Academic Orientation

Academic Orientation is a mandatory, important and integral part of the university experience. The Academic Orientation week is designed to help you smoothly transition to life at John Cabot University and the city of Rome. The mission of the Orientation Program (OP) is to provide new incoming students and their families with an introduction to John Cabot University in order to allow a successful transition into the JCU community as well as to life in Rome.

Placement Exams

Mandatory placement exams in English Composition and Mathematics are administered to all incoming degree-seeking students provided that they have not received transfer credits. An English Composition Placement Examination is given prior to the beginning of the semester to determine the entry level for each student in this important sequence of courses. All students must demonstrate proficiency in Mathematics by completing MA 101 Intermediate Algebra or MA 100 Finite Mathematics, with a grade of C - or above. Students who have declared or plan to declare a major in Business Administration, International Business, or Economics and Finance are required to take MA 101 Intermediate Algebra. Other students have the option of choosing between MA 101 and MA 100.  

First Year Advising and Registration

Students are assigned an Academic Advisor depending on the major(s) they have chosen in their application. Academic Advisors will contact their advisees to schedule an appointment, during predetermined days of the orientation week that can be found on the Academic Calendar. Completion of advising is mandatory in order for students to be registered for classes. 

The Academic Advisor that students meet during their first appointment may not be their permanent Academic Advisor, who will be assigned to them later in the semester.

Once students are enrolled by the Registrar’s Office in the courses that students have picked with their Academic Advisor, students will be able to access their schedule (courses, times, locations, professors) through the Online Registration System. The IT Department will provide students with their credentials. Students can email the IT Department at [email protected] if they have yet to receive their credentials and/or are in need of assistance.

During their first semester, students will be able to make changes to their schedule only by contacting their Academic Advisor for approval. If students would like to change the section of a course (same class, different times/professors), they can directly email the Registrar’s Office at [email protected] and request the change. Changes will be possible only upon class availability.

All students can refer to the following step-by-step video tutorials to navigate through the registration process:

How to register for classes
How to add a new course
How to drop a course
Class conflicts
How to check account holds
How to change your password

Learn more about JCU policies and procedures for transfer credits and applicability of course credits to a JCU Associate or Bachelor of Arts incorporate these basic principles.

Transfer Credits

John Cabot University rewards and values the work that students have done in high school or previous universities/colleges. This is why we take extra care of evaluating all students’ academic credentials that could be eligible for transfer credits prior to admitting them to John Cabot University. 

Please refer to the orientation page to learn more about orientation activities.