New Students Guide

• Fall 2021 Orientation Slides
• Contacting the Ombudsperson
• Hokie One Stop Information
• Fall 2021 Online Orientation Pre-roll Slides (Video)

Orientation Materials Fall 2021

• Graduate Student Services Flyer
• Tuition and Fees
• Fall 2021 Semester Calendar
• Greater Washington DC Area Graduate Programs Contacts
• Transportation and Parking
• NVC Library Information
• Virginia Tech Police Department Tips
• Virginia Tech Threat Assessment Brochure
• Fairfax Alerts Flyer

In addition to the general orientation listed here, some programs will have more specific sessions for students in their areas of study.  Check with your program for more information.

• Create your Personal Identifier (PID). A PID will give you access to Virginia Tech online services such as:
  
  • HokieSPA (Course registration and student records management system)
  • Canvas (Course management and communication system)
  • OneCampus (The university's portal system)
  • University library databases
• Contact your academic department for information about advising, funding, class registration, and orientation requirements. Program advisors for each department are listed at the bottom of this page.
• Register for classes and pay tuition on Hokie SPA.
• Keep track of important academic deadlines (exams, commencement, thesis or dissertation).
• Login to OneCampus to setup your email, network, and 2-factor accounts.
• Order your textbooks from the Online Bookstore.
  

International Students please also see the Pre-Arrival and Arrival Checklist.

More information for new students can be found on the Graduate School website.

The NVC Library handles the processing of Hokie Passports.  Students have to be currently enrolled and in our database for us to make the ID.  We are scheduled to make student ID cards, no appointment necessary, during New Student Orientation sessions on Thursday, August 5 from 5pm-7pm and on Saturday, August 21 from 10am-4pm (expect a line).

Our regular schedule is Monday - Friday 11am - 6pm. Please note that there are no Friday appointments until school starts the week of August 23, 2021.

Please make an appointment at: https://calendar.lib.vt.edu/appointments/nvc-library

Parking is free on Saturday at the NVC in the lower parking lot.   

If you plan to use the NVC parking lot during the year and have purchased a VT parking permit, you can pick up a proximity card anytime from 8:30am to 7pm from one of the Facilities Coordinators in Room 403 or 404 during the work week.  Only semester and yearly VT parking permits will be issued a proximity card.  Please bring proof of parking permit/hang tag in order to register and receive proximity card. All other users must pay the daily rate with a credit card.  More information about parking can be found here: Parking at NVC

The Graduate Student Services Office (GSSO) in the Greater Washington DC Area, serves as a coordinating and governing body to all the Virginia Tech graduate programs and their students. Some of the services they provide include:

• Change of status
• Plan of Study Final Approval
• Processing graduate school forms
• Registration assistance
• Processing of all Graduate Student Forms
• Updates to your Student Record
• Student Advising Appointments

For more information on the GSSO, please Click Here

On-campus employment in the DC area is extremely limited.

Student employment on campus generally takes two forms:

• Graduate Assistantships (GA, GTA, GRA) provide students with a stipend for living expenses, tuition, and an insurance subsidy if eligibility requirements are met.  Students may be expected to teach, grade homework assignments/exams, assist faculty with research, or provide administrative support to academic programs. Assistantships can be full-time (20 hours per week) or part-time (typically 10 or 5 hours per week), and the amount of financial assistance varies widely. For more information about GAs, visit the Graduate School’s page on this topic.
• Wage employees receive hourly pay on a semi-monthly schedule from the university (based on the hours worked each week) but do not receive any additional benefits.

For international students, visa status affects the employment opportunities available. Please check with our immigration advisors for specific details at intlncr@vt.edu. 

If you have more questions regarding graduate education at Virginia Tech in the D.C. area, please email gssoncr@vt.edu.

The Greater Washington DC Area Graduate Student Assembly seeks to nurture graduate student community across departments by providing social events that foster inter-department, interdisciplinary conversation. The representatives liaise with the VT GSA in Blacksburg to improve scholarly development, and graduate community by creating and implementing goals based on the issues and concerns of graduate students on campus.

Website: https://gsa.vt.edu/

The Greater Washington DC Area GSA Leadership for 2021-2022 is:

• Abdulaziz Alhamadani , President
• Fanglan Chen, Vice President 
• Zongtao Lin, Communications Chair
• Hypatia Alexandria, Arlington Chair