Summer Orientation
Arrival Dates: August 17th and 18th.
UPDATED Orientation Dates:
August 19th: Freshmen, Transfer Students, and Exchange Students
August 20th: ALL international students, including graduate students
August 21st: Graduate Students ONLY.
All other international students who did not participate in July's New Griff Orientation must attend on August 21st.
Get ready for an unforgettable welcome to Canisius! Orientation is a packed mix of fun social events and essential academic sessions designed to help you hit the ground running.
You'll kick things off with breakfast at Tim Horton's, then get your ID card, explore campus on a guided tour, and break the ice with fellow new students. You'll also dig into the important things such as understanding your I-20 and visa regulations to keep your status on track, but there's plenty of good stuff in between: a full Lunch, a Staff, Faculty & Student Panel where current international students share real advice, and a BBQ to close things out with your new friends.
Along the way, you'll learn how to navigate the My Canisius Portal and D2L, hear from the Golisano Centre for Student Success about all the resources available to you, cover key topics like Academic Integrity, and CPT & OPT authorization. All new international students are required to attend International New Student Orientation August, including Canadian students. Students who arrive to Buffalo on the scheduled arrival days, will be able to take advantage of the free pick-up services from the Buffalo-Niagara International Airport. If students do not complete the arrival form or plan to arrive to Buffalo before this date, they are responsible for their own housing and meals, as students will not be able to move in to their campus residence before this date. Graduate students who plan to live off-campus are strongly encouraged to arrive to Buffalo prior to the mandatory orientation date in order to secure their housing in advance. All students must participate in the orientation to avoid registration issues and ensure their visa record activation in SEVIS.
Should you have any questions regarding Orientation, contact us via email at @email.
Pre-Arrival Guide
Prior to arrival to campus, we will be emailing you the Pre-Arrival Guide. This guide will provide you with information that you should take some time to read over. In the guide, we have a contact cell phone number. Please be sure you copy this number down and carry it with you in your travels. Should you encounter a flight delay or cancellation, please be sure to call us and let us know. You will also find a list of suggested items that you either bring with you or plan to purchase upon arrival.
Arrival to Campus
Once you make your travel arrangements to arrive to Canisius, you should email our office with your arrival information. We ask that you email us your flight information as soon as possible to @email. As a service for our new international and exchange students, we will arrange to have you picked you up from the airport, train station, or bus terminal in Buffalo. New students for the Fall 2025 semester, we ask that you email us your travel itinerary no later than August 1, 2026.
Meals During Orientation
A one-time $425 orientation fee will be charged to your student bill, which will cover meals and activities during the orientation program. You will be responsible for your own meals from August 21st onwards. As part of the orientation schedule, you will have the opportunity to go grocery shopping at a local supermarket.
If you are in the Delavan Townhouses, you may opt into a meal plan if that is your choice.
Housing
If you will be living on-campus, you will be permitted to move directly into your housing assignment as long as you do not arrive prior to the specified arrival dates. You will be notified of your housing assignment via email, prior to your arrival to Canisius. Please note that the college requires all first year, second year, and exchange students to live on-campus in college-owned housing.