Hello and Welcome to Clarkson University!
We are reaching out to share important information with you about First-Year Commuter Student Orientation.
Check out Virtual Orientation and Campus Resources!
Enroll in this Orientation course on Moodle. Learn more about campus and Potsdam community resources as you get ready to join the Clarkson Family!
Find the full orientation schedule at https://www.clarkson.edu/orientation.
Please complete this survey to receive your FREE Commuter Student Welcome Pack! You can pick up your parking permit and campus ID card at the Student Center Front Desk on Friday, August 26th 9am – 2:30 pm.
Upcoming Events
Find the full orientation schedule at clarkson.edu/orientation. On Friday, August 26th orientation begins with our mandatory orientation sessions where you will take your math placement test (if required), meet with different groups of your peers, complete required training, and participate in Clarkson traditions. Families and supporters of commuter students are welcome to join the Family/Supporter orientation starting on Friday, August 26th at 9am.
- Student Resource Fair: Friday, August 26th, 2:30 – 3:30pm, Quad Lawn – This is your opportunity to meet different offices on campus and learn more about the resources they offer.
- Convocation: Friday, August 26th, 4 – 6pm, Cheel Arena – Convocation and the Van Sickle Endowed Lectureship are events that officially welcome new students to the academic year as well as connect students to a common performance, reading or speaker. Learn more about common conversations and the common reading book here. Convocation is where you get a FREE class of 2026 shirt and a surprise gift!
- Playfair: Saturday, August 27th, 3 – 5pm, Cheel Lawn – Get connected with other first-year students and participate in team building activities.
- Join us for a comedy magic show featuring Michael Kent: Saturday, August 27th, 9 – 10pm, Student Center – Watch a hilarious stand-up comedy-style magic show!
- CUSA Carnival: Sunday, August 28th, 12 – 4pm, Cheel Lawn – CUSA Senate (your student government) is hosting a carnival with inflatables, prizes, and so much more!
- Activities Fair: Sunday, August 28th, 7 – 8:30pm, Cheel Arena Floor – This is your opportunity to get to know all of the clubs and organizations on campus and connect with your peers.
- Open Skate with President Christensen: Sunday, August 28th, 8:30 – 10pm, Cheel Arena – Skate around Cheel Arena and meet Clarkson University’s President, Dr. Marc Christensen!
Getting Involved on Campus
Clarkson University has a variety of student clubs, organizations, and events to get involved in! This first step to learning more about these fun opportunities is to visit Knightlife. You can browse upcoming events and find groups on campus to join. Login using your Clarkson username and password to set up your account. You’ll have an individualized Event Pass that should be used for all events you attend. For easy check-ins for campus events, screenshot or save it to your virtual wallet. A tutorial on this can be found here.
Q: As a first year student, if I do not live on campus why am I assigned a room?
A: The Residence Life Office allows first year commuter students access to first year residential halls by assigning them to a lounge space in our system. There is no charge associated with this placement. This allows your student ID card to work, so you can meet more of your peers and become engaged in the Clarkson Community even though you do not live on campus. Through your housing questionnaire we assign you to a Living Learning Community (which is a floor of other first year students with similar interests to you) where you can go hang out in the lounge, attend programs, receive emails, participate in First Year Cup, have a student peer known as a Resident Advisor (RA) to receive guidance from and just an easy way to help you make the most out of your experience. You do not pay a cost for this, and you are not required to participate, however it does provide you with a lot of opportunities to meet people and immerse into the Clarkson campus.
