New Student Orientation
& Advising
Complete these steps to be ready to register for classes!
STEP 1 - Review Helpful resource links
You can review ACC resources through the helpful links found here! Bookmark these links!
STEP 2 - Get ADVISED & registration Ready
We have different steps for students based on their college experience. Choose the section below that describes you.
I have attended college and have MORE than 12 credit hours.
Students who have more than 12 credit hours are not required to attend New Student Orientation.
If you know what courses you need to take, you can go ahead and register! However, if you'd like to verify your plans with an advisor, you can take advantage of the options below:
VIRTUAL ADVISING: Our Online Advising team offers assistance remotely. Scroll down and click "Join Via Zoom" to meet with an advisor virtually.
EMAIL: advising@austincc.edu for general advising questions or to be routed to the correct advisor.
Get HANDS-ON registration help with our Registration Stations!
I have fewer than 12 college credit hours OR no college experience.
Students who are BRAND NEW to ACC and have fewer than 12 credit hours should attend New Student Orientation. You will learn about the support services available to you as a Riverbat, navigate the ACC website, explore the programs ACC offers, review your first-semester course recommendations, and leave ready to register!
SIGN UP FOR IN-PERSON OR VIRTUAL ORIENTATION
STEP 3 - pay for classes
ACC offers the best tuition rates in Central Texas. Learn how you can pay for your classes and stay on top of important dates and deadlines.
Financial Aid and Scholarships
Financial aid can help you pay for your tuition, books, and living expenses. Financial aid includes grants (money you don’t repay), scholarships (money you don’t repay), work-study (part-time employment), and loans (money you repay). To see how financial aid can support you visit austincc.edu/finaid or to apply for scholarships visit austincc.edu/scholarships. If you are an undocumented student with Texas residency status, you may complete the Texas Application for State Financial Aid (TASFA) and apply for scholarships.
Priority Dates for Financial Aid and Scholarships
Don’t miss out! Use our priority dates below to ensure your aid is ready before your tuition is due. If you miss the priority date, don’t worry. ACC processes financial aid year-round.
Financial Aid Priority Dates: Fall – April 1 -- NOTE: Extended to May 1 for Fall 2024 | Spring – October 15 | Summer – March 1
Scholarship Priority Dates: Fall – May 1 | Spring – October 1
Tuition Deadlines & Payment Plans
Visit austincc.edu/pay to learn about tuition deadlines, how to make a payment, and set up interest-free payment plans.
Create a Payment Plan
ACC has payment plans available, allowing you to stretch your tuition payments over two installments in the
summer and three installments in the fall and spring.
Rolling Tuition Deadlines
Tuition deadlines will depend on the date you register for classes, posted at austincc.edu/pay. If you miss your payment
deadline, you will be dropped from your classes and will need to re-register.
Have questions?
Check out our frequently asked questions below or contact us at orientation@austincc.edu.
NOTE: This orientation page is designed for high school graduates (or equivalent) seeking an associate's degree or certificate. Please check the appropriate link if you are planning to enroll in Dual Credit, Early College High School, Continuing Education, Adult Education, or if you are an F-1 Student in need of international orientation.
Frequently Asked Questions About New Student Orientation
Who can attend orientation?
First-time college students
Transfer students with fewer than 12 credit hours
If you are a transfer student with more than 12 credit hours, contact our colleagues in Online Advising for questions about course selection.
What can I expect from orientation?
During your New Student Orientation session, you will:
Take a tour of the ACC Current Students page and other helpful places on the ACC website
Learn about the different programs and majors available at ACC
Explore the support services ACC offers to be a successful student
Options for Paying for College
Review your college readiness and first-semester course recommendations
You will leave ready to register for classes!
Can I come to orientation late?
New Student Orientation sessions are 90 minutes long. Please be sure to be on time for orientation and plan to stay for the full session. There is a 10-minute late arrival cut-off time. If you arrive AFTER 10 minutes, you will need to reschedule for a different session.
What should I do to prepare for my virtual orientation session?
For all sessions, you must have your ACC email address set up and ready to go. Be ready to check your ACC student email on the day of your New Student Orientation session. You will receive an email from an Orientation Advisor containing information about course recommendations, your major, and other important topics.
Please have your student ID and password ready to sign into student portals.
We use Zoom for virtual sessions. Once you have signed up to attend a virtual session, be sure that you are using a device that can accommodate Zoom. It’s helpful to check your speakers and mic before the start time to ensure that you will be able to listen and participate. Also, make sure that your screen name shows up as the name you used to sign up for orientation so that we can take attendance.
We strongly recommend that students use a laptop or desktop computer so that they can participate in the Zoom call and follow along with presenters. Please plan to be in a quiet place where you can focus on orientation. Plan to have your camera on and be engaged for the full 90 minutes.
What should I do to prepare for my in-person orientation session?
For all sessions, you must have your ACC email address set up and ready to go. Be ready to check your ACC student email on the day of your New Student Orientation session. You will receive an email from an Orientation Advisor containing information about course recommendations, your major, and other important topics.
Please have your student ID and password ready to sign into student portals.
We host in-person sessions at various campuses. Give yourself time to arrive at campus and find a seat before orientation. We conduct orientation in computer labs, so you will have an ACC computer that you can use during orientation, though you are welcome to bring your own device if you prefer.
I have a lot of transfer hours. Do I need to go to New Student Orientation?
Students with 12 or more hours of transfer credit are eligible to register and are not required to attend New Student Orientation. If you have further questions about which courses to take, we encourage you to reach out to our colleagues in Online Advising. During operating hours, advisors are available to assist via live chat, or you can email them at advising@austincc.edu for scheduling.
How do I change my major?
Send us an email at orientation@austincc.edu using your ACC email address. Make sure to include your ACCeID in all communication. Please let us know the specific name of the new program you'd like. We will update your major and provide updated course recommendations if needed. If you aren't sure of the name of the new program, you can review a list of program maps here.
I found a screen on the ACC web site that says I don't have an advisor. What's up with that?
For new students the orientation team is your first point of contact for questions about how to select classes and register for your first semester at ACC. Once your classes have begun you will be assigned an Area of Study Advisor and be eligible to meet for more detailed conversations about future semesters and long-term academic plans.
When do I need to pay for classes?
Payment deadlines vary by semester. You can check a list of them here.
I've attended orientation, but I have specific questions about something that wasn't covered. Who do I contact?
We sometimes get some complex questions that are challenging to answer within the context of orientation. Our goal is to get you started off right in your first semester, but you have resources to help! You can directly email the Orientation Advisor who sent your course recommendations or email our team at orientation@austincc.edu.
After you've completed orientation, you can also work with the Online Advising team.
Registration Stations can help you build a schedule once you know what courses you need to take. You can share your course recommendation email from New Student Orientation, and they can help you create a schedule.
HElp! I can't register for a class! What do I do?
There could be a few reasons that you are unable to add the course of your choice. Check out the options below for common causes of registration errors and ways to fix them.
Though these are the most common issues we see when students have difficulty registering for courses, we know you might find a special case. Email us at orientation@austincc.edu, and we can help. You can also schedule an appointment with our colleagues at Registration Station. They are experts at troubleshooting registration errors and helping students build the perfect schedule.
You may be trying to register for a term that isn't open for registration.
Check the course dates in Self-Service and make sure that you are registering for the appropriate semester. You can filter for the semester of your choice to avoid seeing courses from past or future terms.
Check the Academic Calendar for registration dates for each semester. Make sure that registration is open for the semester of your choice.
All the seats may be full.
You may see 0 seats available in Self-Service. If this is the case, check to see if there is a Waiting List.
If a waiting list exists, you can add yourself to that list. If you are on a waiting list, check your ACC email every day. If you become eligible to add the course, you will receive time-sensitive information there.
If there is no waiting list, you should keep checking Self-Service on a regular basis. We also recommend registering for a different section at an alternate date, time, or campus if available.
The course may be reserved for a specific group of students.
If the course is reserved for a specific group of students, you can check the Requisites Section and the Additional Information Section of the course description in Self-Service. Here are a few common things you might see:
The course may be reserved for High School Programs Students. These courses are generally located on a high school campus. They are noted by an "!" in a yellow triangle next to the section number in Self-Service. They may also list a local high school as the meeting location. Choose another section.
The course may be a paired course for students completing developmental course requirements. You can find this information in the Requisites section of the course listing in Self-Service.
If you were looking for a paired course, add both courses to your plan and then register for both to the same time.
If you were not looking for a paired course, you will need to choose another section.
The course may be reserved for students from a special group like BRASS or Ascender. Check the Additional information section of the course listing in Self-Service for contact information to learn more about these programs and request to be added to the course if you think it might be a good fit for you. You might get so much more than course credit from the experience!
The course may require a granted petition from the department.
The course may require something called a granted petition. You can find this in the Additional Information Section. This means that you need to talk to the department that sponsors the course (for example, the Math Department for a Math course) and ask for permission to add the course. If this is the case, the contact information to request permission to register will be found in the Additional Information section of the course listing in Self-Service.
You may have a hold preventing registration.
Some holds prevent students from registering for courses. The most common of these holds are connected to high school or college transcripts. You can check your holds in Self-Service or MyACC and determine if a hold is barring you from registering for courses.
Get to know us
Get to know our campuses and some fellow Riverbats (student, faculty, and staff) through the quick videos below.
Meet Your Campuses
Get a quick peek at 5 of our 11 campuses: Highland, Eastview, Round Rock, Riverside, and Hays. Each campus has its own unique culture, programs, and facilities.
Our Meet the Campus playlist will give you the unofficial official tour.
Meet Your Peers
When we say "ACC is for Everyone!" We mean it. Each Riverbat has their own unique story and reason for coming to ACC. We know you'll find your reason too! Check out some of our student experiences below.
Meet Janelle:
"I built that!"
Meet Manuel:
Debunking Myths
Meet Staci:
Feeling Prepared
Meet Jessisai:
Fast Rewarding Career