Welcome, previously known as Orientation or O-Week, is a program of online and in-person events and activities held before the start of semester. Our Welcome Program is a celebration of all students, new and continuing, coming together to learn and immerse themselves in university life.

For new students, Welcome includes a series of orientation activities where you’ll learn:

• information about your course, teachers and classes
• how and where to access student services and support
• about all of the ways to make the most of your time at university

Welcome is your opportunity to learn about your course, meet your faculty or school, explore campus and make new friends, so it’s worthwhile attending several of the many fun and informative events planned. Whether you’re looking to learn more about your course and meet your teachers or just want to sign up for clubs and societies, there’s something for everyone at Welcome.

University of Sydney Union's (USU) Welcome Fest is the Welcome Program’s flagship event, taking place in the three days before classes start. Expect to see hundreds of club and society stalls lined up along Eastern Avenue and out the front of the famous sandstone Quadrangle, hear live music by incredible Australian artists and receive tons of awesome freebies.

Yes. There are plenty of events and activities dedicated to students new to Sydney, both students from overseas and from Australia, including our New to Sydney Welcome and our International Student Welcome Day.

Yes. Visit the Welcome Planner for the full list of events, and keep an eye on your University email address for invites from your faculty and school.

Yes. Many faculties and schools have events for postgraduate students, and we have a dedicated Postgraduate Coursework Welcome. Our Welcome Program is about being welcomed into the wider University community – even if you’ve already experienced life as a student.

Yes. Current students are encouraged to attend Welcome events and activities to celebrate the new semester. If you’ve only recently arrived in Sydney it’s even more important to register for workshops, tours and social events. They’ll be opportunities for current students to meet new peers and teachers in their faculty or school, see our headline performances and make new friends at Welcome Fest.

Our faculty and school events are a great opportunity to learn more about your course, meet your teachers and peers, and ask any questions you have about learning at the University. You can also read our advice on planning your course and enrolling in a new course.

If you’re still unsure, visit the Student Centre, make an enquiry or call 1800 SYD UNI (1800 793 864) to find the help you need.

Welcome Fest is an alcohol-free event. Anti-social behaviour is not tolerated and security personnel and event staff will be on hand to respond to any concerns.

The Welcome Program is a mix of in-person and online events. To create an account and register for events, you’ll need to log in to the Welcome Planner with OKTA using your UniKey. For information about logging in to University systems, visit the Student website.  

Once you’ve logged in to the Welcome Planner you can start browsing events. Using the filter feature, you can browse events by student type, faculty and school, social, support and services, and location. If you have a specific event in mind, you can use the search bar to find them.

For most events, you’ll register for them in the Welcome Planner. Once you’ve registered for an event, it will automatically add to your schedule and let the event organiser know you’re planning to attend. If you’re having trouble registering for an event, email the event organiser listed.

To register for an event, select the event and click ‘register’ on the right-hand side. You’ll then see that you’ve successfully registered for the event, and it will prompt you to check your University email for confirmation of your registration and other details. The event will also be added to your schedule.

To remove an event from your schedule, navigate to ‘Your Schedule’ in the top-bar of the Welcome Planner, then select ‘cancel’ for the event you wish to remove. You can re-register for the event at any time by selecting ‘re-register’ on the event listing. Make sure you keep your registration up-to-date so that we know if you’re planning to attend. This helps us to manage event capacity and catering numbers.

Each event listing in the Welcome Planner will include the event organiser’s contact details. Feel free to get in touch with the event organiser with any questions you have.