Orientation information for admitted students
New international students at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law must take part in two orientations: the university orientation session sponsored by the Office of International Services, which will be completed online via Canvas and in Atlas before you arrive, and the Maurer orientation session, which has an online component in Canvas to be completed before you arrive and an in-person component in Bloomington from August 10 – 14, 2023.
Important information about university orientation
The Office of International Services (OIS) provides online resources and some required steps to complete to help you understand how to adapt to living in Bloomington, studying at the University, and maintaining your student status with SEVIS. To ensure that you have the most up-to-date information about the university orientation requirements, you need to pay attention to information from OIS available on their website, through Atlas, and in emails from the account "NEWTOIU@iu.edu." Make sure you have set up your IU computing accounts so that you can complete both the IU and Law School orientation.
All new international students in the LLM, MCL, Certificate, SJD, PHD or exchange programs who are in the United States on a student visa are required to complete the mandatory steps in Atlas. You will start this process by filling out your Atlas checklist. You will not be eligible to register for fall semester courses until you have completed the required online orientation sessions.
Important information about Law School orientation
The Office of Graduate Legal Studies (GLS) provides an orientation session for all new graduate and exchange students at the Law School. The orientation process begins once you receive your letter of admission and access to the "You're Admitted!" web pages. On these pages, we offer information that you need to know prior to arriving in Bloomington -- the orientation schedule, suggestions for how to prepare for law school classes, housing information, general information about the city of Bloomington, and brief introductions from our staff members.
Approximately one month before you arrive, you will receive an invitation via email to participate in the Law School’s online orientation module on Canvas. You will need to complete all the steps in the Canvas orientation modules before in-person orientation begins. The Law School’s in-person orientation session normally takes place at the Maurer School of Law in the second week of August for the fall semester and in the first week of January for the spring semester. Orientation consists of both mandatory and optional activities. During the law school orientation, we will discuss topics such as degree program requirements and choosing classes, and other topics, such as resources for professional development, tips for surviving the first month of law school, and a guide to the course registration system. LLM, MCL, certificate and exchange students will meet with an academic advisor and make course selections for the fall semester. Participation in the Law School's orientation is mandatory.
Please note that students in the PHD and SJD programs will follow a slightly different orientation schedule than other graduate students.