For many students, online orientation is their first true interaction with your institution, and that experience sets the tone for the rest of their academic journey.

Far from being a simple checklist, orientation is a pivotal opportunity to build connections, boost confidence, and show students that they belong on your campus. When schools invest in customizing their online student orientation, they’re laying the foundation for student success, strong relationships, and increased retention.

Why Customization Matters for Student Success

Today’s students crave personalization. They expect it from the apps they use, the content they consume, and yes, even their college or university. Students want to feel seen, supported, and understood.

A customized orientation communicates exactly that. When a student logs into their portal and sees content tailored to their degree, background, or interests, it reinforces that your institution is paying attention and that you're invested in their individual journey. 

When you take customization a step further and enable students to self-identify and select the topics that are most important to them, students are able to control the information they need to see. This not only decreases a sense of overwhelm for new students, but it also helps them cultivate an internal locus of control, which has been shown to correlate with engagement and academic success.

Retention Begins Before Classes Start

More than just logistics, orientation is about belonging. And belonging starts before the first day of class. Students who feel prepared, informed, and emotionally connected to their school during the onboarding period are far more likely to stay enrolled, complete their coursework, and thrive.

Think of orientation as the first chapter in the student success story. If that chapter is confusing, overwhelming, or impersonal, students start their journey disengaged and disconnected. But when orientation is thoughtfully designed and personalized, it becomes a launchpad for momentum that carries them into the academic year and beyond.

Common Pitfalls in Current Online Orientation Platforms

Many higher education institutions are working with outdated and ineffective orientation systems that hurt rather than help the student experience. Some of the most common issues among these platforms include:

• Outdated software that’s hard to navigate and not intuitive for digital-native students
• Platforms that aren’t mobile-friendly, despite many students relying on their phones as their primary device
• Lack of interactive elements, leading to passive consumption instead of active engagement
• Designs that don’t reflect school branding, which undermines cohesion and professionalism
• Information overload, dumping everything at once without strategic pacing
• Generic content that doesn’t consider the diverse needs of different student populations
• Gaps in pre-arrival communication, leaving students in the dark between acceptance and move-in
• Limited follow-up, with minimal reminders, nudges, or check-ins after orientation ends
• No feedback loops to gather student input and continuously improve

These missteps often lead to lower orientation completion and set a tone of disorganization, detachment, and missed opportunity.

How Customization Solves These Issues

Modular, Student-Centered Content

A modular approach to orientation breaks down the experience into digestible, clearly labeled sections, such as campus life, academic expectations, financial aid, and student wellness. 

This structure prevents cognitive overload by allowing students to engage with the material at their own pace. It also makes the orientation feel more organized and student-first, empowering learners to take control of their onboarding experience and revisit specific modules when questions arise later on.

Audience-Specific Tracks

One of the most impactful benefits of customization is the ability to create different tracks for different types of students. A transfer student has vastly different needs than an incoming freshman. Likewise, veterans, first-gen students, and international learners all benefit from information tailored to their backgrounds. Custom orientation tracks ensure that students see the most relevant content, saving them time and making their experience feel personally curated, not generic or overwhelming.

Modern, Branded Design

Visual design plays a huge role in how students perceive your institution. When orientation materials look outdated, inconsistent, or disconnected from the school’s website and brand identity, it can erode trust and create a sense of disorganization. 

By customizing your orientation with updated photography, clear visual branding, and dynamic content from your current students and campus life, you can create a seamless and professional experience that reinforces your school’s personality, values, and culture.

Mobile-Friendly and Interactive Platforms

Today’s students live on their phones, and they expect everything, including their orientation, to work as flawlessly on mobile as it does on a computer. Custom orientation platforms designed with mobile responsiveness in mind ensure accessibility regardless of device. 

Incorporating interactive features, like clickable maps, embedded videos, progress trackers, quizzes, and discussion boards, makes the experience more immersive and helps students retain information more effectively than passive scrolling through text-heavy pages.

Ongoing Communication and Follow-Up

Orientation shouldn’t be the last time a student hears from your team until classes start. A customized approach allows you to build automated follow-up sequences and timely nudges that help reinforce key information and keep students on track. 

Whether it’s a reminder to complete a pre-arrival checklist, a welcome message from a peer mentor, or prompts to join virtual meetups or upcoming campus events, ongoing communication helps students feel supported during a naturally overwhelming transitional period.

Long-Term Access to Orientation Materials

Rather than treating orientation as a one-time “event,” customized platforms can serve as a long-term resource hub. Students can refer back to modules for guidance on everything from registering for classes to finding mental health resources. 

This extended access helps reduce confusion, builds confidence, and supports students well beyond their initial onboarding window.

Feedback-Driven Improvements

A customized orientation platform gives you the tools to collect feedback in real time from surveys, analytics dashboards, or post-module check-ins. You can use this data to fine-tune content, eliminate friction points, and better understand what students are looking for. 

Over time, your orientation can evolve into a data-informed experience that truly meets student needs and reflects current trends and pain points.

Organizing Orientation by Student Type and Program

No two students arrive with the same background, expectations, or support needs. By organizing your online orientation around specific student populations and academic programs, you can deliver a more relevant, empathetic, and effective onboarding experience.

Veteran Students

Veterans often return to school with different life experiences, responsibilities, and expectations than traditional students. They may be managing families, careers, or previous service-related challenges. 

A dedicated orientation track for veterans should highlight military benefits like the GI Bill, specialized advising services, veteran community groups, and resources to support their transition into academic life. By directly addressing their unique needs, you can create a smoother and more welcoming entry point into your institution.

International Students

International students face an added layer of complexity during onboarding. From navigating visa requirements and new healthcare systems, to understanding cultural expectations and language nuances, these students require more than just standard orientation content. 

A dedicated international student track should provide any relevant guidance, explain academic integrity norms, introduce cultural transition resources, and help them connect with international peer mentors. When schools provide this kind of clarity and support up front, students arrive more prepared and less anxious.

Transfer Students

Transfer students often enter with college credits, specific goals, and the need to integrate into a new environment quickly. They may already feel behind or disconnected from a traditional first-year cohort. 

Custom orientation tracks for transfer students should clarify how their credits apply, outline degree progression, introduce relevant student organizations, and highlight fast-track ways to get involved on campus. Acknowledging their unique position helps reduce friction and improves long-term engagement.

First-Generation Students

First-gen students may not have family members or external support to help guide them through the college experience, which can leave them feeling unsure or isolated. 

A thoughtful orientation track for first-gen students should demystify academic expectations, define key college terms, and introduce campus support services, like academic coaching, counseling, and peer mentorship. By offering extra clarity and reassurance, you can empower these students with the confidence and tools to succeed.

Academic Program Customization

Students feel more connected when they understand what their academic journey will look like right from the start. Custom orientation modules can introduce students to their academic department, showcase video messages from faculty, highlight career pathways, and provide tools for academic planning. 

Institutions can include sample syllabi, program-specific success tips, and required next steps like placement tests or advisor meetings. A program-specific orientation will inspire students to see their future unfolding.

A Better Orientation Means a Stronger Start

Orientation is your school’s opportunity to say, “We see you. We’re here for you. You belong here.” But that message can’t land if it’s buried in a clunky platform or lost in irrelevant information. Customizing your online orientation shows students that you care, and when students feel supported, they’re more likely to stay, succeed, and spread the word.

Axis by Acevox is a powerful tool that schools can use to organize, customize, and effectively deliver students the information and resources they need for a successful onboarding, and beyond. With Acevox’s expertise in creating student-focused content and Axis’s design geared toward student orientations, you can redefine how you approach the student onboarding process.

We help institutions design and implement personalized, branded, and data-informed orientation experiences that drive real student outcomes. Visit Axis by Acevox to start your customized orientation journey.