Orientation Fall 2023
The task of preparing you for a successful and rigorous academic challenge begins with Orientation for new first year students.
The first week of classes, August 14 - 18, combines the start of first year classes with relevant Orientation workshops and lectures designed to ease your transition to law school. A preliminary schedule will be available in July 2023. A final Orientation schedule will be made available to you on the first day of Orientation.
Orientation is the start of the academic year and part of the curricular requirements, i.e. attendance is mandatory. The Orientation program consists of in-person sessions and some online assignments. All sessions will be held typically between 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Registration for fall classes will be finalized by the first day of Orientation.
Check-in
Orientation check-in is mandatory for all incoming 1L students. Check-in will be in the lower level Rotunda of Kendrick Hall.
Monday, August 14, time to be determined by July 2023
You are required to present your USF Mobile One Card on the first day of Orientation at check-in.
Orientation Reading Assignments
Please note that there will be reading assignments for Orientation. All assignments will be noted on the Canvas Orientation platform and should be completed BEFORE Orientation begins.
Information on the Canvas portal will be emailed to you in July 2023. If you are not familiar with Canvas, please click on the link below for more information:
https://usf.service-now.com/usf?id=usf_kb_article&sys_id=f4430ba61bf6fb403d16caad1e4bcba1
Parking & Directions
Free parking will be available at the Kendrick Hall parking lot on Monday and Tuesday during Orientation week (entrance is on Stanyan Street). Daily parking permits for the remainder of Orientation can be purchased at the Lone Mountain parking kiosk. Parking permits will be required for the Fall and Spring semesters beginning August 21. Due to limited parking options on campus, public transportation is strongly recommended. Full time parking permits are available via a lottery application system. The deadline to apply for the Fall 2023 is July 31, 2023 at 4:00 pm. More information is available online at: https://myusf.usfca.edu/public-safety-transportation/campus-parking/permits.
Directions to the Law School as well as public transportation options can be found online at:
https://www.usfca.edu/law/admissions/plan-a-visit/public-transportation
Covid Safety Protocols
In order to ensure the health and safety of all Orientation participants, required COVID health protocols will be enforced.
Full information on COVID health and safety information can be found on the COVID-19 Resources page.
Dietary Restrictions
There will be some opportunities where the Law School will provide meals and snacks during Orientation. If you have any of the following dietary restrictions, please contact the Law Admissions Office at lawadmissions@usfca.edu by August 9 and let us know so that we can ensure there are sufficient alternative options for all new admits.
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
- Nut Allergies
- Other
Fall Class Schedule
In order to accommodate Fall 2023 tuition billing by the USF Student Accounts Office in early July, all new first year law students who have submitted their admission deposits will be registered for Fall 2023 classes in a placeholder section by the Law Admissions Office in late June. This will not be your final schedule. A preliminary class schedule and section assignment will be emailed to you by August 1, 2023, along with a book list. This preliminary schedule will NOT include your Legal Research, Writing and Analysis (LRWA) section, which you will receive August 10.
Please note that all new first year law students wills be randomly assigned to one of two first year sections. Each of these first year sections will also include four Legal Research, Writing and Analysis sections (LRWA 1-4 for Section 1, LRWA 5-8 for Section 2). Part Time Day students will also be assigned to one of these two first year sections but will NOT be registered for Contracts.
First class assignments for the week of August 21 will be posted on the Canvas portal for each class. Assignments may be available as early as the second week of August.
Mobile USF Student ID/One Card
All new law students are required to obtain their Mobile USF student ID card (also known as the USF One Card) before Orientation and should do so by August 9.
Please visit the Set Up Your One Card page, which reflects the options available based on your mobile device (https://myusf.usfca.edu/one-
For additional information, please visit One Card's Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). You may also contact the One Card team via email at onecard@usfca.edu.
To obtain your USF Student ID/One Card, please complete the online process as soon as possible but no later than August 9, 2023.