New Student Information

Welcome!

Welcome to Western Washington University! As a new student, these pages are here to help direct you toward important information and resources.  

Some students arrive at Western having transferred from another college or having completed credits through Running Start, while others may be starting college for the first time. Click on the option below, first-year, Running Start, or transfer student, that most closely resembles your experience going into your first quarter at Western.

First-Year Students

Large group of students walking back from Convocation through Red Square

Running Start Students

Students sitting in the sun around the Red Square fountain

Transfer Students

Students passing Carver Gym to go to classes

Planning Resources

In advance of participating in an Advising & Registration session, students are strongly encouraged to spend time reviewing the modules and watching the videos in the Virtual Advisor Canvas course. The Virtual Advisor can be accessed by logging into Canvas from myWestern and will be accessible starting on certain dates depending on your starting quarter.

  • June 1st for students starting in fall quarter
  • October 15th for students starting in winter quarter
  • February 1st for students starting in spring quarter
  • April 15th for students starting in summer quarter

Prior to attending an Advising & Registration session, students are also mailed an Academic Planning Guide to help them work through class planning and registration. Students can locate a Printable PDF of the Academic Planning Guide on the Advising Tools and Resources page.