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Online Orientation

Online Education

Welcome and congratulations on your acceptance to the University of North Carolina at Wilmington!  

The Office of Distance Education and eLearning-provided orientation is required for all new UNCW Distance Education undergraduate students and will set you up to make the transition to UNCW successful.

Orientation Process

Let’s go through this orientation process! 

As an online UNCW undergraduate student, you should not register for a main campus orientation. You must complete a self-paced, 8-module online orientation before you can register for your classes. 

During the online orientation session, you learn what you need to know to make a successful academic and personal adjustment to UNCW. The online modules cover the following topics: 

  • Welcome 
  • Academics 
  • Student Resources 
  • Financial Aid 
  • Policies 
  • Tech Resources 
  • E-Learning 
  • Readiness Assessment 

Please review the "Steps to Success" section below to get started!

Note: You do not need to submit a One Card photo to complete the online orientation. Immunization records and Health insurance are not required for Distance Education students. 

Steps to Success

Pay the enrollment deposit, if applicable, to the Admissions Office by the required deadline. The Enrollment Deposit payments may be made online, and the link can be accessed through your UNCW Applicant Portal.  

Reservations for Orientation cannot be made until you have paid the $100 enrollment fee. OAP students do not pay the enrollment fee. Note: You must wait a minimum of 48 hours after paying the enrollment deposit before signing up for orientation.

To register, please follow these instructions: 

  • Log into the VisualZen Orientation Registration System via the link sent in the acceptance letter. 
  • Click on Register for your orientation date at the bottom of the page.  
  • Fill out the information requested on each page. A reservation progress bar will be at the bottom.  
  • There is only one option to select for orientation session for online students because it can be taken whenever convenient.  
  • Save & Continue through Guests and Optional Events. 
  • Preview your information and click the  "Pay Now!" button at either the top or bottom of the page. 
  • Follow the prompts and pay the $20 fee for the Online Orientation. 

Once you have completed the sign-up process for your online orientation, you will receive a confirmation email via your UNCW email account with a link to the online orientation. It can take 24 to 72 hours to receive this email. If after 72 hours you have not received this email, please check your UNCW email Junk email.

Note: Completing the registration for orientation is not completing orientation. You must complete the 8-module session using the link in the confirmation email. 

After completing your orientation modules, a registration time ticket will be given to you, and your advisor will reach out to discuss courses and registration.

If you do not hear from your advisor within a week of your orientation completion, please email your advisor as soon as possible. If you are unsure who your advisor is, please check out UNCW's Advising page.  

Each school/college has a different academic advising process. All UNCW undergraduate students must talk with an Academic Advisor before registering for courses.  

An Academic Advisor will provide you with your course registration pin. Academic advising details for each student are available on their Task List in the orientation registration system.

Steps After the Orientation

Once you complete the orientation, our office will notify your department advising chairs.

A department advisor will contact (via UNCW email/phone) you as soon as possible about registering for classes. Please don't hesitate to contact your advisor with questions. If you are unsure who your advisor is, please visit UNCW Advising.

Questions or problems registering for online orientation? Please contact the Office of Distance Education and eLearning at elearning@uncw.edu. 

Orientation Guidelines

You will see a completion screen when you have reached the end of the eight modules. 

If you are a returning/re-enrolling student, you are not required to take the online orientation, provided previous completion of the online orientation can be confirmed. Re-enrolling students should understand that minor, and occasionally major, updates are made to the online orientation and it is up to the student to keep abreast of the changes by speaking to their advisor or reaching out to the Office of Distance Education and eLearning at elearning@uncw.edu. 

All communication from the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) will be sent to your UNCW email address. Your 850# is the UNCW credentials. If you experience any technical issues with your UNCW account/email, please contact UNCW’s Technology Assistance Center (TAC)

Request for refunds must be requested via elearning@uncw.edu by 11:59 pm on the first day of classes of the term the student plans to start.  

If a student receives a refund and decides to start a different semester, they will be charged the $20 registration fee but will not have to re-take the orientation modules provided it is still within the year of completing the orientation initially (apart from major changes).  

If a student never requests a refund and decides to start a different semester, they will not be charged a second time, provided it is within the year of the initial completed orientation, and will not have to re-take the orientation modules (unless there are major changes). 

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