Orientation

Steps to Obtain Your Official Student ID Card

 You will need your banner ID to create an account. If you do not know your banner ID, please see below for steps to retrieving it:

1. Sign into https://my.newpaltz.edu/
2. Select “General” in the left column
3. Select “Look Up Banner ID”
4. Your banner ID begins with an “N” and is followed by 8 digits

Part One: Create an Account

1. Using the link below, register or login to your SUNY ID Card account: https://atriumconnect.atriumcampus.com/mod_auth/register.php?cid=87 
2. Set a password via the email that was sent to you

Part Two: Uploading Images

1. Use the link below and sign into your account: https://atriumconnect.atriumcampus.com/login.php?cid=87&wason=/photoupload.php&cid=87 
2.  You must first upload a valid, government-issued photo ID.
3. Then upload a photo that will be used on your student ID card, making sure it follows the requirements stated on the website.
4. You will receive a confirmation email stating a photo has been successfully uploaded – NOTE – this does not mean it has been approved.
5. Once the photo is approved, you will receive another email with a link to submit the $20 ID card payment.
6. Both photo and payment steps must be completed, or your ID will not be printed ahead of your orientation session.

You will receive your student ID card at orientation.

The steps above must be completed AT LEAST ONE WEEK PRIOR to your scheduled orientation.

You will still need to bring an official form of photo identification (e.g., driver’s license or passport) to receive your ID Card when you arrive on campus.

Once you are accepted to New Paltz, it will take 48 hours to activate your student record. You may pay your pre-enrollment deposit once your student record has been activated.

Once the pre-enrollment deposit is paid it will take an additional 48 to 72 hours to complete an evaluation of all transfer credits.

Transfer students will be directed to major departments to assist with advising and registration. 

You must participate in Orientation/Course Registration in order to register for classes. Select your Orientation date and register on your admissions portal. 

You must pay your pre-enrollment deposit (PED) in order to register for Orientation/Course Registration.  

Your final high school transcript, with your graduation date should be sent to New Paltz by the first day of classes.  It is required by the New York State Education Department to finalize enrollment and financial aid. 

Submit your final official high school transcripts with date of graduation to:

Office of Undergraduate Admission
SUNY New Paltz
100 Hawk Drive
New Paltz, New York 12561

email: admissions@newpaltz.edu

Tuition, housing and other fee billing is only done online through your my.newpaltz.edu account. Payment must be received in the Office of Student Accounts by the stated due date that appears on your bill. You can access your bill, accept your charges, complete the health insurance waiver, and make payment or payment arrangements online at my.newpaltz.edu after orientation.

This information should be received at least 30 days prior to your arrival on campus. The Student Health Service strongly recommends that you schedule a physical with your primary care provider as soon as possible, as you may have to wait several weeks to get an appointment. The ‘Demographics,’ ‘Health History,’ ‘Meningitis Vaccination Response Form’ and ‘Tuberculosis Screening form (p. 1-4 of the Health Report) should be completed by the student or parent prior to the appointment. Your provider must complete the Medical Assessment and provide signed documentation of your immunizations (p. 5-6 of the Health Report). Please mail, fax or email the completed Health Report at least at least 30 days before arriving on campus. NYS law requires all students to submit proof of proper immunizations for Measles, Mumps and Rubella or proof of immunity by blood titers. Students must also show proof of a meningitis vaccine within the past five years or complete a waiver form. Returning a properly completed Health Report should fulfill these requirements and allow you to register for classes.The Health Report can be downloaded from the SUNY New Paltz website by navigating to the ‘Student Health Service’ and choosing the ‘Forms’ link.

Yes, transfer housing is available on a first-come, first-serve basis. The College is still accepting Advanced Room Deposits (ARD) for Fall 2023. Submit your deposit(s) on your status portal. 

Roommates

Each of you will submit a roommate matching survey as part of the orientation process. The survey will ask questions about your living habits, such as what time you typically go to bed, cleanliness, amount of preferred social time versus study time in the room, etc.  If you already have a friend or meet someone on social media you decide to live with, you can request them as roommate on your survey. Roommate requests must be mutual so you must make sure your friend requests you on their survey.  If you do not know anyone specific you want to room with, we will use your answers to the survey questions to match you with people that have similar living habits.

Room assignments

Once the roommate matching process is completed, roommate groups will be placed in rooms together. The room and building each roommate group will be placed in is chosen at random. There are three exceptions to this:

1. Students who choose to join one of our Living-Learning Communities (LLCs). LLCs are building specific, so participants will be assigned to their LLC’s building. LLC participants will be assigned roommates who are also part of the same LLC. Most of you have already received an email with information about the Communities at New Paltz LLCs, and will receive information about our other LLCs soon.
2. Students who have a medical diagnosis or disability that requires specific accommodations.
3. Students that need to stay on campus during winter and/or spring break must live in one of our 10-month halls, as those are the only buildings that stay open during those breaks. This includes athletes who will play on teams that have games and practices during the breaks, as well as non-athletes that cannot go home during either or both breaks for any reason.

Students will register for classes at your Transfer Orientation session.  Be sure to check you New Paltz email prior to your Orientation session -- some campus departments have pre-registration instructions or meetings.  

You will complete online learning modules that will help orient you to the Schedule of Classes, My Schedule Planner, the Eight Semester Plan and Degree Works, among other terrific tools New Paltz students use for planning.

You will meet with an advisor during Transfer Orientation and complete your course registration.

Declared students: Transfer students who have declared a major will be assigned to a faculty member from the department of study. 

Undeclared students: Transfer students who are undeclared will be assigned to an advisor from the Office of Academic Advising. For more information, click here.

If you took AP, IB or a college course in high school, you have probably already started earning college credit. It's up to you to ensure SUNY New Paltz receives these official transcripts; your high school does not send these for you. Contact the appropriate institution:

For Advanced Placement (AP) courses, scores of 3, 4, or 5 are accepted for college credit. Contact College Board for official transcripts.

For International Baccalaureate courses, scores of 5 or higher are accepted for college credit. Contact International Baccalaureate for official transcripts.

For college courses taken in high school, grades of C- or higher can be transferred for credit. Contact the college where you took the course for official transcripts.

What you have to do:

Contact the institution that granted the credits and request that official transcripts be sent to:

Office of Undergraduate Admission
State University of New York at New Paltz
100 Hawk Drive 
New Paltz, New York 12561-2499

Yes! On the transfer website (https://www.newpaltz.edu/admissions/transfer.html), you can find a link that says: “Transfer Course Equivalencies”. From there, you can find your school and compare your courses. NOTE: If you receive a grade of a "C-" or better, the course will transfer. Eight semester planhttps://www.newpaltz.edu/ugc/8-semester-plans/.

Transfer credits are evaluated after the pre-enrollment deposit is made. It takes two to three weeks to receive most official credit evaluations. You will be notified via email.

https://www.newpaltz.edu/foreign_lang/placement.html

Your final college transcript including AP/IB/CLEP, should be received by the first day of classes at New Paltz. They should be sent to the following address.

Office of Undergraduate Admissions
SUNY New Paltz
100 Hawk Drive
New Paltz, NY 12561

Second degree candidates follow the same advising and registration process as transfer students. 

Readmitted students follow the same advising and registration process as transfer students. Often, these students have received some advisement from their department as part of the readmission process.

If you have a documented disability and will be requesting accommodations, complete the Accommodation Request as soon as you select an Orientation session. See the requirements, procedures and contact information on our web page www.newpaltz.edu/drc/ 

As a Transfer student, you must have a minimum of a 2.75 cumulative GPA from your present institution.  Also, for transfer eligibility you must successfully complete the following courses for admission into the School of Business:

Freshman Comp I & II

Microeconomics OR Macroeconomics

College Algebra (or its equivalent) – although not required, it is recommended all applicants complete Precalculus (the final math course required for the major) prior to transferring to SUNY New Paltz.

If admitted as a non-business student, you may declare a Business major as your second major as early as the first day of classes. You may contact the Center for Business Advising (businessadvising@newpaltz.edu, or VH 206) to make the request.

Yes, if admitted to SUNY New Paltz, you may request to declare a Business major as early as the first day of classes. You will need to make an appointment with an adviser to declare so they are able to review the missing requirements, your major status (due to the declaration time) and all risks associated with declaring without the admission criteria.

Transfer students may send their transcript from their previous institution to businessadvising@newpaltz.edu for an unofficial evaluation of business courses still needed, and business courses for which you will receive major credit.

Freshman students will receive notification of any business transfer credits at their orientation session.

The School of Business has a Senior Career Advisor, Christine Daly who assists all Business students with internship prep, notification and availability. 

We also have a password protected database for jobs and internships called HawkHire for our students to access thru my.newpaltz.edu.

The School of Business requires the completion of Precalculus for its majors. It is best if this course is completed BEFORE transferring to SUNY New Paltz.

Due to the number of incoming students, we cannot guarantee a one-on-one remote session at this time, however, we can evaluate your previous institution’s transcript to verify what business courses will transfer and what business courses you will still need to take.

Your transcript will also be pre-evaluated prior to coming to SUNY New Paltz to give you a clear understanding of what courses you will register for during your orientation session. If there are any changes presented during your orientation session, we will make changes immediately with documented proof.

Rendesia Scott will be the advisor for all new transfer students. Business students will receive all advising from the Center for Business Advising (CBA) – VH 206.

You may apply to the MBA program when you are in your final semester as an undergraduate student.

Please view the MBA Requirements-Admission page listed below. You may contact the Assistant Dean of the MBA Program, Aaron Hines (hinesa@newpaltz.edu), if you have further questions about the MBA program.

https://www.newpaltz.edu/mba/admissions_require.html

You will have a faculty advisor from the School of Education and a faculty advisor from your teaching subject or academic concentration.

Credit-bearing fieldwork begins fall of junior year for Early Childhood & Childhood Education students, and spring of junior year for Adolescence Education students. Early Childhood Studies students complete internships and field experiences at non-school settings during junior and senior year.

Courses from your other institution(s) that are not in our transfer equivalency database will need to be evaluated by one of your advisors. Many of these evaluations will be completed and shared with you before you register for fall classes. If you have questions about specific transfer courses, you may ask one of your faculty advisors.

The teacher certification programs at New Paltz require an overall GPA of 3.0 and grades of B or better in at least 4 credits of first-year composition/basic communication courses. If you meet those criteria after your first semester at New Paltz, it may be possible to switch and become an education major. However, due to course sequencing, changing your major may add time to degree completion.

There are a few education courses open to students outside the School of Education, including EDS340, EDS371, and EDS372. Teaching methods and related professional courses and field experiences are restricted to education majors.

FAQs for Music Orientation

Students who wish to major in art education must apply and be accepted to SUNY New Paltz and to the Art Department. You can read about our application process on the Art Department website at https://www.newpaltz.edu/fpa/art/art-education/admission. Application to the Art Department requires a portfolio review; acceptance to the Art Education program also requires a 3.0 GPA for transfer students. For more information, please contact the Art Education program at 845-257-3850 or email our administrative assistant Karen Sickles at sicklesk@newpaltz.edu.

We’ll review your official transcripts and use courses that meet the requirements toward your plan of study. We’re able to transfer in up to 41 credits from other colleges to be used toward your Art Education degree. To qualify the courses must be equivalent to, or a reasonable substitute for, our required courses, you must have earned grades of C or better in art studio classes, C- in Art History B- or better in Art Education courses.

All Art Education students are assigned an Art Education advisor as soon as they are admitted to the program. Your advisor is your first stop when you need information about your classes and what you need to graduate. You will meet with your advisor each semester to check in on your progress and go over the courses you need to register for to stay on track for graduation. Your Art Education advisor can also help you find information that you need and troubleshoot academic problems.

If you are a freshman, you will take the same courses all Art Department students take in their first semester. This means you’ll take ARS Drawing: Visual Thinking I, either ARS102 Design: Color or ARS103 Design: Form, and ARS112 Art Seminar. In addition, you should take English Composition and either ARH201 Art of the Western World I or ARH202 Art of the Western World II.

If you are a transfer student, what you should take will depend entirely on what you have taken at your previous college(s). You will meet with an Art Education advisor to go over what to take, or you can contact Dr. Beth Thomas at thomasb@newpaltz.edu for more information.

Freshmen need to take the foundation studio classes before signing up for 200-level studio classes, but the order foundation studio classes are taken in is flexible. You will need to take 200-level studio classes in the studio areas before you can take upper division (300- or 400- level courses).

Generally, students begin taking Art Education courses in the fall semester of the junior year. These must be taken in sequence, and most are offered only once per year. It’s important to meet regularly with your Art Education advisor to stay on track for graduation.

Absolutely! Many Art Education students have a minor, choose to apply to one of our BFA programs. These are great options that will help you explore your interests and broaden your experience, all of which makes you a better teacher. These options add more requirements to your degree and should be discussed with your Art Education advisor as early as possible.

Yes. There are several scholarships specifically for Art students, and some that give preference to Art Education students. Qualified Art Education majors are encouraged to apply. Scholarships may be used to defray student expenses other than tuition, including room, board, and fees. It may also be used for study abroad, internships, and in-service learning. The University also maintains a database of scholarships for which you may apply; visit https://newpaltz.academicworks.com/opportunities

We strongly encourage you to study abroad. This kind of experience helps you think globally, learn more about others, and broaden your perspective – all of which are important and valuable for teachers and artists. If you are interested in studying abroad please discuss options with your advisor as early as possible. You can learn more about study abroad programs by visiting https://www.suny.edu/studyabroad/

Students may also qualify for financial aid for studying abroad; visit https://www.newpaltz.edu/studyabroad/students/financesandscholarships/

Students are responsible for their transportation to all fieldwork assignments and student teaching. Many students do not have vehicles when they enter the program, however, and are able to ride-share with other students who do have vehicles. The important thing to know is that the program does not provide transportation, and students are responsible for getting to their field placements on time.

In addition to successfully completing the university-wide requirements, you must successfully complete our programs of study in Art Education. You can learn more about our plan of study here.

You must also complete the Child Abuse ID, SAVE, DASA, and Health & Safety Ed workshops in order to graduate. You can learn more about these workshops on the School of Education Certification Assistance webpage.

In addition to successfully completing all the requirements for graduation and graduating you need to pass three exams: the Art Content Specialty Test, Educating All Students test, and edTPA. You’ll learn more about these exams in your Art Education courses, and you can find information on them on the School of Education Certification Assistance webpage.

Not every design student has their own equipment, but most do. When classes meet face to face students work in the labs we use for teaching. Students taking design courses have afterhours access to computers and printers.

We recommend the Apple MacBook Pro. The entry-level model comes with a 256GB hard drive and 8GB of RAM. Upgrade these to at least a 512 GB hard drive and 16 GB of RAM. Apple’s education purchase program info is at: https://www.apple.com/us-hed/shop. Computer Hut, a local New Paltz computer store, sometimes has refurbished fairly current used laptops for sale, but check out the hard drive and memory specs with them, as well as the ability to run the current Apple operating system (http://www.computerhutsales.com/) And Adobe offers student discounts for the Creative Suite (https://www.adobe.com/products/pricing-info/ccste-pricing-info.html).

We suggest holding off on purchasing the Creative Suite. This past semester when we moved to teaching online we were able to extend our lab license to include our students.

With your very first design class you’ll be connected to our course blogs. We not only use the blog to teach, but to share news and events as well. Design Society, the Graphic Design Student Club, meets every week during Fall and Spring semesters and everyone is welcome.  

Current students and alumni share news, stories, jobs and info on the SUNY New Paltz Graphic Design Community’s Facebook page.

Yes. A double major is when you complete requirements for two majors of the same degree type, for example two BFA, BSc or BS degrees. Someone earning a BFA in Graphic Design could potentially earn a BFA in another studio area, but this is rare. The dual degree is more common: students earn their second degree outside the Art Department. For example, a student recently graduated with a BFA in Graphic Design and a BSc in Psychology. With careful planning dual degrees are do-able in five years and require 150 credits.

A carefully planned, single major degree can be achieved in four years and 120 credits.

It’s not uncommon for design students to minor in an area outside of the Art Department; with careful planning this can be achieved within a four-year period. If you receive financial aid, it’s important to review your degree plans with a financial aid advisor each year.

Any college credits taken at another institution will show up on your New Paltz progress report. Up to 27 studio credits may be applied to the Graphic Design major requirements, but at least 50% of your studio credits must be taken at New Paltz. A B- or better is required for all major courses. A C- or better is required for all Art History courses. Some of your credits will transfer in when you are accepted. Work with your design advisor to transfer remaining applicable credits once the semester begins.

Students who transfer to New Paltz with a SUNY associate degree (AA or AS) will continue to be admitted with General Education requirements fulfilled. Students with an AAS will need to take any outstanding GE courses. All transfer students, regardless of degree, are still required to complete a Diversity course.

BFA students are expected to maintain no less than a 3.0 GPA. If your GPA falls below this, a review with the Graphic Design faculty may result, at our discretion, to conversion of the BFA to a degree outside the program.

Many of our students study overseas during both regular semesters, Summer and Winter intersession. Recent experiences include universities in Cuba, the UK, Italy, France and Australia. https://www.newpaltz.edu/studyabroad/

Internships are strongly recommended. Many of our students pursue internships at local (and given the ability to work online, not so local) design studios. You’d pay tuition for and earn 3 studio credits. You can also pursue funded student research opportunities as well as independent study.

Yes, thanks for asking! Here’s some advice: Reach out to and get to know your faculty and advisors. Join Design Society. Foster friendships with other design students. Work hard. Ask for feedback. Give feedback. Aim high. Read widely. Seek out good design and analyze it. Design. Design. Design.

Art History is perhaps the most interdisciplinary major offered at the University, involving many other areas of the Arts and Humanities such as Art, Theatre, History, Languages, Literature, and Philosophy. You can major or double major in Art History, complete an Art History minor, or complete a concentration in Art History if you are pursuing a degree in Early Childhood and Childhood Education. To learn more, visit our Website https://www.newpaltz.edu/fpa/art-history/

You may declare an Art History major immediately upon matriculating at SUNY New Paltz. Grades of C- or better count toward the major. Once you declare, you will be assigned a faculty advisor in the Art History Department. For further information about the major, minor, and concentration, visit https://www.newpaltz.edu/fpa/art-history/academics/programs/ and https://www.newpaltz.edu/ugc/education/childhooded/req.html  

Depending on your AP score, you may receive credit and place out of ARH 201 and/or ARH 202. Determinations are made by Admissions staff.

Art of the Western World I (ARH 201) or Art of the Western World II (ARH 202). These surveys of Western Art History are open to first-year students and are required courses in the Art History major. Please note that Introduction to the Visual Arts (ARH 200), a course designed for non-majors, does NOT count toward the major in Art History. It may, however, count toward the completion of the Art History minor.

No. Lower-division courses (i.e., those with course numbers in the 200s) are open to all students. First-year students cannot enroll in upper-division courses (i.e., those with course numbers in the 300s and 400s). All majors must take the Art History Capstone Course, ARH 456 Art History: Theories and Approaches, which is offered every Fall semester and is geared toward third- and fourth-year students.

Yes. You may also consider writing an Honors Thesis in Art History. Application must be made at the beginning of the last semester of the junior year. Honors students will enroll in ARH 461 and ARH 462, Honors Thesis in Art History I and II. Credit for ARH 461 will not be allowed unless ARH 462 is completed; only three of these six credits may be used towards completion of the 36-credit major.

Yes. We encourage majors to earn academic credit for unpaid, professional experience in a variety of settings. Our location provides rich possibilities for Internships and fieldwork.  Students have interned at institutions in the New Paltz, The Hudson Valley, Capital District and New York City. The Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, located on the SUNY New Paltz campus, also offers curatorial and collections management internships regularly.

Yes. The Art History Award is awarded every spring semester for the following academic year. Qualified Art History majors are encouraged to apply. The award may be used to defray student expenses other than tuition, including room, board, and fees. It may also be used for study abroad, internships, and in-service learning. The University also maintains a database of scholarships for which you may apply; visit https://newpaltz.academicworks.com/opportunities

Yes. We strongly encourage our students to study abroad. Summer On-Site Studies in Art History Abroad is our faculty-led, intensive overseas study program. Recent programs include 19^th-century French painting in Paris and Provence, ancient art in Italy and Greece, and contemporary art through the lens of the exhibitions Documenta, Munster Sculpture Project, and the Venice Biennale. To learn more, visit https://www.newpaltz.edu/fpa/art-history/on-site/past-programs/2019/ For additional study-abroad programs, visit https://www.suny.edu/studyabroad/

Students may also qualify for financial aid for studying abroad; visit https://www.newpaltz.edu/studyabroad/students/financesandscholarships/