Sending your child off to college can be scary! Here is some general OU / Norman information to help ease your worries.
Parents and guardians are encouraged to attend New Sooner Orientation (NSO) with their student. During NSO we will have focused parent and family sessions. Registration will open April 1 for the Parent and Family Sessions at parents.ou.edu.
First, congratulations! This is such a fun and exciting time, and we cannot wait to welcome you to The University of Oklahoma. Log into your OU Bound and check out this video for next-steps! Boomer!
Students enroll in classes during their New Sooner Orientation (NSO) Day over the summer. Before a student can schedule their NSO, a student must sumbit their enrollment deposit, complete online trainings, and finish the New Sooner Survey. Finally, have your student come prepared with questions and ideas about what they're looking for in an OU degree. For more information, visit the New Sooner Orientation page.
Academic support is available through scholarships, free Action Tutoring, The Writing Center, academic advising, placement tests, faculty mentoring, freshman transition programs and a student learning center geared toward helping freshman succeed. Once accepted into OU, all students are placed in University College. The purpose of University College is to give students a central home that assists with their transition into college. All of these resources and more can be found on the University College page.
Freshman have the opportunity to live on campus in any of our residence halls. Have your student complete the housing contact found here as soon as possible, as room assignments are based on priority. Your student can request a roommate, but not a suitemate. They also cannot select which tower, only their floor type preference. Assignments should be sent out late June or early July, so be sure to have them check their OU email. For more information on residence halls and campus dining, visit the Housing & Food Services page.
OU offers several unique on-campus living options for sophomores, juniors and seniors, including our Residential Colleges, comprised of Dunham College and Headington College, and Traditions Square, which offer apartment-style living. Visit the Housing & Food Services page for more information. Students can also live in off-campus houses or apartments.
Football season tickets for freshman/new students go on sale in August. A lottery to determine which students will be eligible to purchase season tickets will be held if demand for season tickets exceeds supply. OU students are admitted free to all sports except football and men’s basketball. For exact dates and more information on student tickets, please visit the soonersports page (under Tickets, select Student Tickets).
The OU Federal Credit Union offers full banking service to students. With on and off campus locations, OUFCU is a great financial option for Sooners. Visit the OUFCU page for more information. MidFirst Bank ATMs are also available in Union and each residential hall. A surcharge of $2.50 is applied if you are not a MidFirst Bank member.
Sooner Sense is the debit account that all Sooner Card holders can utilize for financial transactions across campus. Sooner Sense can be use at on-campus dining, Sooner Print kiosks, vending machines, the university bookstore and more. Parents and students can make a deposit at the Sooner Card Online site here.
Have your student log in to one.ou.edu. Click the "Financial" tab at the top left hand corner of the page. Scroll down to "Authorized Users" and click "create an authorized user". From there, your student can add, delete or edit authorized users. Authorized users can make payments on the student’s behalf, view statements and payment history, access tax documents and other Bursar information.
FERPA, or the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, gives students the right to inspect their own education records, the right to prevent disclosure of their own education records, the right to amend their records, the right to be notified of their rights and the right to file a complaint if they feel like their rights have been violated. For more information on how your student can grant you access to their educational records, visit the Release of Information page on the Office of the Registrar website.