar with our course enrolment terminology. (By the way, LEC stands for “lecture”, and DGD is “discussion group”).
Syllabus: Want to know what to expect at your first-ever university class? Your professor will probably post a syllabus on BrightSpace and go over it during your first class. In the syllabus, you’ll find the course outline, the learning objectives, the required course material, and the exam schedule. In essence, it’s somewhat of a “contract” between you and your professor. (Pro tip: add all those mid-term, essay deadline, and final exam dates to your planner/calendar at the start of the term).
Units: Ah yes, our precious units (sometimes referred to as credits). This is what will make all those late-night study sessions worth it (*ahem, besides the joy of learning, of course). A unit is the value assigned to an academic activity. Regular undergraduate courses are usually worth three units and run for one term. Graduate courses are typically worth 1.5 or 3 units and have a slightly different schedule.
Register for academic accommodations if you need them
If you require academic accommodations, we strongly recommend that you request them as soon as you’ve enrolled in your courses. This ensures the measures you need are in place from the start of the term.
We can help you submit a request for support related to a disability or health issue. For more information, visit Registering for accommodations.
Stay connected on social media
Follow @uOttawacampus. It’s your best social media window into everything going on across uOttawa’s student community. Load your feed with timely updates about food festivals, fun events, campus news, inspiring and informative reels, important reminders, and everything to do with student life, often produced by students like you.
Get into university life. Celebrate and elevate our Gee-Gees community. View, like and share.
Read The Gee
Check your student email every two weeks for The Gee, your student life newsletter. Be sure to give it a quick skim to find out everything you need to know so you can max out your student experience. Get essential insights, advice and information about student life, and strengthen your ties to your campus and your community.
Pro tip:Visit the Gee website at any time to catch up on news, events and important information. Got an idea for a story or a uOttawa service you want to know more about? Send an email to The Gee.
Take part in Welcome Week activities
Now for the fun stuff! Form new friendships and get off to a great start by taking part in free Welcome Week activities on campus from September 4 to 10. Get free things to set up for the school year at the Free Store pop-up, play laser tag, join the International Get-together, share your dreams for the year ahead on the Dream Tree, dance with thousands of other students at the uoShow and much more!
Look for a job on campus
Although right now you’re probably laser focused on doing well in class, if you do find you have time for some part-time employment, check out our on-campus employment page; it’s a good place to start your job search.
Download the uoWellness app
Take the first steps on your wellness journey by downloading the uoWellness app, which was made by students for students. You can book appointments, access peer wellness chats and self-help, share wellness tips with friends, book light therapy or plant rooms, see future events and much more. As you explore and use the app, such as when you create an avatar, share a tip or event, or book a service, you’ll earn points toward badges. You then become eligible for prizes, based on your badge.
Sign up for Free Food Alert
Get access to free food left over from conferences, ceremonies, events and meetings on campus by signing up for Free Food Alert. You’ll be helping to reduce food waste as you snag free food, from croissants, pastries and fruit to hot curries and shawarma. To subscribe, you must use your @uOttawa.ca email address. Every time food is available, you’ll receive an alert in your inbox or, if you download the app, a notification on your phone. Since November 2024, thousands of students have used Free Food Alert!
Discover the endless ways to move on campus
Move your way. Your student membership gives you access to a wide variety of drop-in sports and group fitness classes at no extra charge. You can enjoy drop-in swimming, group fitness, squash, basketball, soccer, badminton, pickleball, skating and dance. Whatever you’re looking for, Gee-Gees recreation offers activities and facilities to help you stay active, connect with others and have fun. You don’t have to register. Just show up any time you like, making it easy to fit fun and fitness into your busy schedule. Do what moves you.
Intramural leagues are a fantastic and very popular extracurricular activity for a small extra cost, but places fill up fast. Sign-ups for volleyball, multi-sport, spikeball, basketball, flag football, soccer, dodgeball, hockey and ultimate frisbee begin on Monday, August 24. Be sure to review how to register for intramurals before that date to be ready. Join intramurals — there’s a sport for everyone.
Find your fit. If you really want to focus on your fitness, you can also sign up for registered activities, which do require an extra cost for qualified, experienced instructors and trainers.
To get started, activate your ACTIVENet account on the Gee-Gee Reg portal. As a uOttawa student, you already have an account — you just need to sign in with your University credentials.
Save money on Gee-Gees tickets
Being in a crowd with thousands of other Gee-Gees fans is an amazing way to embrace uOttawa student life. Score your tickets to the 2026–2027 Gee-Gees varsity season and be a part of #GGNation! Home games are a great opportunity to meet new friends, connect with the campus community and show off your garnet and grey!
Tickets for single games are $7 if you buy them online (or $10 at the door). You can also save money by purchasing a Student Flex Pass — bundle and save with 3-, 5- or 10-game packs for games of your choice (on sale as of August 14). Or buy a season pass for general admission to all regular-season home games for the team of your choice.