Frequently Asked Questions

Make sure that you send in your immunization records to the Health Center to have your Health Center hold removed. 

All first-year students will have an advising hold on their schedule until they meet with their academic advisor during Orientation.

All USD full-time undergraduate, graduate and law students are required to carry health insurance.

When you are admitted and/or register for classes, your student account will be charged for the USD Student Health Insurance Plan. If you already have other comparable health insurance, you can waive this coverage to have the charge removed from your student account. If you do not have coverage, you need to either enroll in USD’s plan or in another plan, and then continue with the waiver process. A new form to enroll or waive needs to be submitted at the beginning of every academic year.

If you already have comparable healthcare coverage, you must waive your enrollment. Failure to take action by the deadline will result in automatic enrollment and you will be responsible for the health insurance premium for 12 months of coverage billed to your student account. For information about the USD Student Health Insurance requirement, or for instructions on how to enroll or waive, visit the Student Health Insurance Requirement website.

As part of the University of San Diego’s commitment to the well-being of our students and the larger USD community, and to remain in compliance with federally mandated requirements including the Federal Campus Sexual Violence Elimination (SaVE) Act, you are required to complete an online prevention based education course. 

• For instructions, deadlines, and more information about this course requirement, please visit the New Student Education website.
• A $250 noncompliance fee will be assessed to students who do not fully comply with the course requirements by the deadlines.

You can order your books ahead of time. Go to the MySanDiego portal Academic Resources tab to find your course schedule. Click on the book for your list of required course materials. Then shop for your books through the Torero Store to buy, rent, download or reserve them ahead of time.

Students can return books to the Torero Store up to 3 days after the start of classes for any reason. You can also return books if you drop a class during the 2-week drop/add period. If you have any questions about book orders or reservations, please email the Torero Store or call (619) 260-4551.

Orientation is an effort on the part of the University of San Diego to acquaint new students with all aspects of campus life prior to the beginning of classes. Because USD is committed to a holistic education, one that takes place inside as well as outside of the classroom, we want to acquaint you with all the aspects of campus that may help you in your overall development. All new students are expected to attend Orientation. This is coupled with move-in for those living on campus.

Log in to your MySanDiego Portal and navigate to the "Admissions" tab, "Announcements" sub-tab to register yourself for Orientation. Your parents, family members or supporters are invited to attend a separate Parent and Family Orientation, offered through the Office of Parent and Family Relations.

For general questions regarding mail services, please visit the Mail Center web page.

First of all, thank you for taking the time to find your answer online. We work very hard to make sure the information you need is available to you! Please contact firstreg@sandiego.edu.

In addition, keep an eye out for the Torero Countdown Handbook - our go-to guide for all first-year student information.

A USD LLC Course combines aspects of a first-year seminar course and academic advising with a regular class. Some LLC courses are traditional, general education courses in a specific discipline, while others are interdisciplinary courses examining a problem or issue from several perspectives. Still others are innovative approaches to traditional subject matter, or courses of a more experimental nature. LLC courses are limited to fewer than 20 first-year students - this class size makes them about one-half the size of regular first-year classes.

In your second semester at USD, you will be placed into another LLC course - both of these LLC courses will help you fulfill the First-Year Integration requirement of the core curriculum.During this time, you will be challenged to integrate concepts and ideas from one course to the other.

Please visit the LLC Course and Advisor tab for info on the LLC program.

Math Placement: If you plan to take math your first semester, you'll need to take the math placement exam.

Second Language Placement: All USD students need to fulfill the Second Language Core requirement and it is recommended you start this right away! Students must take a language placement exam or fill our a waiver to be placed in a language class. Visit the Language Gateway for more details.

Class or Core Credit: If you have taken an AP or CLEP exam or have IB credit, find out which specific classes or Core requirements these satisfy. For information on AP/IB/CLEP credits, please visit the Approved Exam Credits web page.

Learn more about the math placement exam.

Math: Your math placement will be based on your ACT/SAT scores. If you would like to be placed higher than your qualified course, you will need to take a Math Placement Exam.

Second Language: Studying a second language in your first semester is recommended and to do so you will need to take a placement exam or submit a waiver of placement.

The webcast will guide you through the Advising Questionnaire and provide important information about selecting your LLC theme and other desired courses. Your housing selection is linked to your LLC course selection, so viewing the webcast prior to completing the questionnaire will help ensure that this important process goes smoothly.

*The "Get Classes" webcast is produced for the incoming Fall class.

Look for an email from Admissions telling you how to register for and view the webcast. If you missed it, you'll be able to view the recorded webcast on our home page or the MySanDiego portal when available.

*The "Get Classes" webcast is produced for the incoming Fall class.

Over the summer, first-year students will have the chance to discuss any critical schedule changes with their class scheduler. Schedulers contact students shortly after course schedules have been released with information on how to communication with them or set up an appointment. Incoming Spring students can contact firstreg@sandiego.edu for any urgent schedule changes. 

The official time to make any other changes to course schedules occurs during the add/drop period, which takes place during the first week of classes of the semester. This is done in consultation with students' faculty advisors. Learn more about your Academic Team @ USD.

First-Year Class Registration Timeline

It is important you fill out the First-year Advising Questionnaire as soon as possible! Class schedulers create schedules in batches as questionnaires come in. Please be sure to submit your First-Year Advising Questionnaire by the deadline.

Part of the housing application includes providing information about your personal, academic, and social preferences in your living environment. Residential Life uses that information to create roommate matches for all first-year students. Therefore, you do not choose your roommate yourself.

While first-year students cannot select roommates, we use advanced software to find the most compatible person possible within your LLC theme. Also, we work very closely with our Resident Assistants to offer a directed conversation and Roommate Agreement packets to be completed at the beginning of the semester to ensure all roommates can begin forming great relationships.

If you are uncomfortable with your roommate situation, you can request a change with Housing. However, changes will not be made until after the first two weeks of the semester. Any room changes that are processed during the academic year will be completed within the same LLC/housing area. Changes are not guaranteed. Please read for more information on the room change request process.

Student Support Services (SSS) is jointly funded by the U.S. Department of Education and the University of San Diego (USD) to serve eligible undergraduate students at USD. The program provides opportunities for academic development, assist students with college requirements, and serves to retain and motivate students toward the successful completion of their post-secondary education at USD.

To be eligible you must be a USD student who is ONE or more of the following:

• Low income (as determined by Federal Income Guidelines)

• • First generation (an individual both of whose parents, or whose guardian did not complete a baccalaureate degree)
  • Students with disabilities (students who have a documented disability and are registered with USD’s Disability and Learning Difference Resource Center)

• Underrepresented population (as determined by USD)

To submit an application, please visit the SSS website.