First-Year Checklist

Create your Lewis & Clark account, which will establish your username for L&C email and systems including Self-Service (the website you’ll use to search for courses, locate your registration times, and register), Moodle, and wifi access points on campus. All communication from the college will be sent to your new L&C email address once you’ve set it up. During account creation, your L&C username is shown at the top of the page (e.g. lc26-9876@lclark.edu). You will also create an email alias (e.g. johnsmith@lclark.edu), which you won’t use to log in anywhere. People can email you using your alias or username (they both route to the same inbox), but only your username will allow you access into L&C systems and email.

You will also need to set up Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) with SecureAuthMFA on your mobile device as an added layer of security, protecting the community and helping safeguard college data.

This video tutorial will walk you through the entire process.

Once you have created your Lewis & Clark account and set up Multi-Factor Authentication, visit mail.google.com to get started. To log in, rather than using the @gmail.com extension, you will use your Lewis & Clark username (e.g. lc26-9876@lclark.edu) and password. The college will exclusively use this email address to communicate with you this summer and throughout your academic career. Please check your L&C email frequently.

It is critical that we have a cell phone number and other contact information for you and your family in the event of an emergency. We recognize that you may have concerns about your privacy. The emergency contact information you provide will be held in a limited-access, password-protected portion of Lewis & Clark’s database and used only in compliance with the institution’s policies and procedures.

1. Log in to Self-Service
2. Click on User Options, then on Emergency Contact
3. After entering the appropriate contact information, click Update Contact, then Confirm to complete the entry

It is important to have your AP/IB exam scores sent to Lewis & Clark because these scores may affect your placement in some subjects. The Advanced Standing section of the Lewis & Clark College Catalog has a subject breakdown. The college typically receives and records these scores by mid-July. Note: While we strongly encourage you to submit them as soon as possible, official advanced standing results must be received in the Office of the Registrar within one year from the date of initial matriculation to be eligible for credit.

Lewis & Clark is committed to serving the needs of students with disabilities. The Office of Student Accessibility provides accommodations, education, consultation, advocacy, and resources for students with disabilities. Reach out to the Office of Student Accessibility this summer to start the process of setting up your accommodations.

Check out the financial essentials webpage, which will help guide you through financial matters for the upcoming academic year, including details about settling your account, financial aid, the health insurance plan, and more.

Your Lewis & Clark student ID card will be printed before your arrival to campus and available when you check in for orientation. Please follow instructions for submitting a photo.

Note: You will need to be logged into your L&C email in order to complete the form.

The Office of Student Accessibility will work with new students on disability accommodations related to housing, service/emotional support animals, parking, and meal plans. The Center for Spiritual Life will work with new students on religious accommodations related to housing and meal plans. Placement into accommodation housing for the fall 2026 semester cannot be guaranteed if the accommodation process is completed after June 15.

You will receive The Splash email with details on the housing process on May 17, including how to submit the housing and roommate questionnaires in the housing portal.

Note: You will not be able to access the portal until 24 hours after creating your L&C account.

Our innovative First-Year Seminar consists of two courses: Words and Numbers. All students will take one of these courses in each semester of their first year. Instead of registering for Words or Numbers yourself, you will submit a preference form between May 31 and June 29 indicating four preferences for each. By July 7 your placement will be sent to your Lewis & Clark email (if set up by July 1).

All undergraduate students are automatically enrolled in and charged for the Lewis & Clark student health insurance plan. Students with comparable health insurance are eligible to opt out for the academic year through the online waiver. It is recommended that you submit the waiver by June 29 for the costs to be deducted before the first billing statement is released. The final date to waive is September 14, 2026 for the 2026/27 year. 

You must send the Office of Admissions an official copy of your high school transcript showing your date of graduation. Final transcripts must be sent directly from your high school.

If you’ve completed any college level credits, including credits through a dual-enrollment program, please send an official college transcript to the Office of the Registrar. The Registrar will email you once the credits have been evaluated and processed.

We need to know if you plan to borrow any of the federal student loans on your financial aid offer. If you do plan to borrow part or all of these loans, you’ll need to follow the steps to secure your loan funding. The preferred deadline to do this is July 1 so we can be sure your loan funds are ready when you arrive in the fall.

Authorized Party enables a designated parent or guardian to remit payments, review account activity, retrieve PDF statements and discuss student account-related finances. The first billing statement will be available July 7. In order for Lewis & Clark to share the first billing statement with a designated user, it is highly recommended to enroll them in Authorized Party when your first billing statement is made available. However, Authorized Party updates are open throughout your time at L&C.

One of the general education requirements is completing at least one natural science course, most of which have an algebraic proficiency prerequisite. Prior to course
registration, we recommend that incoming students take the ALEKS in order to meet this prerequisite, unless one of the following applies:

• You have an AP Calculus AB or BC score of 4 or 5.
• You have an IB Mathematics Higher Level score of 5, 6, or 7.
• You have college-level transfer credit that the
• Registrar’s Office has deemed equivalent.

The Registrar’s Office records ALEKS scores, and you can see them in Self Service by clicking on Academics in the left-hand menu bar, then on Test Summary. Set aside some time for this task, and don’t wait until the last minute! Most students take the ALEKS twice, and students often score significantly higher the second time, so waiting until late July to take the placement for the first time could impact your ability to register for desired courses. Before retaking the exam, students must complete at least 8 hours of study with the relevant learning modules, and 12 hours are recommended. Questions about the ALEKS exam can be sent to aleks@lclark.edu.

One of the general education requirements is completing study of a language other than English through the 201 level (three semesters). Courses are offered in Arabic, Chinese, classical Greek, French, German, Japanese, Latin, Russian, and Spanish. If you plan to study a new language, you can register directly for the 101 level and do not need to take this exam. If you have previously studied one of these languages and want to continue, you need to complete a language placement exam. The assessments for Chinese, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish can be accessed online, as can instructions and additional information about assessments in Arabic, classical Greek, Latin, and Russian. Students with results that suggest placement into courses above the required three semesters will be required to confirm this placement either during the summer via videoconference (Chinese, Japanese, German, and French) or during New Student Orientation (Spanish). Students studying Arabic, classical Greek, Latin, and Russian will be asked to contact their respective professors for their assessment process. We highly recommend you complete your exam by July 15 for registration purposes.

Placement Exams

Lewis & Clark believes that each member of the community is responsible for the integrity of their individual academic performance. It is important for all students to understand what constitutes academic dishonesty. The Academic Integrity Tutorial will be available 24 hours after you set up your L&C email account.

Complete the Tutorial

You should take the music theory placement assessment if you think you may choose to major or minor in music. This assessment will test your music theory and aural skills and help determine which music theory course you should take first.

 

July 29

The College Advising Center’s How to Register page explains class selection and the registration process. Review this guide before registering for classes on July 29 and July 31.

July 31

The College Advising Center’s How to Register page explains class selection and the registration process. Review this guide before registering for classes on July 29 and July 31

The survey will be sent to your email in July. It should take about ten minutes to complete, but the impact is much longer lasting! This survey asks you to reflect on your goals, imagine life after college, and think about how L&C can help move you toward achieving that vision. Staff will be able to direct you to resources based on your answers to the questions. Note: this survey will come from LC_FYE@hedsconsortium.org.

Fall semester e-bills are released in early July. Navigate to the Student Accounts card in the Dock portal to access your Student Account Center portal. There, you can review account details and retrieve your billing statement. There is more than one way to settle your student account at Lewis & Clark; full details of accepted methods of payment and options are available online.

Read the Wellness Welcome Letter, which will guide you through some important health-related requirements. You can access the form to enter your immunization dates in the Health Information Portal 24 hours after you set up your L&C email account.

The common reading assignment will be sent to your L&C email. You will receive further information about how you will discuss and interact with this text in that email.

The wellness courses will provide you with the knowledge and skills for active bystander intervention, education on responsible substance use, information on identifying and preventing hazing, and an overview of campus resources and supports. You will receive an email invitation to start the courses the week of August 3rd. You will need to complete three online training modules: Sexual Assault Prevention, AlcoholEdu, and Hazing Awareness and Prevention. This is a mandatory program for all first-year and transfer students. Failure to complete these modules by the deadline will result in a hold on your registration for spring semester classes. If you have experienced trauma regarding sexual and/or interpersonal violence, instructions will be given about how to request an alternative option in the email introducing the training modules.

All undergraduate students are automatically enrolled in and charged for the Lewis & Clark student health insurance plan. Students with comparable health insurance are eligible to opt out for the academic year through the online waiver. It is recommended that you submit the waiver by June 29 for the costs to be deducted before the first billing statement is released. The final date to waive is September 14, 2026 for the 2026/27 year. 

June 11

The Parents and Family Preview invitation will be sent to the parent or guardian email on file.

Late July

Your housing assignment will be sent to your L&C email at the end of July.

July 29

The College Advising Center’s How to Register page explains class selection and the registration process. Review this guide before registering for classes on July 29 and July 31

July 31

The College Advising Center’s How to Register page explains class selection and the registration process. Review this guide before registering for classes on July 29 and July 31

August 19-21

New Student Trips begin on August 19, 20, and 21. Visit the New Student Trip options page to see the details and start date for each individual trip, and the NST Logistics page for pre- and post-trip information. All trips return to L&C on August 26.

August 27

August 31