Welcoming new students to UCL: Start of Session and the International Student Orientation Programme

When is enrolment?

Enrolment of our 20,000+ new students will be taking place from Wednesday 18 September to Friday 11 October in various locations on main campus. Students should always be directed to the Main Quad through the Gower Street entrance, and from there will be guided to their enrolment centre.

Students who have opted, as part of pre-enrolment online, to attend the International Student Orientation Programme (ISOP) will have selected an appointment during ISOP week (18–20 September). All other students will have been allocated an appointment from 22 September onwards based on their programme of study.

Read more about enrolment for new students.

Week of 16 September – International Student Orientation Programme (ISOP)

As part of ISOP week, international students of all levels will be able to attend the ‘We Are All Global’ talks, enrol, collect their BRP (Biometric Residence Permit), attend social events, and more.

ISOP is optional and free of charge, but is highly recommended as a great opportunity for new international students to meet others and settle in.

Find out more about ISOP on the International Students pages.

Online ISOP is available for any students who are unable to attend the talks in person – this is a set of webpages which summarise all of the key information.

View Online ISOP.

Weekend of 21 and 22 September – move-in weekend

The majority of students staying in UCL halls of residence will be moving in over this weekend. International students attending ISOP will have been able to request an early move-in the previous weekend.

Enrolment will also be continuing on the main campus throughout this weekend.

Find out more about UCL Accommodation.

Week of 23 September – first week of academic year 2019

All students who have not enrolled as part of ISOP or at the weekend will be enrolling during this week. Students will have received their enrolment appointment date and time in their confirmation of pre-enrolment email. Students are encouraged to enrol at these times to avoid queues and being sent away from the enrolment centres at busy times.

During this week all new students should be attending departmental induction events to meet with their classmates, tutors and find out more about their course.

Throughout the week there is also a range of Students’ Union UCL activities, campus tours and much more taking place to assist students in their transition to UCL and settling in.

Weekend of 28 and 29 September – Students’ Union UCL Welcome Fair

The Students’ Union will be putting on the Welcome Fair for new students to learn about and join clubs and societies, as well as hear more about the activities and opportunities available to them.

Find out more about the Welcome Fair.

From Monday 30 September to Friday 11 October – late enrolment

On Monday 30 September and Tuesday 1 October, any students who haven’t already done so will be able to enrol in the same locations as above, and should be directed initially to the Main Quad through the Gower Street entrance (from there, they will be guided to their enrolment centre).

From Wednesday 2 to Friday 11 October (weekdays only) any students who have still yet to enrol will need to go to the Recruitment and Admissions Hub in the Chadwick Building to complete enrolment.

Resources for new students

As part of continued improvements to Start of Session and welcome activities, Student Support and Wellbeing (SSW) last year developed a number of checklists for new students. These can also be helpful for tutors and departmental administrators to advise students in the first few weeks to ensure students haven’t missed any important activities.

The Welcome to UCL app returns this year, allowing students to create their own schedule of events for the first few weeks and find out more about the support and opportunities available at UCL.

The Countdown to UCL articles, which have been sent to students over the summer period are all available on the New Students webpages. They cover topics from how to stay safe, to settling in, to best places to eat nearby.

All students should be encouraged to read through the information on the New Students webpages and if they are international also through the International Students webpages.

New for 2019 is the New Students’ Guide. This replaces the International Students’ Guide from previous years, in response to feedback that home students were by comparison missing out on useful practical information. In addition to the digital version linked above, all new students will receive a hard copy at enrolment. They will also receive a copy of the Here to Support You guide to support and wellbeing services.

Student Induction Forum

If you’re a staff member involved in organising student welcome events in any way, please join the Student Induction Forum on Microsoft Teams to share best practice and to keep up to date with the latest developments for this year.

Access the Student Induction Forum.