Orientation Reservation Guidelines
The policies below apply to new students attending Cal Poly for the current 2026-27 academic year.
Reservation Deadlines
- Reservation Begins — First week of May 2026
- Deadline for SLO Days Exemptions — Sunday, June 14, 2026 (5:00 p.m. PST)
- First Year Students must register for their SLO Days and Transfer Students must register for Transfer SLO Days by Friday, July 10, 2026
- Week of Welcome (WOW) Exemption Requests — Friday, July 31, 2026 (5:00 p.m. PST)
- Deadline to Submit Refund Requests — Friday, July 31, 2026 (5:00 p.m. PST)
- Change of Date Requests — see the chart below for change of date deadlines per session
All newly admitted students are required by the University to attend SLO Days and the Week of Welcome (WOW) orientation.
All SLO Days sessions have limited capacity. Space is not guaranteed until your submitted payment is received for your reservation. There is no waitlist for closed/locked sessions. Change of date requests for SLO Days must be submitted by the Orientation Request Form before the allotted dates listed below. If approved, a change-of-date fee of $25 will be applied to the student's orientation reservation. Failure to submit a request prior to the deadline or submit payment before the preferred SLO Days date will prohibit the student from participating in the event.
| SLO Days Session |
Deadline to Request Change of Date |
| Tuesday, June 30, 2026 - Wednesday, July 1, 2026 |
Tuesday, June 16, 2026 |
| Tuesday, July 7, 2026 - Wednesday, July 8, 2026 |
Tuesday, June 23, 2026 |
| Friday, July 10, 2026 - Saturday, July 11, 2026 |
Friday, June 26, 2026 |
| Monday, July 13, 2026 - Tuesday, July 14, 2026 |
Monday, June 29, 2026 |
| Friday, July 17, 2026 - Saturday, July 18, 2026 |
Friday, July 3, 2026 |
| Monday, July 20, 2026 - Tuesday, July 21, 2026 |
Monday, July 6, 2026
|
| Thursday, July 23, 2026 (Transfer Session Part 1 - Virtual) |
Thursday, July 9, 2026 |
|
Friday, July 24, 2026 - Saturday, July 25, 2026 (Transfer Session Part 1 - In-Person )
|
Friday, July 10, 2026 |
| Monday, July 27, 2026 - Tuesday, July 28, 2026 |
Monday, July 13, 2026 |
|
Thursday, July 30, 2026 (Virtual)
|
Thursday, July 16, 2026 |
|
Wednesday, August 5, 2026 - Thursday, August 6, 2026 (Transfer Session Part 2 - Virtual)
|
Wednesday, July 22, 2026 |
Newly admitted students — both first-year and transfer students — must participate in and register for the mandatory orientations. Transfer students participate in a two-part Transfer SLO Days Session based on the college of their major.
Readmitted students may seek written approval from their College Advisors to receive an exemption from one or both orientation events. Please follow the instructions found on our website, HERE.
Orientation Pricing and Fees
SLO Days
| Description |
Cost |
|---|
| Session Registration |
|
| First-year In-Person |
$190 |
| First-year - Virtual |
$100 |
|
Transfer In-Person
|
$190
|
| Transfer Virtual |
$100 |
| EOP & Cal Poly Scholars |
covered by your program |
| |
|
| Supporter Registration |
|
| First-year supporter In-Person |
$150
|
| First-year supporter Virtual |
$75 |
| Transfer supporter In-Person |
$150 |
| Transfer supporter Virtual |
$75 |
| |
|
| Other |
|
| Change of Date |
$25
|
|
Lunch ticket for one supporter
(Student lunch is included)
|
$20
|
|
Dinner ticket for one supporter
(Student dinner is included)
|
$25 |
Week of Welcome (WOW) Fees
| Description |
Cost |
|---|
| First-year & Transfer Registration |
$175 |
All students who are participating in WOW are expected to bring $40.00 cash for off-campus activities planned by your WOW leaders and meals that are not included with the Campus Dining meal plan during the week.
SLO Days/Week of Welcome (WOW) Overall Exemptions
All first-year and transfer students are required to register and attend orientation (SLO Days and the Week of Welcome). In rare and extenuating circumstances, a student may be granted an exemption from attending all or part of orientation. Circumstances may include a medical need, family circumstances, or inability to travel to San Luis Obispo at the time of sessions. Additionally, if our department is unable to accommodate another available SLO Days session, this would qualify as a request for exemption.
Request to be exempted from SLO Days must be received by Sunday, June 14, 2026 (5:00 p.m. PST). Exemption requests for Week of Welcome must be received by Friday, July 31, 2026 (5:00 p.m. PST.). Failure to submit requests before the allotted deadlines will result in immediate denial.
Documentation may be required as part of the request, and it is not guaranteed an exemption.
First-year Students: All first-year students attending an in-person SLO Days session are required to stay on campus in provided accommodations during the overnight portion of the session. Students may request an exemption from the overnight component for the following reasons only:
- Live within or stay with family that lives in San Luis Obispo County
- Medical need or other extenuating circumstances
Orientation fees will remain the same regardless of whether or not the student is granted an exemption from the overnight segment of SLO Days. Overnight accommodations are not provided for registered supporters. The university provides one night of accommodations for students as part of their session. Please check our website for additional information on recommended supporter accommodations.
All requests for Overnight Exemptions must be received by Sunday, June 14, 2026 (5:00 p.m. PST).
Supporter Reservation
We encourage our parents and supporters to participate in SLO Days and learn about the Cal Poly experience. Register up to two (2) supporters per student for an additional fee under your student's orientation registration tab in their Cal Poly Portal. We encourage you to register as soon as possible. Once a payment is submitted on the student's portal, you may not edit the reservation.
To add or cancel guests, you must complete the Orientation Request Form a minimum of 14 business days prior to your registered SLO Days event. Failure to submit the requests prior will result in an immediate denied request.
Changes, Refund & Cancellation Policy
Change of date requests for SLO Days must be submitted by the requested date (listed above) for your session. Please note that a $25 change-of-date fee will be automatically applied to the orientation reservation account and must be processed immediately. Failure to submit payment immediately will result in no change to the date.
Refunds will be applied automatically to students who have been rescinded from the university for the academic year of 2026-2027. Students who have withdrawn their application from the university must complete the Orientation Request Form by July 31, 2026, to receive their refund.
Refunds will not be offered to students who miss their SLO Days session. Options include completing the Orientation Request Form to select a new available date or participating in the recorded presentation. Recorded footage will be available shortly into SLO Days sessions, and "how to access" will be announced on our website and on our social media. Recorded sessions will only be accessible to students and supporters who registered and submitted payment.
Students attending Cal Poly in Fall 2026 cannot cancel their orientation registration.
To request a change in the SLO Days session, request a student or supporter refund, or an overnight exemption, click here to access the Orientation Request Form. Please allow 14 business days from the date it was submitted to be reviewed and note that your request is not guaranteed to be approved or denied.
