U501: Graduate School Orientation – UW Graduate School Skip to content

U501: Graduate School Orientation

Welcome to U501!

University 501 (U501) is a self-guided, online resource designed for graduate and professional students at all three campuses and is intended to help prepare you for your arrival to and start at the University of Washington.

Join U501 Now!

U501 is open to all incoming and current graduate students (after confirming enrollment) with a valid NetID and is divided into five (5) modules. Once you have joined the course, you can access any time from anywhere with an internet connection.

  • You may start and stop the modules at any point and continue where you stopped at any time.
  • Each module is made up of several pages with videos, written content, and links to get more information.
  • In order to assess how well this orientation is meeting your needs, there will be a brief anonymous survey at the end of each module.
  • U501 is hosted on the Canvas platform and available to UW students with a valid NetID at no additional cost.

Module Structure

  • Module 1: Welcome! So, What Exactly is Graduate Education?
  • Module 2: Preparing for Arrival (Location, Location, Location)
  • Module 3: Nuts & Bolts of Being a Student
  • Module 4: Finding Support When You Need It
  • Module 5: Taking Care of You

Access U501 any time at grad.uw.edu/u501.