First-Year Student Orientation Checklist

BEFORE ATTENDING ORIENTATION

  • Complete Placement Process
    1. Help us learn more about you! To prepare your class schedule, please complete the College Credit Form.
    2. Complete English and/or Math Placement - The placement process is designed to make sure you are registered for the right courses. Learn more on the Next Steps page.
  • Sign up for Orientation: After completing your placement process, you should have received an email from the Admissions Office. Contact admissions @ grandview.edu if you have any questions.
  • Login to myGVU: If you have not already done so, log into myGVU, Grand View’s app/portal. You can also download the mobile app from your phone’s app store. You should have received an email from Admissions providing your GV Account username and initial password. If you do not have this information, contact helpdesk @ grandview.edu.
  • High School Transcripts: Following graduation, request your high school send an official transcript to Grand View.
  • Enrollment Deposit: You will have received an email from Admissions with information on how to pay your deposit, or visit www.grandview.edu/gvpayments.
  • College Course Credit Request: Send final official college transcripts to the Admissions Office for any course taken for college-level credit. Information on high school transcripts is not sufficient for awarding credit. Coursework taken may affect your placement in certain courses.
  • Advanced Placement Credit: Request official AP scores be sent to the Admissions Office for credits to be added to your record. Coursework taken may affect your placement in certain courses.
  • FAFSA: Complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online by July 1 at www.studentaid.gov. Grand View’s school code is 001867. If you don’t plan on applying for federal and/or state financial aid, notify your admissions counselor.
  • Housing Application and Deposit or Housing Exemption: You will have received an email from Admissions with information on how to do so following acceptance.
  • Student ID: Log into myGVU and navigate to About Me > Upload Photo for Campus ID, and follow the prompts to upload your photo. You will receive your Grand View student ID at Orientation. Or visit Campus Services during Orientation.
  • Vehicle Registration: If you plan to have a vehicle on campus, complete your registration by logging into myGVU and navigate to Tasks > Vehicle Check-In for Permit. Current school year decals are available beginning in August and can be picked up in Campus Services located inside the Bookstore any time throughout the school year. If you will not have a vehicle, you can request a parking fee waiver via the Vehicle Check-In task.
  • Health Form: A copy of your immunization record, insurance card and completed health form are required for all residential, international, and nursing students. Access health form and the tb questionnaire, complete and use QR code to upload documents to Medicat.
  • Vector Training: You will receive a link to the required training in your Grand View email prior to your scheduled orientation.

Bring to Orientation

  • Work-Study Eligible Students: Driver’s license and an original social security card or birth certificate.
  • List of Exams taken for College Credit: Even if you haven’t received scores for Advanced Placement exams, bring along a list of the specific exams that you have taken.

Before Classes Start

  • Person Proxy: Give a parent or anyone of your choosing access to your student account, academic record and financial aid information. Grand View does not mail paper statements, so this is the way others access your account information. To set up your Proxy access, login to myGVU and navigate to Tools > About Me > Manage Person Proxy for your account.
  • Emergency Contact: Login to myGVU and navigate to About Me > Add/Update Emergency Contact.
  • Records Release: Grant access to a parent or guardian to call Grand View and ask questions about your bill or financial aid on the Student Records Release page.
  • Handshake: Login to Handshake using your Grand View email address and password. You can also download the mobile app from your phone’s app store. In Handshake, you have access to on-campus/work-study job opportunities, employer events and contact information, and thousands of job and internship postings.
  • Uwill: Register for the Uwill 24/7/365 Mental Health App available free to students.

Finances

  • Financial Aid Offer Letter: View and accept your financial aid package by logging into myGVU and navigating to My Finances > View Financial Aid Offer. Make sure you sign your offer letter and take action on all outstanding checklist items.
  • GV Complete Financial Plan: Participate in a GV Complete meeting to create an initial plan. Decide which version of the plan will be your first Active Financial Plan and sign the worksheet page with your completion coach.
  • GV Complete Online Participation Agreement: Log into myGVU and navigate to Tasks > GV Complete Participation Agreement > click “Accept.”
  • Payment Plan: To set up a payment plan to cover your remaining out-of-pocket costs, log into myGVU and navigate to My Finances > Enroll in a Payment Plan. In order to have a 6-month payment plan, you must enroll by July 1, 2026. The first payment will be due by July 15, 2026. For assist with setting up a plan, contact Viking Central at 515-263-2807 or vikingcentral @ grandview.edu.
  • Financial Responsibility: Accept financial responsibility for tuition by logging into myGVU and navigating to Tasks > Financial Responsibility Statement.
  • Financial Aid Authorization: Authorize Grand View to credit financial aid to any miscellaneous charges by logging into myGVU and navigating to Tasks > Apply Financial Aid to Misc Charges Authorization.
  • Federal Direct Loan Online Promissory Note & Entrance Counseling: If you will be taking out a federal student loan, log into your Federal Student Aid account.
  • Federal PLUS Loan: To apply for a Federal PLUS loan, your parent needs to apply online and complete a Master Promissory Note at www.studentaid.gov. Your parent will need to use their own FSA ID. For more information, log into myGVU and navigate to My Finances > Go to Student Finances > Loan Information.
  • Private Loan: If you will be applying for a private loan, find more information and the private loan list link, log into myGVU and navigate to My Finances > Go to Student Finances > Private Loans. Notify your completion coach which loan you decide to take so we may update your Active Financial Plan.
  • Purchase Books: Grand View is upgrading the student book buying experience with our new Viking CourseWorks program. The online program makes sure you get your course materials on or before the first day of class, taking the hassle of textbook shopping and unpredictable prices out of the equation. More details coming soon!

Athletes Only

  • Physical & Health History Form: You must submit the physical copy of this form to an athletic trainer either during Orientation or during Move-In.
  • Assumption of Risk Form: You will receive an email with a link to complete or a notice will appear when you log into your myGVU account.
  • Student Athlete Handbook: You will receive an email with a link to complete or a notice will appear when you log into your myGVU account.
  • PlayNAIA Registration: Complete at https://play.mynaia.org/.

Ongoing

myGVU Tasks: Continue to monitor Tasks (upper left corner) of myGVU. Tasks are important to your success at Grand View. As you perform tasks, they will automatically move to Completed Tasks.

 

Download First-Year Student Orientation Checklist