Note: This website is currently for students entering their first year at Queen's in Fall 2023. Check back in the winter as we update this page with 2024 information.
Congratulations! We are excited you have made the decision to spend the next few years studying at Queen's University.
This Next Steps website will ensure you are prepared for your first year. All incoming undergraduate students should review and complete all the Next Steps check list that apply to you.
The steps below are listed in month that we recommend they be actioned, but many may be completed at any point throughout the summer with the exception of a few key deadlines. However, we do encourage you to stick to the recommend months to ensure you have a smooth transition to Queen's in the fall, and are not missing out on important information or deadlines.
You will start hearing from us - The Student Experience Office - weekly, starting in June 2023 at your queensu.ca email address. These emails will ensure you are aware of upcoming deadlines, as well as online and in-person socials and summer programming so you are set for the start of the academic year!
Bader College students can also visit the Bader College website.
International students can visit the Queen'sUBound Next Steps for a Smooth Transition webpage for specific travel and arrival-to-Canada information, and the Queen's University International Centre's website.
You can also explore all of the student resources and supports available across Student Affairs and the campus.
Get your access to the Queen's student system
Your NetID and password give you access to online services and resources. You received information about activating your NetID (sent to your applicant email address) when your application was received.
You have to activate your NetID before you can register for your courses. Once you have activated your NetID, make sure you can login to SOLUS. That way you’ll know you’re ready for course registration in July.
Your NetID will never change, but you should change your NetID password often. A strong NetID password ensures that both your personal information and university resources are protected.
Make your transition an easy one, and visit the ITS website to help you get started with activating your NetID. View information about setting up your NetID, and technology, resources, and services available to students.
You will use the same NetID and password for all Queen’s applications – SOLUS, email, onQ, etc.
Complete your Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) application
The 2023-24 OSAP application opens in April. Submit your OSAP application as soon as possible to ensure funding is available for the start of the academic year.
Do not report your Queen’s awards on your OSAP application – learn more about OSAP and awards.
Complete your provincial/territorial Student Government Assistance application
If you live in another province/territory, check the government student assistance website where you live for information about when the application is available, and information about how to report any awards you have received. Apply as soon as you can to ensure your funding is available for the start of the academic year.
Apply for governmental financial assistance outside of Ontario.
Get in touch with Hospitality Services
Hospitality Services take food allergies and special diets very seriously, including food intolerances, food-related medical conditions, or dietary needs related to religious or cultural observance. You are encouraged to take the following steps before arriving on campus:
- Complete Hospitality Services’ Food Allergy and Dietary Needs Form accessible through the Student Portal
- Book an appointment with Hospitality Services’ Registered Dietitian to discuss how your dietary needs can be accommodated on the meal plan. All students are encouraged to “Ask Before You Eat."
- Learn more about Hospitality Services and Dietary Accommodations.
- Get details about the Residence meal plan.
- If you are living off-campus, you can buy a Campus Meal Plan any time during the academic year. We have multiple meal plan options designed to suit any budget and campus lifestyle.
Log in to Queen’s email service and Office 365
All new students will receive an email in mid June with information about your Queen's email account. Log in and make sure everything is set up to your satisfaction.
From this point forward, Queen's will only communicate with you via your Queen's email account, so be sure to keep checking it regularly!
Watch for information on Registration and Fees and student card photo email
The Office of the University Registrar website has detailed information regarding registration and fees, including:
- How to register for courses
- Tuition and fees
- How to make payment
- How to submit your photo for your Student ID card
You will receive an email to your Queen’s email account in June with more information.
Living in Residence
Living in residence during first year provides a supportive community environment for you to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. Living on campus helps you to meet new people, participate in organized activities, and ease your transition to university life.
Visit the Residence website for more information about the application and room selection process, as well as move-in.
Apply to Queen’s Residence and pay the $525 deposit by June 8, 2023, at 4pm EDT
Living Off-Campus
Thinking about Off-Campus housing in Kingston for 2023-24? Do you have questions about the Kingston student rental market, your housing search, lease agreements, tenant rights, landlord rights and responsibilities, and finding housemates? Connect with Adam King, the Off-Campus Living Advisor for resources and guidance.
Take part in online and on-campus opportunities
The Student Experience Office’s First-Year Foundation program starts this summer and gives you online and in-person opportunities to build your community, support your transition, and find your path to success for your first year at Queen’s.
The program includes:
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Summer Orientation to Academics and Resources (SOAR), a one-day on-campus experience running July 6-9 and 14-15. Register now to save your seat and get to know your campus, your faculty, and your peers!
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Raftr, the digital community platform exclusively for first-year students.
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onQ online modules called FYF 100 and webinars start end of June.
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QSuccess, our one-on-one year-long peer mentorship program for first-year students. Registration opens July 6.
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The Off-Campus Community (OCC) to connect those of you living off-campus. Registration opens in June.
Check out our Fall Orientation website for more information on what to look forward to when you arrive on campus!
Satisfy the conditions on your offer of admission
Satisfy any conditions on your offer of admission by the due date in your offer email. Due dates may also be found on the Undergraduate Admission Key Dates and Deadlines page.
Review your final grades on your transcript, or on the OUAC website. Contact your guidance counsellor and Queen’s Undergraduate Admission if your academic data is inaccurate. The information that is on file will be used to determine if you meet the conditions in your offer.
If you will not meet the conditions on your offer of admission, please email admresp@queensu.ca as soon as possible.
Register with Queen's Student Accessibility Services (QSAS)
If you experience barriers in the academic learning environment due to disability-related reasons, connect with Queen’s Student Accessibility Services (QSAS) to register for accommodations. Don't wait until the start of the year - start the process now! You can register for Fall 2023 starting June 20.
Click here to learn how to register with QSAS and what to expect.
Please note: if you have applied to live in Residence and require an accommodation for your living environment, this is a separate process that can be accessed via the Student Residence and Dining Portal.
Are you a student with a disability? Check out Setting Yourself Up for Success, a free self-guided course designed to help students with disabilities navigate the transition to university.
View Block Course Enrolment (pre-populated class schedules)
If you are in one of the following programs, you will have some, or all, of your courses automatically added to your schedule by your Faculty or School in late June.
- Commerce
- Concurrent Education
- Music
- Nursing
- Kinesiology
- Engineering and Applied Science
- Health Sciences
Log in to SOLUS beginning July 17, to view your pre-enrolled class schedule.
Students who choose some or all of their courses will be able to see their Enrolment Appointment time in SOLUS beginning July 11. This is also when you may begin adding classes to your Shopping Cart.
View your Enrolment Appointment (for course selection)
Beginning July 17, access your SOLUS Student Centre to view your enrolment appointment and begin adding courses to your shopping cart. Your enrolment appointment is your specific date and time when you may enrol in your courses. In advance of the start of your enrolment appointment, it is a good idea to add your courses to your shopping cart and build your schedule so that you are ready to enrol once your Enrolment Appointment begins.
NOTE: You won't be able to actually enrol in the courses until your Enrolment Appointment begins.
Enrol in your courses
There are three Enrolment Periods:
Class Selection I -- Restricted Enrolment - start of your appointment time to July 31 at 11:30 pm EST: Your enrolment appointment time will be your first opportunity to enrol in your courses. We suggest that you enrol as soon as your appointment time begins. Some courses may have enrolment restrictions on them. These restrictions are there to ensure that students who require certain courses receive priority.
Class Selection II -- Open Enrolment - begins at 8 am on August 2 and ends at 11:59 pm on August 6: Most enrolment restrictions will be removed, although some online classes may still have restrictions. Please note there will be an Enrolment Hiatus from August 7th through 20th. During this time students will be unable to complete any enrolment activities. If you have registration questions or require assistance, your Faculty and the Office of the University Registrar will be able to assist you on August 21st.
Open Enrolment -- begins August 21 - this is an opportunity for you to make changes to your schedule. If you need help, please contact your Faculty/School.
Visit SOLUS Help for tutorials on how to navigate SOLUS and the Student Guide for information on registration and fees.
If you need help selecting courses, please contact your Faculty/School.
All on-campus students are provided a student card when they first arrive at Queen’s, we will need your help with uploading your photo to SOLUS for us to produce this card. You will be prompted by email to upload your photo in early July. Students living in residence MUST complete this within two weeks of receiving the email from us to ensure it is ready for pickup on move-in day. You will need this card to access your meal plan along with other services. Students living off campus can pick up their cards in September at a TBD venue. Your card will give you access to discounts, exams, and the ARC.
View your financial aid awards
Check SOLUS (under ‘View Financial Aid’ link) to find out when your award(s) will be applied to your account. The first half of the award value will be applied to in mid-August before the Fall term tuition payment deadline. The second half be applied to your SOLUS student account in early December before to the Winter term tuition payment deadline.
For all awards administered by the Student Awards Office (e.g. Queen's bursaries, awards, and scholarships granted on admission), payments will be applied on your account to all current and future university charges (e.g. Fall term tuition and student activity fees, Fall term Residence, Winter Term Tuition, and Winter term residence).
Learn more about navigating SOLUS
Learn more about paying tuition and fees
Confirm your banking information
Make sure your current information is up to date in the Finances section of SOLUS. Your banking information allows Queen’s to process any refunds directly into your bank account. Please note that Queen’s will not deduct payments directly from your bank account, and any awards will be deposited to your student account, not your bank account.
If you are coming to Canada for the first time, you will have the opportunity to open a Canadian bank account and update your information after you arrive.
Update your banking information
Access your RESP Verification of Enrolment form
The Queen’s ‘Verification of Enrolment’ form allows you to withdraw money from your RESP. This form is available in your SOLUS account. All you have to do is download it and send it to your RESP provider.
Log Update your contact information in SOLUS
Please update your Fall 2023 address, phone number and emergency contact information in SOLUS. Watch for a link in your “To Do” list (on the top right of your SOLUS screen) for next steps.
Check out Student Wellness Services
Student Wellness Services can support many of your physical, mental, and sexual health needs.
Get your vaccinations!
Queen's strongly encourages you to make sure all your immunizations are all up to date (see Student Wellness Services' information about immunizations and Ontario’s routine immunization schedule) and that you are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Before arriving to campus, connect with your healthcare provider or local public health unit to review and get a copy of your immunization record. You may need this record if you visit Student Wellness Services.
For more information about vaccines in residence, visit the Queen's Residences FAQs.
Fill and transfer your prescriptions
If you currently take any prescription medications, contact the health care professional who prescribed them and see if it is appropriate to bring a 3-month supply of your medications with you to school. You can transfer your prescription to a local Kingston pharmacy (e.g., DrugSmart on campus) and/or book a medical appointment at Student Wellness Services.
Stay in touch with healthcare providers
If you receive ongoing care for a physical and/or mental health problem, we suggest you stay in touch with these healthcare providers. You could inquire if they can offer virtual care while you are away at school.
Community specialists
If you have a health condition that requires ongoing specialized health care in Kingston, ask your health care professional to send referrals to community specialists in the Kingston area. If assistance is needed with this process, Student Wellness Services can help.
Check your Queen’s email for scholarship updates
You will automatically be re-assessed for scholarship consideration once your final grades have been received. If your grades have increased since your offer of admission, your grades will be reviewed, and you will receive a notification via email and SOLUS in mid-August if you become eligible for a grades-based admission scholarship.
Complete the It Takes All Of Us online learning program
To ensure every first-year student is aware of an understands their role in helping to prevent sexual violence, you are required to complete the It Takes All Of Us online learning program before September 2.
If you find completing the program online difficult due to personal circumstances, you'll be asked to complete a form to opt out.
Manage your finances in SOLUS
Fall term tuition and Student Assistance Levy (SAL) as shown on your Account Summary in SOLUS must be paid by September 1, 2023.