Before you register for Orientation

You will be invited via email to sign up online for Transfer & Adult Student Orientation (TASO) after you have completed the following items:

Step 1: Are admitted to UW-Milwaukee — review your Admissions Portal for the most up to date status of your application.

Step 2: Complete the “Pre-Orientation” To Do List item in your PAWS account. This Pre-Orientation is required for all new students.

Step 3 (New Freshmen only): Satisfy Course Placement requirement by submitting SAT/ACT scores or following steps found here. Please email NFTest@uwm.edu with questions.

Step 4: Register for Orientation! See directions in the next dropdown item.

How to Register:

Register for Orientation by logging into your Admissions Portal. Find the “Transfer/Adult Student Orientation” item and select the item.

Required:

To satisfy the orientation requirement, you must complete the TASO Step 1, which is an 1-2 hour online training. This is a self-paced Orientation that you can do any time. We recommend completing TASO Step 1 as soon as possible upon registering.

After you register, you’ll immediately receive an email confirmation details on how to access and complete the TASO Course. Please complete the course as soon as possible so you can engage in further steps and enroll in class.

Optional:

In addition to completing your required online TASO course, you also are invited and welcome to join us in-person for supplemental events on either June 16, July 17, or August 11. These optional in-person programs occur on campus and are designed to help you acclimate to campus, get support enrolling in classes, and meet with staff that can help you feel confident entering the UWM community.

If you would like to attend an optional in-person event, you can register for that after you complete TASO Step 1. You will be invited to do so via email. See “6. Attend TASO Step 2 – In-person Event” section of this page for more details.

After you register for TASO Step 1, you’ll immediately receive an email confirmation details on how to access and complete the required TASO Course. Until you complete TASO Step 1, you’ll see an Orientation Hold on your PAWS account under “holds” preventing you from registering for classes.

A few helpful notes about TASO Step 1:

• TASO Step 1 is hosted in Canvas, UWM’s online learning platform. Many of your classes will have a Canvas page.
• TASO Step 1 will take about one to two hours to complete and is self-paced. You can save your progress and return later if needed.
• The business day (Monday-Friday) after you complete TASO Step 1, the Orientation Hold will release from your PAWS account and you’re ready for your next step!

Enrolling in Classes

New Adult Freshman and Transfer students are required to complete the TASO Step 1 before they can register for courses. To prepare to enroll in class, students may look at the schedule of classes for some ideas of what you might want to take in your first semester.

We strongly encourage all new students to enroll in classes as soon as possible after completing TASO Step 1. Make an academic advising appointment by logging into Navigate before you register for your courses. Your Academic Advisor can also be found in PAWS. You will be able to enroll in classes any time after your enrollment appointment provided that you’ve completed TASO Step 1 (and met with your Advisor if you’re an Adult Freshman).

New Adult (21+) Freshman Only:

After you complete the course, you are required to meet with an academic advisor before you register for courses. Your Academic Advising team will email you to set up a time and date to meet and discuss enrollment/registration in classes. Work directly with your schedule that time.

NEW Transfers Only:

You should make an advising appointment before you register for courses. You can make an appointment with your advisor by logging into Navigate and select “New Transfer” for the appointment type (if applicable), or call your school/college advising office, contact info found here. You will be able to register for courses anytime after your enrollment appointment.

Branch Campus Student transferring to Main Campus:

To connect with your Milwaukee campus academic advisor login to Navigate to schedule an advising appointment before you register for your courses. You will be able to register for courses any time after your enrollment appointment.

Additional Required Steps

You can see details of required steps here, but to highlight your required steps, see below!

Submit Your ID Photo [Required]

Prior to Orientation, you need to submit the photo you would like to appear on your PantherCard. All you have to do is take a photo of yourself and upload it through the GET UWM app, PantherCard’s online management system. Go here to the PantherCard Office website for detailed instructions and requirements for your photo.

Credit Agreement [Required]

Before being able to register for classes, you must complete your credit agreement. You can complete it through your PAWS account, by clicking “Credit Agreement” on your To Do List items.

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) [Required]

Enroll in multi-factor authentication (MFA). Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is an additional layer of security that keeps your account safe. With MFA, you will be using something you know (your password) with something you have (your device/smartphone) to confirm your identity. For more details on how to enroll, sign in, and manage your devices please review instructions: https://kb.uwm.edu/54768

UWM Email [Required]

You can access and set up your UWM email 1-2 days after you are admitted. Your email account is through Outlook and you can log in to the Microsoft suite here. Your email address is your ePantherID followed by @uwm.edu (ppanther@uwm.edu). Login with your full email address and your ePanther ID password.

Financial Aid [Optional]

We highly recommend that you schedule a 1-1 appointment to discuss financial aid questions, including how to complete the FAFSA and apply for financial aid if you have not already. You can schedule that appointment here. At in-person TASO, there will be limited opportunity for students and guests to discuss Financial Aid-related questions during Orientation.

Submit Your High School or Previous College Transcripts

Work with your High School/previous university to send us your final high school/college transcript once your final grades have been posted. Transcripts can be sent electronically or mailed to:

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Office of Undergraduate Admissions
P.O. Box 749
Milwaukee, WI 53201

If you registered for an in-person supplemental program when you registered for TASO online, you will receive information about attending an in-person program the week before the date of the event. In the meantime, see below for information about the optional event!

For students attending in-person program:

Schedule

Transfer & Adult Orientation Agenda

Join us for August Welcome Programs!

First and foremost, we hope you join us in August for our welcome events including our Welcome Day, Class Photo & Coin toss tradition, and Fall Welcome. Visit our webpage to see what welcome programs are available for Transfer & Adult Students.

Engage in the UWM community!

• Review all of your Orientation materials from your folder and the Student Handbook link provided
• Review the PRIDE Message to set yourself up for success
• Begin your On Campus Job search
• Join Presence to browse student organization
• Check out our Campus Events calendar
• Join the UWM Transfer Students Facebook page to meet your new Panther classmates
• Get excited for Fall Welcome

What are the Fees I’m paying?

• The $150 Orientation Fee you will see on your account is not due until the first day of classes. The Orientation Fee is not refundable if you complete the required Orientation course and/or participate in a TASO program. This Fee covers the costs related to your Orientation experience.
• [Freshman Only] You will also see a $100 New Freshman Fee which is also not due until the first day of classes. This Fee covers many costs related to the first-year programming that will be available to you this year! If you cancel enrollment prior to the start of the term, you will not owe this fee to UWM.

I want to change my major. How do I do that? 

• If you have already registered for a Transfer & Adult Student Orientation program and you have not enrolled in courses: Please (1) Sign in to the Orientation Website and cancel your orientation registration, (2) Click “Change Major” at the top of the page and fill out the form, (3) Wait 3-5 business days for major change request to process, and (4) Re-register for the program.  
• If you are enrolled in courses and want to change your major: Contact the advising office of the school/college in which your new major is housed. You work directly with the school/college to get your major changed.

I’m considering waiting to start at UWM until next semester. How do I do that, and should I do it?

• It’s your choice to start classes in the Fall or Spring. If you’ve been admitted for Spring and want to start classes in Fall, you must submit a Term Change Request here.
• If you Term Change and have paid your $150 Orientation Fee for Spring, you will NOT get a refund. Your Spring Orientation Fee charge will be canceled and you’ll get a Fall Orientation Fee charge. The Spring payment you already submitted will then automatically cover the Fall Orientation Fee charge.
• There are many implications to changing terms. To get more information about Term Changes and ask questions, email undergraduateadmissions@uwm.edu.

When will I be able to sign up for classes? 

See Step 4! For new transfers, you can register for classes the business day after completing the course but SHOULD meet with your academic advisor before registering. For new freshman, you can register after completing the course and having a required meeting with your academic advisor

In-Person Student Policies

Disability, Mobility, and Dietary Restrictions

We want to accommodate any mobility, disability, or dietary restrictions that you may have in order to provide you with the best in-person experience possible. If you need an accommodation for in-person or online experiences, please indicate this when you register in the space provided. If you need additional follow up, please email us at Orientation@uwm.edu.

In-Person Program Guest Policy

You are not required to bring a guest to the in-person program, but if you would like to bring family members with you, we welcome up to two guests. We do not recommend bringing small children to this event.

Spanish Language Accommodations

If your guests need Spanish language translation, please visit our Family Spanish Language Orientation website for more information.