Orientation
Welcome, Bulldog!
Fall 2025 Orientation is Saturday, August 23–Tuesday, August 26, 2025.
Fall Orientation: Kick off the start of your school year!
We can’t wait to welcome you to Butler University and kick off your school year. Please read through all of the Orientation website as it contains pertinent information about action steps you need to take to prepare for Orientation—like completing required online modules; a brief overview of the Orientation schedule; and what to expect while attending Orientation.
All new students, including first-year, transfer, and commuter students are required to take part in Orientation from Saturday, August 23–Tuesday, August 26, 2025. We’re currently preparing for 2025 Fall Orientation, but in the past, all students have been invited to take part in a variety of academic and community-based experiences as well as social activities during the week. We encourage you to take advantage of these opportunities to meet your classmates and learn more about Butler.
As a part of their Orientation experience, all incoming students will be placed into Orientation groups which will be mentored by a returning Butler student called a Student Orientation Guide (SOG).
Activities will occur throughout the day starting as early as 9:00 AM ET and extending through late-night social programming. The Orientation schedule will be updated regularly as we near Orientation. Additional educational and social programming occurs throughout the first week of classes and in Weeks of Welcome for the first six weeks of the academic semester.
Starting classes in January? View our January Orientation website for more information.
Prior to a student’s orientation period, all new students are required to complete a series of online Orientation modules including the New Student Orientation Course, the Decisions: Alcohol Awareness & Education assignment, and the Cultivating Awareness & Prevention of Sexual Violence assignment. All courses will be available online via Canvas and students will be notified via their Butler email when they can access the courses in late summer. More information about each course, including completion deadlines, can be found here.
All first-year, transfer, and commuter students will check-in on campus, in-person, to receive their new Butler student ID, their Orientation shirt and, if they are residential students, their key to their Residence Hall room, on Saturday, August 23, 2025.
Students will be assigned a check-in and move-in time between 8:00 AM–4:30 PM ET on Saturday, August 23, 2025. Students will be notified of their assigned time via email in mid-July. If students are unable to arrive for their assigned move-in time prior to 4:30 PM, they will be unable to utilize the moving company to unload their belongings.
Additional information about the check-in process for Orientation and move-in will be shared in future communications.
As new Butler Bulldogs, students commuting to campus are expected to be at all meetings listed as required on the full Orientation schedule. There are required meetings on each day of Orientation Saturday (8/23) – Tuesday (8/26).
Please note, there are two (2) required meetings specifically for commuter students:
- Saturday, August 23 from 8:30 – 10:00 pm in the Pharmacy Building, Room 150
- New commuter students will pick up their Orientation T-shirt (if not previously picked up earlier in the day during the check-in process) and meet with campus representatives as well as returning commuter students.
- Families are welcome to attend.
- Families may prefer to attend the Family Presentation and Dessert Reception in Clowes Memorial Hall from 8:30– 9:30 pm
- New commuter students will pick up their Orientation T-shirt (if not previously picked up earlier in the day during the check-in process) and meet with campus representatives as well as returning commuter students.
- Tuesday, August 26 from 12:00 – 1:30 pm (lunch will be provided) in Robertson Hall, Johnson Board Room
Commuter students will be placed in Orientation groups based on their First Year Seminar class to participate in required orientation group meetings.
We also want to strongly encourage our commuter students to attend non-required events during Orientation and beyond! These are great ways to meet fellow Bulldogs and makes connections to campus activities.
The Commuters at Butler (CAB) student organization will be hosting informal gathering spaces for new commuter students during breaks throughout Orientation. Please see the Orientation schedule for dates and times.
For general information regarding commuter students, please visit our webpage.
We invite families to participate in a number of special programming opportunities on Saturday, August 23 and Sunday, August 24, including Resource Fair, Family Dessert Reception, Religious and spiritual services on campus, and Convocation and Convocation Reception. The Convocation program is the official welcome and start to Butler University’s academic year. (This program will also be live-streamed for any families who are unable to attend in person.)
Families will be asked to say goodbye to their students by 1:30 PM ET on Sunday, August 24, when students will be transitioning into programming with their Student Orientation Groups.
- Questions about Orientation: orientation@butler.edu
- Questions about the move-in process: Residence Life housing FAQs
- Review important dates for Fall 2024
- Visit Butler’s Parent & Family Facebook page
- Explore parents & families website
Atherton Union
Room 310
704 W Hampton Dr.
Indianapolis, IN 46208
9:00 AM–5:00 PM ET
317-940-8648
Meg Haggerty
Director, New Student and Family Programs
Josiah Hatfield
Assistant Director, New Student and Family Programs