ELI Student Orientation (ESO)

The ELI Student Orientation (ESO) and the university’s New Student Orientation (NSO) ensures a smooth transition to student life for new ELI students, so they are prepared for their studies when the semester begins.

Why is ESO/NSO Required?

During ESO, new ELI students will attend required policy workshops, take placement test(s), open a bank account, get a mailbox at the Gallaudet University postal center, and do other activities designed to help new students get familiarized with each other, the ELI, the Gallaudet University campus, and the greater Washington, DC area.

Instructions for New ELI Students

All new ELI students are required to arrive on time for ESO/NSO, which runs for one week before each semester.

On ESO Arrival Day

Please check-in at Hall Memorial Building room E253 at the front desk. Check-in times are from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ELI staff will help you get settled into your dorm room if you are staying on campus.

If you arrive on campus when the ELI is not open, please go directly to the Department of Public Safety (DPS), located in the lower level of Carlin Hall, to get your student ID before proceeding to your assigned residence hall. Someone at the front desk of your residence hall will have your room key.

You will take required placement test(s). You will also attend mandatory policy workshops, follow Gallaudet University/ELI policies and procedures, and settle properly into your academic life as a new student.

The ELI administration will evaluate your test scores and assign your class levels to you. Please note that mathematics classes are optional but the mathematics placement test is required.

You will also be assigned to a Cross-Cultural Communication class, which is required for new ELI students. Classes will begin after the completion of the ESO program.

You will be attending business registration during ESO in order to officially register for classes. If you have any holds on your student account, you will need to do what is necessary to clear them.

When you have completed ELI Student Orientation (including business registration) and are officially registered for classes assigned to you, you can begin attending ELI classes for the semester.

ESO/NSO Fee

New ELI Students pay a certain fee to participate in ELI/ NSO Student Orientation.

The International Affairs Office will sponsor international students’ meals while the Office of Student Success will sponsor the domestic students’ meals during orientation week. When the semester starts, the meal plan goes into effect on the student ID cards.

ESO Schedule

Arrival Day for new international students for the Fall 2024 semester is Friday, August 16, 2024, between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. On the other hand, domestic students may arrive on Sunday, August 18th. ELI Student Orientation (ESO) begins on Monday, August 19th, and runs through Friday, August 23rd. Then students begin their classes on Monday, August 26th.