Campus Arrival Guide – Pullman
Welcome to WSU!
Every great journey begins with a few small steps! Our WSU staff, mentors, and volunteers are ready to help you along the way. We have put together a checklist of very important things to do during your first days on campus.
If you are admitted to the Tri-Cities, Vancouver, Everett, or Spokane campus, contact your International New Student Coordinator for more details.
- myWSU account
- International Student Peer Mentor Program
- Getting essential goods
- Enrolling in classes
- Math and writing placement assessments
- New Coug Orientation
- International Student Tutorial
- Get your Cougar Card
- Taking the bus
- New student SEVIS check-in
- Setting up your bank account/payment method
- Paying your tuition and fees
- Cougar Health Services
- Visit the International Center
myWSU account
WSU uses multi-factor authentication (MFA), a multi-step account login process that requires users to enter more information than just a password. After your admission is confirmed, you will receive an email with instructions to set up your MFA and student accounts. It is essential that you know your WSU username and password for your WSU student (myWSU) account before you arrive to campus. For additional information, please check the SSO Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) page.
myWSU
Your myWSU account is the central location where you will see your class schedule, pay your tuition, and many more important matters.
Your myWSU account is the central location where you will see your class schedule, pay your tuition, and many more important matters. Log in to your myWSU account.
WSU email
We know there are many forms of communication in the world. However, at WSU, your WSU email account is the ONLY way to communicate with important offices on campus such as Housing, Bursar’s Office, professors, and more.
If you are having trouble with your login information, please contact your International New Student Coordinator, who will connect you with the appropriate IT person.
International Student Peer Mentor Program
This program provides you with a volunteer mentor who can assist you in transitioning to the WSU campus and Pullman. You will be contacted via your WSU email to be paired with a mentor. If you have arrived and do not have a mentor, email ip.peermentors@wsu.edu.
Getting essential goods
Make sure that you have all the essentials you need such as food, water, clothes, and more. If you would like to go to Walmart to get your essential goods, we will be departing each day at 7 p.m. from the front door of Bryan Hall (the door facing the library). The last day of this service is the day before classes begin. Make sure you have valid payment methods such as a bank card authorized to work in the U.S. or U.S. dollars in physical cash.
Enrolling in classes
If you are in the Academic English, Undergraduate Foundation, or International Master’s program, you have already been enrolled for classes by your program manager, Kimberly Cooper (kimberly.a.cooper@wsu.edu). Log in to your myWSU account to view your classes.
If you are a direct entry bachelor’s degree student and have not already pre-enrolled in classes with an academic advisor, you must first attend New Coug Orientation on campus to meet your academic advisor and get enrolled in classes. Once you are enrolled, your class schedule and tuition bill will be visible to you on your myWSU account.
Math and writing placement assessments
All new undergraduate students must take the math and writing placement assessments before registering for classes (whether you meet online with an academic advisor before arrival, or in person at New Coug Orientation). Your results do not affect your admission; they are only to help place you in the most appropriate first-semester classes.
If you have taken university-level courses, Cambridge exams, or more, you may be exempt from these assessments and should contact your new student coordinator to inquire.
Academic English and International Master’s program students are not required to take the assessments.
New Coug Orientation
All new undergraduate students must attend New Coug Orientation. You can find the link to register and learn the date, time, and place of your orientation on WSU’s New Coug Orientation page. Please make sure you arrive and check in on time.
Also, you will not be able to register for classes until you have completed the math and writing placement assessments.
Ask your New Student Coordinator for details if you are not attending the Pullman campus. Only Academic English and International Master’s students do not need to attend New Coug Orientation.
International Student Tutorial
Find more information about the tutorial, including specific session times, on our International Student Tutorial page.
All international students attending the WSU Pullman campus are automatically registered for and must attend the International Student Tutorial.
If you are not attending the WSU Pullman campus, you will be required to complete a course on Canvas. You will also receive an email with information about a required immigration presentation over Zoom.
Get your Cougar Card
If you have not received your Cougar Card, go to CUB Room 60 with your passport. You will need your Cougar Card to use the bus, enter your residence hall, purchase food on campus, and more.
Taking the bus
As a WSU student, you have free, unlimited access to the local bus system that connects you to locations on and off campus. Just show your Cougar Card and you can get right on! Choose your location on Google Maps and you will automatically see bus stops and schedule.
New student SEVIS check-in
You are required to check in with SEVIS within your first week of being on campus. Failure to do so will result in the termination of your SEVIS record and could have a negative impact on your immigration status.
You are allowed to complete SEVIS check-in only after you have arrived on campus. Log onto myPassport.wsu.edu using your WSU username and password and complete the new student check-in.
Setting up your bank account/payment methods
You will need a bank account to pay your tuition, fees, housing and more. We suggest setting up an account with WSECU or US Bank because they are in the CUB at the center of campus. You must open the account in person with your passport. If you wish to open an account with a different bank in town, you may do so, but you will need to take your own transportation to get there.
Paying your tuition and fees
Tuition, on-campus housing, dining plans, and student fees are all billed to and paid on each students’ individual myWSU student account. Here is additional information on how to pay tuition and fees.
All tuition and fees are due by the first day of classes each term. In your myWSU account, there is also a payment plan option to make 4 separate payments throughout each semester.
Cougar Health Services
Familiarize yourself with Cougar Health Services, our on-campus clinic. As an international student, you have health insurance and can go to Cougar Health Services at any time. It is located in the Washington Building on campus. They have a 24-hour Nurse Line (+1-509-335-3575) that you can call only in the case of an emergency.
If you have questions regarding your immunization record, please email cougarhealth.immunizations@wsu.edu.
Visit the International Center
Meet other international students on campus! The International Center is a common place for students from all around the world to hang out and connect. The International Center also hosts a variety of activities including the Weekly Coffee Hour series each Friday at 3 p.m., English Conversation Tables, Cooking Demonstrations, and more. Stop by the International Center at CUB L46 (on the lowest level of the CUB) to start making friends.
Open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.