Schedule at a Glance – Coming Soon
2026 Orientation Schedule
Updated on: May 26, 2026 - Schedule subject to change!
Bus Trips and Tours: Tickets sell out fast, as bus seating is limited. These trips and tours are for new international graduate students only (no children will be allowed on these trips). Bechtel will organize more trips and tours during the year. A Berkeley-Bay Area Bus Tour is scheduled for Saturday, September 12, and a visit to the Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park is scheduled for Saturday, September 19. Tickets are $50 per person and include lunch. You can only purchase one ticket for each bus trip. Tickets will be sold online (see schedule below for dates). More details about the trip can be found in the schedule.
Dinners at the Bechtel International Center: Please join us on two different nights for dinner! See the Orientation schedule for details. Tickets are $20 and include food and a non-alcoholic beverage. Tickets will be sold online a week before the dinner, and purchases will be checked at the door. Space is limited! Wine, beer, and other alcoholic drinks will be for sale during the dinners (two drinks for $5).
Free Social Events: Join us for Wednesday Welcome Coffees during orientation to be held in the patio and back lawn at Bechtel, karaoke following the Italian dinner, the Sunday dish walk, S'mores at the Lake Lagunita fire pit, and our Welcome Reception with a live band! All the details can be found in the schedule.
Thank you to our orientation sponsors: Stanford Credit Union, campusSIMS, and Flywire.
All events are held at the Bechtel International Center, unless otherwise noted. Spouses and families of students are cordially invited to all activities except bus trips and tours, which are solely for new international graduate students.
Monday, September 7 - Labor Day Holiday Observed (University Closed-no orientation events)
Tuesday, September 8
| 9:30-10:30 a.m. | Maintaining Your Legal Status |
| 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. | Medical Care-Insurance, Entrance Medical Records, Required Inoculations: In this session, representatives from Vaden Health Center (the on-campus student clinic) will discuss health services and how Cardinal Care health insurance works. |
| 1:00-2:00 p.m. | Maintaining Your Legal Status |
| 3:00-4:00 p.m. | Student Services Center and Student Financial Services (also on Sept. 14): Student Services Center and Student Financial Services representatives explain important enrollment deadlines, full-time student enrollment requirements, enrolling in correct class sections, and how to withdraw/drop courses. Other topics discussed are: Understanding and paying University bills; who to ask questions about your bills; and third-party contract billing. |
| 5:00-6:00 p.m. | Maintaining Your Legal Status |
Wednesday, September 9
| 9:30-10:30 a.m. | Maintaining Your Legal Status |
| 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. | Culture of the U.S. Classroom (also on Sept. 14): A session about the cultural aspects surrounding the classroom, interactions with Stanford professors, and student life: What is Stanford’s academic system? What are Stanford’s academic regulations? What is the Honor Code? How can you be successful? |
| 10:30 am-12:00 p.m. | Wednesday Welcome Coffee for International Students, Scholars, Spouses and Families: Join us for our weekly informal gathering. It is an ideal way to meet other international community members and your international student advisors, to get information about living at Stanford, and to learn about the many options for enriching your stay. Held at the patio and backlawn at Bechtel |
| 1:30-2:30 p.m. | Maintaining Your Legal Status |
| 3:30-4:30 p.m. | Banking in the U.S.A-Options for Managing Your Money (also on Sept. 16): Information about different kinds of bank accounts, credit and debit cards, how to build credit, identity theft prevention, U.S. banking services, and money transfers. Presented by a representative from the Stanford Federal Credit Union (SFCU). |
| 5:00-6:00 p.m. | Maintaining Your Legal Status |
Thursday, September 10
| 9:30-10:30 a.m. | Maintaining Your Legal Status |
| 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. | Transplants Taking Root: Skills and Resources for Mental Health and Well-Being at Stanford: A presentation by Well-Being at Stanford and CAPS (Counseling and Psychological Services). This session is designed to bring awareness to the kinds of issues you are most likely to face as a new student. This interactive session will include exercises and discussions and will focus on typical adjustment phases and self-care. |
| 1:00-2:00 p.m. | Stanford As We See It Student panel featuring Stanford University international students, both past and present. |
| 3:00-4:00 p.m. | Maintaining Your Legal Status |
| 6:00-7:00 p.m. | Dinner: Indian food. Tickets will be sold online - link coming 9/03/26 |
Friday, September 11
| 9:30-10:30 a.m. | Maintaining Your Legal Status |
| 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. | Living Safely at Stanford (also on Sept. 15): A presentation by Stanford’s Department of Public Safety about laws and customs, contacting police, keeping property safe, personal safety, alcohol rules (DUI), safe hiking, phishing scams, telephone scams, bicycle safety, and a talk about earthquake and emergency awareness and preparedness. |
| 1:30-2:30 p.m. | Driving in California (also on Sept. 16): A presentation on obtaining a California driver's license, and information on buying a used car, and insurance. |
| 3:00-4:00 p.m. | Maintaining Your Legal Status |
| 6:00-7:00 p.m. | Dinner: Italian food. Tickets will be sold online - link coming 9/04/26 |
| 7:00 p.m. | International Karaoke Night! Sing and share songs from your home country solo, in pairs, or groups. Or sing popular American songs. It’s your turn to star at this fun event! |
Saturday, September 12
| 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. | Berkeley-Bay Area Bus Tour: This all-day tour includes a walking tour of the University of California, Berkeley campus, lunch at Berkeley’s International House, followed by a drive across the Bay Bridge, and a visit to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge Vista Point and Ocean Beach. The bus will leave exactly at 9:00 am. Please make sure to arrive at the Faculty Club 439 Lagunita Dr, Stanford, CA 94305 (across the street from the Bechtel International Center) by 8:45 am. The whole-day trip will cost $50 per person and includes lunch. THERE IS LIMITED SPACE, BUY YOUR TICKET EARLY! NOTE: No spouses or children will be allowed on this trip. Tickets are limited to new Stanford students only. Tickets will be sold online - link coming 9/04/26 |
Sunday, September 13
| 2:00-4:00 p.m. | “Dish Walk”: Meet new friends and enjoy a Stanford tradition of “Walking the Dish” in the foothills above Stanford. Meet at the Bechtel International Center-Assembly Room. Bring a hat, a bottle of water, and wear good walking shoes. This event is free! |
Monday, September 14
| 9:30-10:30 a.m. | Maintaining Your Legal Status |
| 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. | Culture of the U.S. Classroom (also on Sept. 9) |
| 1:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m. | Student Services Center and Student Financial Services (also on Sept. 8) |
| 3:00-4:00 p.m. | Maintaining Your Legal Status |
Tuesday, September 15
| 1:00-2:30 p.m. | Living Safely at Stanford (also on Sept. 11) |
| 3:00-4:00 p.m. | Maintaining Your Legal Status |
| 5:30-7:30 p.m. | Welcome Reception (co-sponsored by Stanford Federal Credit Union): Join the festivities! Enjoy great traditional American pizza and meet new friends! Win raffle prizes from the Campus Bike Store, Athletic Department, and more! We will also have information tables set up by student groups and programs for spouses and families. Featuring a special welcome address. Come meet the Bechtel International Center staff and CCIS Community Advisors. Live music by the Bobby Earle Band! |
Wednesday, September 16
| 9:30-10:30 a.m. | Maintaining Your Legal Status |
| 10:30 am-12:00 p.m. | Wednesday Welcome Coffee for International Students, Scholars, Spouses and Families: Join us for our weekly informal gathering. It is an ideal way to meet other international community members and your international student advisors, to get information about living at Stanford, and to learn about the many options for enriching your stay. Held at the patio and backlawn at Bechtel |
| 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. | Banking in the U.S.A-Options for Managing Your Money (also on Sept. 9) |
| 1:30-2:30 p.m. | Driving in California (also on Sept. 11) |
| 2:30-3:30 p.m. | Maintaining Your Legal Status |
| 6:00-7:00 p.m. | S'mores Event: Come grab a s'more! At two locations! Join us at the Lake Lagunita Fire Pit to roast some marshmallows and meet fellow international students. A s’more consists of a toasted marshmallow over a fire and a chocolate sandwiched between two pieces of graham cracker. This is a free event, but space is limited and requires registration - Register here! (link will be live September 2026) |
Thursday, September 17
| 9:30-10:30 a.m. | Maintaining Your Legal Status |
| 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. | F-1/J-1 Employment in the U.S. |
| 1:00-1:30 p.m. | Social Security Number (SSN) and Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) Information |
| 3:30-5:00 p.m. | President’s Reception: Stanford President Jonathan Levin will host a welcome reception for new graduate students. Enjoy light refreshments while meeting other new students! Location: Main Quad, 20 Palm Dr. For more details on the reception, visit: https://glo.stanford.edu/ngso |
Friday, September 18
| 8:00 am-12:00 p.m. | Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) Teaching Assistant Orientation: Each fall, CTL hosts a TA Orientation (TAO) to prepare graduate students for their teaching responsibilities at Stanford. This event is highly recommended for all TAs. It will provide a foundation in evidence-based teaching practices for new and returning TAs, postdocs, and other members of the campus community, and a chance to connect and network with other graduate students. Location: Lathrop Library, second floor courtyard. Please register to attend TA Orientation. -- Check back for a live link in August |
| 12:00-2:00 p.m. | Graduate Orientation and Lunch Information Event (GOALIE): Check out the many student clubs, organizations, and resources available to you. This information fair is offered by the Graduate Life Office (GLO). Free lunch provided. Location: Canfield Courtyard, between the Law School and Meyer Green. |
| 1:00-2:00 p.m. | Maintaining Your Legal Status |
Saturday, September 19
9:00 am-4:00 p.m. | Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park: Join us for a guided trip of this beautiful 40-acre grove of towering old-growth redwood trees in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The bus will leave exactly at 9:30 a.m. Please make sure to arrive at the Faculty Club 439 Lagunita Dr, Stanford, CA 94305 (across the street from the Bechtel International Center) by 9:15 a.m. The whole-day trip will cost $50 per person and includes snacks/drinks on the bus and a box lunch. THERE IS LIMITED SPACE, BUY YOUR TICKET EARLY! NOTE: No spouses or children will be allowed on this trip. Tickets are limited to new Stanford students only. Tickets will be sold online - link coming 9/11/26 |
Monday, September 21
| 2:30-3:30 p.m. | Maintaining Your Legal Status |
Tuesday, September 22 - Classes Begin! Have a great first day!
| 9:30-10:30 a.m. | Maintaining Your Legal Status |
Wednesday, September 24
| 10:30 am-12:00 p.m. | Welcome Coffee for Spouses, Partners, and Families of International Students and Scholars: Join us for our weekly informal gathering! It is an ideal way to meet other spouses and families, to get information about living at Stanford, and to learn about the many options for enriching your stay. Returning spouses speaking many languages will host this event, so fluent English is not necessary to attend. Held every Wednesday from 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m. at the Bechtel International Center rear courtyard. |