FAQs

About Orientation

When is Orientation?

Orientation is the time before your first study period commences, and it’s an opportunity for you to get to know your new university.

Orientation events and activities take place over three weeks:

Prepare Week.
OWeek (the week before your first week of classes).
Week 1 (the first week of classes).

On-campus Orientation includes information sessions, campus tours, course connection activities and social events. Online Orientation includes information sessions, social events and course connection opportunities.

View more information and dates for Orientation

Is Orientation mandatory?

What if I arrive late and miss Orientation?

If you miss Orientation and OWeek, don’t worry. We record online Orientation sessions so you can watch them later. We also offer late arriving sessions for international students that arrive late.

If you are an undergraduate, your recordings will be available in UniStart (undergraduate students) under the ‘Orientation Sessions’ tab. If you are a postgraduate, your recordings will be available in Preparing to Succeed (postgraduate students) under the ‘Orientation sessions’ tab.

These sites also offer helpful guides with study tips and spaces to connect with your learning community.

I am an international student located overseas. How do I attend Orientation?

We offer a large range of Orientation sessions online, ensuring all students have access to them. All sessions have an interactive element to help you learn the most about studying at Deakin.

You can register in your Orientation program to join the live online sessions which run during Prepare Week, OWeek and Week 1.

The sessions are also recorded and available to watch at a later date in UniStart (undergraduate students) or Preparing to Succeed (postgraduate students).

I am an online student. Do I need to attend Orientation?

Yes, we offer an online Orientation program with live sessions running Prepare Week, OWeek and Week 1. All sessions have an interactive element to help you learn the most about studying at Deakin. You can view the sessions in your Orientation program.

The sessions are also recorded and available to watch at a later date in UniStart (undergraduate students) or Preparing to Succeed (postgraduate students).

Registering for and attending Orientation sessions

What is my Orientation program and how do I view it?

Do I need to register for Orientation?

You must register for all Orientation sessions. This will enable us to send you a link to join each session online. You’ll find the registration details in the session description in your Orientation program.

On-campus Orientation events and activations including DUSA events are also listed in your Orientation program. You will need to register for some on-campus events and activations.

How do I register for my Orientation sessions?

TargetConnect

TargetConnect is available to all students who have a Deakin username and password and are enrolled.

Please note that account activation and enrolment can take 24 hours to update across all Deakin systems.
We recommend all commencing students to activate their username and password as soon as possible.
Access to pre-registration will be granted to students without a username and password in February 2026. NOTE: If you get your username and password prior to your sessions or events and log in as a student you will need to re-register or use your original registration to attend and check-in at events and sessions.
You will receive a confirmation email and a calendar invite which we recommend you save to your Deakin Outlook Calendar.
Links to the event page and join the session are in your confirmation email and your calendar invite.
A reminder email will be sent one hour prior to the event/session.
You can manage your session and event registrations in TargetConnect (cancel, change session time and join the session etc.).
IMPORTANT: The join the session link becomes active when the event time goes live.

Eventbrite

Some early enrolment and Orientation events require registration through Eventbrite. Instructions for Eventbrite access are below.

Create a new Eventbrite account with your Deakin email to avoid issues. If you have a personal Eventbrite account, log in to access your session. If you forgot your password, reset it to gain access.

Once you have logged into your Eventbrite account, you can register for the Orientation event.
You will then receive the following Eventbrite reminders:
1. 2 days prior to the session – a reminder email with more details for the session.
2. 2 hours prior to the session – a second reminder email with a link to Eventbrite where you can join the session.
3. 10 minutes prior to the session – an email invite to join now with a link to Eventbrite where you can join the session.
We recommend joining your session ten minutes prior to the session start time so you are ready to go.

Zoom

Zoom links do not require a password. We suggest you download Zoom to your device prior to the session.

For more information about using Zoom, read our Zoom FAQs.

Which Orientation sessions do I need to attend?

We strongly recommend you attend all your Orientation sessions as they are designed to help you make a great start at Deakin. Most sessions have been designed with an interactive component to allow you to become familiar with digital tools, meet academics or peer mentors, and explore online study spaces.

If you’re unable to attend a session, you'll be able to watch a recording later.