New Student Enrollment & Orientation Fee | Enrollment Confirmation Deposit

Fees that support student success.

The New Student Enrollment and Orientation Fee (NSEOF) is a mandatory, one-time fee that all entering undergraduate students at the Seattle campus of the University of Washington pay to support student success.The NSEOF is neither refundable nor transferable to another quarter or another student. View the current fee rate on the New Huskies website.

The Enrollment Confirmation Deposit is a mandatory, one-time fee that all entering undergraduate students at the Seattle campus of the University of Washington pay when they confirm their enrollment. The deposit ($400) is applied to the student tuition account.

When are the fees applied?

The Enrollment Confirmation Deposit will be paid pay when you confirm your enrollment. The deposit ($400) is applied to the student tuition account.

The New Student Enrollment and Orientation Fee (NSEOF) is a fee applied witth the first quarter tuition bill for all entering undergraduate students at the Seattle campus of the University of Washington. View the current fee rate on the first year cost of attendance website.

The ECD/NSEOF is neither refundable nor transferable to another quarter or another student.

The history of the NSEOF

Since the early 1970s, the University of Washington has offered orientation for new students. The program was optional and fee-based and always included academic advising and registration for classes. In 2002, the Special Assistant to the Dean, a staff member in the Office of Undergraduate Education, proposed a drastic change to the way new students were welcomed to campus. The staff recognized that all students needed an opportunity to get acclimated, be introduced to resources available and learn how to be successful at the UW.

A proposal to implement an enrollment fee for all new students, both freshman and transfer, was created to fund this new initiative. It came from the idea that orientation should emphasize academic values, stress the importance of intellectual discovery, value diverse learning opportunities and actively pursue academic excellence.

From this idea, Advising & Orientation (A&O) was created. With the implementation of the NSEOF, the former office of New Student Programs was transformed into First Year Programs (FYP) with the purpose of implementing and facilitating programs and services for new students. Campus partnerships were utilized and strengthened to ensure students would have the opportunity to meet their fellow new Huskies, discover the resources campus has to offer and register for classes for the upcoming quarter. With this new orientation process, made possible by the collection of the NSEOF, the class registration playing field was actually leveled, as students were able to sign up for orientation on a first-come first-serve basis and register for classes while on campus for their orientation. In addition, because the NSEOF was required for all students, financial aid could build it into a student’s aid package.

The NSEOF funds the office of First Year Programs, which is responsible for A&O, Dawg Daze, Commuter and Transfer Commons, and First-year Interest Groups. The NSEOF also funds the wages of the student employees within FYP, including the positions of the Commuter and Transfer Associates, Student Coordinators, Orientation Leaders, and the First-year Interest Group leaders, who work within the office and dedicate their time and energy to the FYP mission. A portion of the NSEOF also funds Academic Support Programs (ASP). ASP is responsible for facilitating academic achievement courses, tutor/mentorship and the Center for Learning and Undergraduate Enrichment (CLUE).

The NSEOF can only be increased through approval by the regents and has only seen minimal increases in the last thirteen years. FYP does not receive state funding from the University but does operate other programs and services for students and families, including a comprehensive Parent Orientation program, that has optional fees.

2003 final approval

2016 removal of institutional overhead

2024 creation of the enrollment confirmation deposit

NSEOF allocation

The NSEOF increases are managed by the First Year Experience Student Advisory Council and then approved by the Board of Regents. Past funded increases have supported the following initiatives:

New Huskies Communications
UAA and OMA&D peer advising
Online tutoring support
Student wages and salaries
OMAD Instructional Center
Support for international students (CIRCLE)
Transfer student engagement (HUB)

Allocation of the NSEOF by the department

First Year Programs (FYP) (59%)
- includes credit card fee and additional student wage increases
Academic Support Programs (20%)
Undergraduate Academic Affairs Administration (6%)
UAA Academic Advising (5%)
Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity (5%)
New Huskies Communications (3%)
CIRCLE (2%)

Allocation of NSEOF by type

Programming cost (17%)
Professional and classified staff (53%)
Student wages (30%)

Past Regents documents

Regents meeting, June 2019 — document
Regents meeting, June 2020 — document
Regents meeting, June 2021 — document
Regents meeting, June 2022 — document
Regents meeting , June 2023 — document
Regents meeting , June 2024 — document

(updated 10/25/2024)

Programs funded by the NSEOF

Whole or partial funding of the following programs for all new students is provided by the NSEOF including:

Programs for all first-year students:

Advising & Orientation, First-year Interest Groups (FIGs), Dawg Daze, University & Collegium Seminars, Commuter and Transfer Commons, CIRCLE (the Center for International Relations & Cultural Leadership Exchange) Regional Connection groups, HUB transfer engagement, OMA&D Welcome Daze, Undergraduate Academic Affairs (UAA) administration

Programs for academic success:

Academic Support Programs, Center for Learning & Undergraduate Enrichment (CLUE), Writing Center (includes online writing support), Success Coaching, tutoring/mentorship program, Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity (OMA&D), Undergraduate Academic Affairs (UAA) Advising

Fund balance spending priorities

In the event there is a fund balance from the NSEOF, the allocations of funds will prioritize the following areas:

Build reserve to 20% of prior year expenditures, including "transfers-out"
Pay for faculty, staff, and student wage increases if not fully funded by the FYE Council
Fully fund New Husky Communications budget.
Support programs currently funded by the NSEOF (Academic Support Programs, First Year Programs, UAA Advising, OMA&D, UAA Administration, and New Husky Communications)
One-time "bridge" funding for programs in a pilot phase or waiting for permanent financing to be established

Individual unit fund balances

Departments and units that receive funding from the NSEOF may maintain until-level fund balances at their discretion to use for various expenditures to support first-year student success. Expenditures can include but are not limited to operational, professional development, or technology.

First Year Experience (FYE) Student Advisory Council

NSEOF recommendations and activities are reviewed by the First Year Experience (FYE) Student Advisory Council. The council provides recommendations to Undergraduate Academic Affairs (UAA) Dean, Ed Taylor, for final approval.

The FYE Student Advisory Council is an undergraduate student council charged with providing input and feedback regarding transitional and academic support programs for first-year undergraduate students. The council will discuss programs provided to first-year undergraduate students supported by the New Student Enrollment & Orientation Fee (NSEOF) and decide if the proposed rate increases are justified.

Current students can serve on the First Year Experience (FYE) Student Advisory Council throughout the academic year.

Deferring, appealing, or errors with the ECD or NSEOF

If you are a U.S. student with financial need and unable to pay, you may request to defer the cost of the Enrollment Confirmation Deposit (ECD). You need to have submitted a FAFSA or WASFA, and requests for ECD deferral are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Students approved are typically Pell Grant-eligible. Please note, GET funds may not be used to pay the ECD. Veterans wishing to defer the ECD should contact the Veterans Education Benefits Office for more information.

Once you submit your ECD deferral request, you will receive additional information regarding your request via your UW email account within 3-5 business days.
If your ECD deferral is approved, the deposit will be due with tuition on the third Friday of the quarter.
If your ECD deferral request is approved but you do not enroll, your payment is still an obligation and due by these dates.
If your ECD deferral is denied, you will be notified via your UW email and instructed to pay. Your admission to the UW is not confirmed until payment is received.
International students are not eligible for an ECD deferral.

Confirm and request ECD deferral

If you have an error with the NSEOF or need to appeal the ECD please complete the following forma.

Error or Appeal Form

How to propose a new fee

If you would like to propose a new fee, please explore the following options:

Review executive orders on fees (EO 44)
Review the scope of current student fees and explore options to propose a new request within an existing fee
Consult with your Dean or Leadership to gain support
Complete OPB fee request form (2023 Example) — must be submitted through a Division, School, or College.

First Year Programs

New Student Enrollment & Orientation Fee | Enrollment Confirmation Deposit

Programs for all first-year students:

Programs for academic success:

Fund balance spending priorities

Individual unit fund balances

First Year Programs

Hours

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