On-Campus Housing
Living on campus in a Residence Hall helps you meet other students and form a community here on campus.
Each Residence Hall is unique, so we suggest a little research to find your best fit.
Learn more about move-in.
New First-Year Students
Welcome to the Tommie Family!
Throughout your transition to starting classes at St. Thomas, you will learn how to register for your courses, meet other classmates at our Orientation sessions, and connect with our supportive faculty and staff.
Your orientation process has a number of steps, and you’ll be enrolled in our “New Student Orientation” online course in Canvas (the online learning platform used by St. Thomas) to walk you through them, including:
- How to "Claim your account" so you can access many of the necessary systems
- Preparing for registration
- Completing the New Student Orientation Canvas course
- Where you'll live and what you'll eat
- Finishing activities related to college finances
- Advocating for your needs related to accommodations, physical, and mental health
- Welcome Days
Orientation Dates 2024
Orientation Sessions will be offered in person on July 9, 10, 12, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, and 25. A virtual session will be offered on July 30.
Watch your email for your invitation to sign-up for Orientation in early May. Space is limited in each session.
Sign-up in your St. Thomas application portal.
| Key Dates for New Students | Date / Date Span |
|---|---|
| Placement Assessments Open | May 6 |
| Submit Housing Preference Form | June 5 |
| Complete Registration Readiness module and submit Course Preference Form | June 5 |
| Attend Orientation & Registration (O&R) Session | July 9-30 |
| Welcome Days for new students | Begins August 27 |
Preparing for Registration (due June 5)
Before you can register for your fall semester courses, you need to:
- Take placement assessments if required
- Complete the Registration Readiness module in your New Student Orientation Canvas course
- Fill out and submit your Course Preference Form (CPF)
- Submit your AP scores or final college transcripts
Each of these steps is outlined in your New Student Orientation course in Canvas, which can be accessed through OneStThomas. Note: You must first set up and claim your St. Thomas account.
Set up your St. Thomas account
Why claim your accounts?
New students must set up their email and user profile (or claim your account) in order to use the St. Thomas systems such as registration and payment. You should have received your student ID number and additional account information in the mail from Admissions after formal acceptance to St. Thomas.
You must do this in order to prepare for and register for fall semester classes.
Claim your St. Thomas email
Your St. Thomas email account is the official method of communication for the University, so it's time to get familiar with using it.
This would be a good time to start checking your St. Thomas email regularly. If you have a smartphone and want to get your email set up on your device, read instructions from Tommie Tech Services on adding email and other Microsoft Office programs to your smartphone, tablet or computer.
Update parent/ guardian emails
We hope to be able to communicate directly with parents or others supporting your transition to St. Thomas. Communications include the Parent & Family Newsletter and other updates from St. Thomas.
When you sign up for your O&R session, you’ll have a chance to provide emails for those folks.
Set up Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
MFA helps keep your information safe by verifying that people logging into the St. Thomas systems are indeed the people we think they are.
Log in to OneStThomas
Get familiar with our student portal, which serves as your gateway to all the University's systems and information for current students.
Why claim your accounts?
Why claim your accounts?
New students must set up their email and user profile (or claim your account) in order to use the St. Thomas systems such as registration and payment. You should have received your student ID number and additional account information in the mail from Admissions after formal acceptance to St. Thomas.
You must do this in order to prepare for and register for fall semester classes.
Claim your St. Thomas email
Claim your St. Thomas email
Your St. Thomas email account is the official method of communication for the University, so it's time to get familiar with using it.
This would be a good time to start checking your St. Thomas email regularly. If you have a smartphone and want to get your email set up on your device, read instructions from Tommie Tech Services on adding email and other Microsoft Office programs to your smartphone, tablet or computer.
Update parent/ guardian emails
Update parent/ guardian emails
We hope to be able to communicate directly with parents or others supporting your transition to St. Thomas. Communications include the Parent & Family Newsletter and other updates from St. Thomas.
When you sign up for your O&R session, you’ll have a chance to provide emails for those folks.
Set up Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
Set up Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
MFA helps keep your information safe by verifying that people logging into the St. Thomas systems are indeed the people we think they are.
Log in to OneStThomas
Log in to OneStThomas
Get familiar with our student portal, which serves as your gateway to all the University's systems and information for current students.
Continue your Orientation
Your orientation has three major components: Your “New Student Orientation” Canvas course online, your Orientation & Registration Session event, and Welcome Days.
- The New Student Orientation (NSO) course online begins in May and continues throughout the summer. New content will open as you finish the prior modules. But pace yourself - you don’t have to do everything at once. Aim to do a little bit at a time throughout the summer.
- Orientation & Registration is the event where you register for your fall semester schedule and connect with other incoming first years. Most of our O&R events will be in-person and on-campus (though we will still offer some virtual sessions). Sign up for your O&R session in your admissions portal.
- Welcome Days kicks off your first year at St. Thomas. Starting at the end of August, new students will be on campus, engaging with one another, and setting themselves up for success.
Your Orientation Leader will be engaging with you in the NSO course throughout the summer, will lead you through your O&R event, and will be there to welcome you at Welcome Days. They are a tremendous resource for answering your questions and getting you connected.
Updates, content, and opportunities to connect will be posted on our Orientation Instagram account throughout the summer.
All new students will be required to submit their photos online for their Tommie Card (University of St. Thomas ID card) by June 18. Please visit the Card Office website for further information on photo requirements and submission instructions.
All of these trainings are available through your NSO course and will be opened in modules throughout the summer.
Billing & Financial Aid course
Understanding your responsibilities as a student is an important step in preparing for the fall. If your parents or other supporters are involved in your financial decisions regarding your attendance at St. Thomas, you may also want to have them with you when completing the course.
Tommie Tech: orientation to St. Thomas technologies
This online course includes a number of short practice activities to help you to get more comfortable finding and using digital resources at St. Thomas.
Get Inclusive: Voices for Change course
As a part of St. Thomas’s efforts to maintain an inclusive, safe, and educational learning environment, all first-year and transfer students are required to complete Get Inclusive: Voices for Change learning modules before classes begin.
Students will learn more about our policies while engaging in a short video series, text, and quizzes filled with information related to various topics including bystander intervention, diversity and inclusion, alcohol and other drugs, sexual harassment, and hazing.
Housing and Dining
Where you live is intertwined with our Core Curriculum, which helps prepare you for success both during and after college. You'll want to understand the difference between a Living Learning Community and a Theme-Based Learning Community, and how those relate to your On or Off -Campus living decision.
As a reminder, St. Thomas has a two-year On-Campus Living Requirement.
Off-Campus Housing
Incoming first-year students who are living off campus are part of the Off-Campus Student Life community.
You’ll be enrolled in a commuter section of FYEX 100, paired with a Peer Mentor, and be connected with a number of resources.
Dining Meal Plan
First-year students living on campus all use the Unlimited Meal Plan, which means you eat what you want, when you want, and as often as you want.
Please also talk with us about accommodating your dietary and nutrition needs.
Decisions about Finances
Taking care of the business of paying for school and managing the money is primarily your responsibility now.
The Financial Aid Checklist will help you ensure you've taken care of the necessary steps to pay for college.
You'll want to finish deciding on financial aid options, submitting deposits, and deciding who is going to pay the bills...and giving them the access to do it.
Accommodations and Disability Resources
Disability Resources works with students, faculty, staff and campus visitors on making all aspects of the university accessible. We work with students who have disabilities and/or chronic health conditions to determine reasonable accommodations that provide equal access both inside and outside the classroom. Please reach out to our office with any questions, and/or to set up an initial meeting. We look forward to working with you.
Physical & Mental Well-Being
The Center for Well-Being is an integrated healthcare model that partners physical and mental health services, including Health Promotion, Resilience, and Violence Prevention. Contact them to transfer prescriptions and medical records, arrange for continuity of care, and transfer your Immunization Records.
Welcome Days
Your University of St. Thomas college career officially begins with Welcome Days.
Welcome Days includes events, activities and endless opportunities for new students to create connections with other new students at St. Thomas. Parents and other family members, this is the time for you to let your student explore on their own, allowing them to begin the adjustment and transition process.
PLEASE CHECK the Welcome Days site throughout the summer for a detailed schedule.