Welcome Guide: Starting your first term

Your Student Hub provides easy access to digital tools, personal information, services and resources and more. My CU Account is where you will register for courses, update your personal information, access your academic requirements report, view your exam schedules and see your grades after each term. It is also where you will be able to view your tuition and other fees.

Moodle is where your professors share their course outlines, along with other class materials. Once the term begins, be sure that all the classes you're taking show up in your Moodle account. You may not see your courses in Moodle until the first day of each of your classes.

Note: eConcordia courses do not appear on Moodle. Instead, they can be found on the eConcordia platform.

If you haven't already, consider activating your Concordia email account, which will give you free access to the Office 365 suite of tools.

You may have joined the waitlist for a class. As other students adjust their schedules at the beginning of term, you may automatically be enrolled in the waitlisted course. If you had set up the swap function, you'll also automatically drop another course. Review the swaps you set up to make sure they still fit with your plans.

The DNE deadline (which stands for Did Not Enter) is the date by which you can officially withdraw from a course without having to pay for it. If you drop a course before this deadline it won’t appear on either your student record or official transcript. Note: If you DNE all of your courses, your offer of admission becomes invalid.

If you want to drop a course after the DNE deadline, you can, as long as it's before the DISC deadline (short for Discontinued). While it won't affect your GPA (grade point average), discontinuing a course will result in a DISC notation on your student record and official transcript. You will also need to pay the tuition fee for the discontinued course.

Deciding to stop attending a course is not the same as dropping a course. If you do not drop a course, and simply stop doing the coursework and participating, you will receive a failing grade.

International students and those receiving government financial aid must be enrolled as full-time students.

Fall tuition is due September 1 and the final payment deadline is September 30. You can pay your tuition fees by online banking, pre-authorized debit, credit card or using CIBC International Student Pay.

You can see the breakdown of your tuition fees in your Student Centre. You're automatically enrolled in Concordia student health insurance, which is included in your fees. Your tuition payment also includes a series of "fee levies," which are student organizations and initiatives at Concordia that have been selected by a referendum process to receive funding through student fees.

Every government financial aid program has its own procedures for disbursing funds. Your program may require you to pick up or drop off documents, or get your loan documents certified. Find out more in the Finances section of your Student Centre.

If you have questions about your tuition fees, you can contact the Student Accounts office for support.

Your student ID card will allow you to access the campus shuttle, get a student-rate OPUS card to take public transit and access certain campus buildings. While COVID-19 health and safety measures are in place, having a student ID is optional. Otherwise, every Concordian is required to have one. 

You can find out which books are required for your courses by reading the course outline in Moodle or by consulting your personalized student book list on the Concordia Book Stop bookstore web page. You can also confirm with your professor once classes have started. You can buy course packs and textbooks on the Book Stop web page.

Many professors put the required readings on course reserve at the libraries, meaning you can borrow them for short periods during which you can scan and email assigned pages to yourself. Professors will let you know in your course outline if readings are on reserve at the libraries.

Orientation and Frosh events are an excellent way to meet other new students from your Faculty and across the university. You will discover all of the amazing student groups and learn about ways to get involved. Whatever your interests, there's something for you. 

Homeroom is an initiative that provides a space to meet and bond with other new Concordia students. In weekly meetings led by upper-year students, you’ll discuss a wide array of must-know topics that will help ease the transition to Concordia. Homeroom takes place weekly on Zoom. 

Under normal circumstances you have over 200 intramural sports to choose from; while Concordia is remote, you can join an intramural e-Sports team to meet new people. You can also stay active with online group fitness classes offered by Recreation and Athletics, which are free for Concordia students.

More opportunities to connect: First-year check-ins, a chance for new students to exchange ideas, challenges and tips about starting university; regular social events organized by the International Students Office and the Otsenhákta Student Centre; and the Welcome Crew student mentors, who can offer advice on adapting to university life. You can also browse the Student life pages to find more ways to get involved.

If your offer letter included a request for an official transcript from your final term, send it to the Concordia admissions office as soon as possible. Cegep students do not have to submit anything unless specifically notified. We receive official final transcripts electronically from your Cegep.

If you're an international student, be sure you've uploaded your immigration documents (CAQ, Study Permit, passport) to your Student Centre as soon as they are available.

Connect with our student mentors from the Welcome Crew. They are knowledgeable current students who are happy to share their experience and help you find the information you are looking for. You can also request to be paired with a staff Navigator for help identifying and accessing the services and support you need.  

The Student Success Centre can help you cultivate strong time management and study skills as well as support your personal and career development. Health and Wellness focuses on your mental and physical health and first-year support counselling is available if you're finding the transition to university more challenging than anticipated. Reach out to these or other student services at any time.

Academic advisors can lend assistance with course planning and your program and degree requirements. For questions about your coursework, you can always contact your professors and teaching assistants (TAs) by email. Professors also host virtual office hours, which are a chance to discuss your assignments and learn more about their expectations of you in the class.

If you're having trouble, you can always contact the Instructional and Information Technology Services (IITS) service centre either by phone at 514-848-2424, ext. 7613, or email at help@concordia.ca. Birks Student Services Centre is also a fantastic resource for help with university policies and procedures.