New Students
If you’re planning to enroll as a Columbus Promise Scholar at Columbus State, there’s a lot you can do ahead of time, so you’re ready to make the most of your six tuition-free semesters. Here are next steps and engagement opportunities to get you on your way!
Pre-enrollment Steps
Get ready for your first semester by completing the outlined steps in the PDF below!
COLUMBUS PROMISE NEW STUDENT CHECKLIST (PDF)
Advising & Registration Support
Need help preparing for the semester? Do you have questions about your schedule, want to explore majors and careers, or learn about campus life and resources? Meet with a member of the Columbus Promise team during our Advising & Registration Support sessions in Aquinas Hall 116 to get help.
Transition to College
- Check out Columbus State’s career and academic pathways, transfer programs, and co-curricular opportunities, such as experiential learning and the Honors Program.
- Students can also learn about program options, degree requirements, and transfer and career opportunities by exploring the course catalog.
- Looking to learn more about a certain major, opportunities in career fields, and college support resources? Our Program Spotlight can help! Join us and learn more!
- Columbus State hosts a variety of FREE summer programs that offer high school students and incoming first-year college students the chance to try out different academic fields and career paths. With topics ranging from cybersecurity to healthcare and other STEM fields, you can narrow in on what you want to study, so when it’s time for you to become a Columbus Promise scholar, you’ll be ready to jump right in. Learn more about summer camp options here.
- Explore potential career pathways with Career Coach, an online tool provided by our Career Services team. Get started with Career Coach.
- Incoming students can also contact Steven Wadell, Career Coach, to discuss their career assessment results and receive personalized, one-on-one career counseling. The Career Coach can help students explore majors and potential careers, and connect with paid internships, job shadowing and work-study programs.
- Graduating seniors who have completed their Columbus Promise application will be invited to return to Columbus State campus for an in-depth look at the Columbus Promise program and next steps for enrolling in the Autumn semester.
- New Student Orientation helps to ease the transition from high school to college and prepare parents and families for their student's new journey. Orientation provides students and families with information on the services and opportunities Columbus State has to offer. In addition, students will participate in a group advising session and register for their first semester of classes with help from Columbus Promise staff. Invitations to register will be sent to students’ CSCC email account once placement is complete.
- Complete a required course before your first semester even starts! COLS 1101 (College Success Skills) is a 1-credit-hour course emphasizing skills and resources students use to meet their personal, academic, and career goals. Columbus Promise students can take the course two weeks before the start of Autumn semester to get comfortable with the online tools they’ll be using as a student and make connections with Columbus Promise staff and students. Pre-term COLS is offered at no additional cost and will be covered as part of the Autumn 2024 Columbus Promise financial aid package.