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Skidmore College
First-Year Experience

Dates and Deadlines 

Please use this guide to stay on track. Unless otherwise noted, you will log into your Skidmore Account and review the FYE Checklist to complete tasks and receive detailed instructions. Note that Opportunity Program (OP) and London FYE students have different or additional steps. 

You should have received an email from Admissions with your Skidmore Account creation information and instructions to set up your Skidmore Account. The username and password you create through this process will be your universal login information for most Skidmore apps. 

Step by step instructions

If you did not receive instructions, please email the Admissions office.

By setting up your Skidmore Account, you set up your Skidmore email. It is your username plus @810zc.com and the password you created. Access your email through the Microsoft Outlook App on your Skidmore Account homescreen. 

MORE EMAIL TIPS AND SET-UP INSTRUCTIONS (REQUIRES SKIDMORE LOGIN) 

Enroll in online tuition E-Bill and add/authorize all users who will need access to your billing statement. 

More info

 

May

Watch your mail and email for information from the Bursar's Office with information about Skidmore's payment plans (US Postal Service and online). 

Even if you’re undecided about your choice of major (like most incoming first-year students), please identify up to five academic areas of interest through the FYE Checklist.

In the FYE Checklist, take time to carefully read the individual seminar descriptions and then enter your top 10 choices in order of preference before May 16. After May 16, seminars will be assigned. 

The Directed Self-Placement (DSP) assessment will provide important information about which level of writing course is most appropriate for you given your current writing skills. The entire DSP takes about 1.5 hours. You can access it through the FYE Checklist. Please note, you will not be able to register for a writing course without this placement.

To access the housing questionnaire, log into the Skidmore Student System and go to the Residential Life Housing Portal. The questionnaire closes June 14. 

You will be assigned a room and roommate(s) based on the preferences indicated in your questionnaire. Skidmore does not assign rooms or roommates based on race, religion or national origin. All residence halls are smoke- and substance-free. 

Questions? Contact the Office of Residential Life, 518-580-5765 or reslife@810zc.com

The QR will provide important information about which level of course is most appropriate for you given your QR skills. If you submitted test scores and scored 650 or higher on the Math SAT or 28 or higher on the Math ACT, you should already have a QR placement and do not need to take the diagnostic. The assessment typically takes 1.5 – 2 hours. You can access it through the FYE Checklist.

June

F1 visa holders please sign up. U.S. citizens living abroad, please contact SAS for an invitation.

Register

Requests for academic accommodations and supporting documentation will be reviewed on a rolling basis. To make a request, log into the Skidmore Student System after June 1 and go to the Student Academic Services app. To be ready for the first day of classes, accommodation requests must be submitted before August 1. 

Pre-Orientation programs are a great way to establish new friendships, get to know peer advisors, meet faculty and staff, and have fun! Registration closes July 15. Additional fees apply. Need-based scholarships are available. 

More information

A Skidmore faculty member will email you in early June to schedule a virtual meeting or phone call to discuss your educational hopes and plans, as well as your fall semester course options. If you are not available in June, please contact the Office of Academic Advising at advising@810zc.com

First-year students will register themselves for courses online after they have met with their Summer Advisor.

Course registration opens at 8:30 a.m. ET based on the first letter of your last name:

  • A-K: Tuesday, June 25 
  • L-Z: Wednesday, June 26

Although the deadline to secure a full-time course schedule is July 12, our goal is you achieve this by June 30 because course availability becomes more limited the longer you wait. You can continue to make changes to your course schedule through the add/drop period at the start of the Fall 2024 semester.

If you have questions or are not available on these dates, please contact the Office of the Registrar at registrar@810zc.com

Advising and Registration guide

The Class of 2028 summer reading is Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted, by Suleika Jaouad, a deeply moving memoir about illness, recovery, purpose, and connection. Your copy will arrive in late June via mail or email (e-book). All first-year students are expected to read and contemplate the summer reading prior to arriving on campus. 

Summer reading website

FYE London Students will be reading a different book in the fall and will receive Between Two Kingdoms in the spring. 

July

Skidmore offers families the option of paying bills in monthly installments. The administrative cost for participation in SCIP is $40 per semester. The Bursar’s Office will mail instructions to your home. 

Opens July 1 and can be completed anytime before August 15. 

Skidmore IDs are more than just photo IDs. They are door keys, meal tickets, purchase cards, and more. You need to submit a photo in advance so you can pick up your ID when you arrive at Skidmore this fall; otherwise, you will face delays. 

SUBMIT YOUR PHOTO 

Skidmore requires that all students have health insurance, and annually you must go through an enrollment/waiver process to confirm coverage. Please note that this process is separate from any documentation students may have submitted to Health Services or Athletics. The Bursar’s Office will mail instructions to your home. 

You have until August 1 to respond. 

Work-study students will receive an email from Dining Services about employment. All first-year student employees work for Dining Services.

It is both New York State law and Skidmore College policy that fully completed health and immunization records must be filed prior to class attendance or participation in the London FYE Program, pre-orientation programs, and/or varsity athletics. 

If your last physical was prior to August 2023, please make a doctor’s appointment now to ensure completion of required health forms by July 15. 

To submit paperwork, log into your Skidmore account then go to the Skidmore Health Services portal. 

As you prepare for your Skidmore journey, we want to know about your current aspirations, academic and co-curricular aims, and overall educational goals. You can access the RAP exercise through the FYE Checklist. Must be completed by August 30.
 

August

Also the last day to enroll in installment payment plan (SCIP).

Bursar's Office

You will receive instructions via email to complete three health and safety courses before August 31. 

Registration is done on a rolling basis but must be completed before arriving on campus. To register a vehicle, log into the Skidmore Student System and go to Ticketrak Parking. 

With the exception of FYE London students, your arrival date will be your move-in date. Early orientation schedules and programming vary, but all students will participate in New Student Orientation September 1 through 6. 

Fall athletes: Arrival varies by team, please contact your coach 

  • FYE London students: Arrive August 19 
  • International students: Arrive August 26 
  • Pre-Orientation students: Arrive August 29 
  • Remaining new students: Arrive September 1 

Students participating in the Opportunity Program’s Academic Institute will arrive June 28. 

September

You may prepay tuition charges to guarantee against future increases for two, three, or four years of full-time academic study. Sign up by September 6 through the Bursar’s Office. 

Instructions will be emailed by Student Affairs 

FINANCIAL AID AND BURSAR'S OFFICE (BILLING) 

Enroll in online tuition E-Bill and add/authorize all users who will need access to your billing statement. .

August 1: Enroll in or waive Health Insurance Plan
Skidmore requires that all students be covered by health insurance. Forms will be available by July 1 and must be completed before August 1. 

August 15: SCIP Enrollment 
By signing up for the installment plan, you can spread each semester’s costs over four equal monthly installments. 

August 15: Fall semester bill due
Fall bills will be available in July

September 4: Optional Tuition Stabilization Plan Agreement

Additional resources

  • If you are looking for the  Registrar's Student System, please click here: Registrar's Student System.
  • If you need to access your Skidmore email, please click here: skidmore.okta.com
  • If you are having difficulty logging into your Skidmore email, the FYE Checklist, or any other technical issues, please contact the IT Help Desk at helpdesk@810zc.com or call 518-580-5900.  
  • London students please use the London calendar
  • OP students please use the OP calendar