Orientation and Welcome Weeks Winter 2026
The Office of Opportunity & Belonging along with the rest of the Office of Student Experience are working closely with SUNSCAD to bring you an exciting variety of events, welcoming you to NSCAD University. These events will give you the opportunity to connect with your student union, meet new friends, and get a taste of what NSCAD has to offer.
The entire NSCAD community is thrilled to welcome you as you start your academic journey with us. We invite you to join us on January 5, 2026, at Orientation Day for ALL new incoming NSCAD students.
Attendance is strongly encouraged for all students, regardless of program and level of study as it will provide you with valuable information about your time at NSCAD and will invite you to meet and connect with Senior Administration, the Office of Student Experience, university staff, faculty, technicians, current students and most importantly– each other.
This will be an important day to learn about how we as a NSCAD Community will support and guide you through your studies here.
At this event, you will also collect your Student ID, Campus access Card, and much more!
Location
Orientation Day will be held at Fountain Campus (5163 Duke Street). You will receive an email from the Office of Opportunity & Belonging (belong@nscad.ca) inviting you to RSVP and providing more details.
All new students should come to the Office of Student Experience (OSE) for Orientation and registration on January 5, 2026. The OSE is located on the 2nd floor of the Fountain Campus. You can take the elevator up to the 2nd floor and the OSE will be right across the hall.
Schedule of the Day
1:00 -1:30 p.m. Registration
Arrive, register, and grab a seat. This is where you’ll pick up your student ID, access card, and other important documents to keep handy throughout the year.
1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Presentation – Getting to know NSCAD
Learn about and meet representatives from key offices and services across our three campuses that will support you during your time at NSCAD
Get an update on important dates and upcoming events including Welcome Weeks
Get to know your fellow classmates and the larger NSCAD community with an interactive ‘Get-to-Know-You’ BINGO game and compete to win prize packs filled with NSCAD Merch and art supplies.
2:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Bio Break and Transition time
Take a stroll, use the bathroom, and make your way down to the second-floor student lounge and learning commons for afternoon activities.
3:00 – 4:30 p.m. Afternoon Breakout Activities with Pizza
All new students are invited to wrap up the day by participating in an afternoon of activities and social connection, fueled by Pizza and snacks. We hope you’ll use this time to meet your fellow incoming classmates, connect with the senior students we’ve invited to participate in and lead activities, and get comfy as part of the NSCAD community!
Bond over Board Games: with the Board Room Café
Real Talk & Tea: Wellness Student-Led Workshop
4:30 p.m. End of New Student Orientation Day
Now it’s time to depart and prepare for the first day of Winter Semester on January 6th and connect with the pals you made today to plan for upcoming events.
Don’t forget! Orientation Day is just one event in a series of activities throughout the month of January designed to welcome you to NSCAD University, help you learn about what we have to offer, and invite you to get to know our larger community of students, staff, faculty, community collaborators, and most of all– each other!
In addition to the full Calendar of Events below, stay tuned for updates from our office by following @nscadstudentexperience on Instagram and keeping an eye on your @nscad.ca email address.
Reach out to belong@nscad.ca with any questions about Orientation or Welcome Weeks Events. We can’t wait to meet you!
FAB, 1875 Granville Street Join the Office of Opportunity & Belonging for an evening of Sexual Health Trivia hosted by Venus Envy’s Rachele Manett! Come make new friends or bring along your besties and hope to leave with some treats– we’ll have NSCAD merch and Venus Envy Toys and more as prizes for each round. Come with a team to play or make friends when you arrive, we’ll play a few rounds of trivia with NSCAD merch and Venus Envy toys and treats as prizes at the end. Don’t worry– there will be lots of time for our local accessible sex-pert, Rachele, to answer YOUR questions anonymously in between rounds! We hope you join us for this fun, informative, queer-affirming, and consent focused evening! NSCAD Library, 1st Floor Fountain Campus RSVP is REQUIRED for this session Join the NSCAD Library team to make a book by hand. Learn a simple book structure that can be used to create notebooks, journals, sketchbooks, artists’ books, and more. Materials will be supplied. RSVP is required for the morning or afternoon sessions, as we have space for 10 students at each one. Stay to explore the library and enjoy some refreshments – coffee, tea, and pastries will be provided. FAB, 1875 Granville Street January 23, In-Person: 10am – 11:30am, Online: 2 – 3:30 pm We invite students to join us for an Accessibility Focus Group as part of Winter Welcome Weeks. This session is a space to share experiences, identify barriers, and help shape a more accessible learning environment at NSCAD. Your insights will directly inform future accessibility initiatives and supports. Each student who participates will receive a $20 Gift Card to the NSCAD Art Supply Store. Learning Commons, 2nd Floor Fountain Campus Join the team from O&B for a workshop/co-working time focused on supporting neurodiverse students in planning for the remainder of the semester! Each student who participates will receive a $20 Gift Card to the NSCAD Art Supply Store. We’ll share some useful tools and resources that will help you get set up for success and benefit from the motivation of co-working alongside others. This two-hour session is designed to be low barrier and open to all students who are curious about things like time management, goal setting, and more! What to expect: Led by Jess (she/her) and Sara (they/she) on our team, who are our Accessibility Advisors Treaty Space Gallery, 1887 Granville Street (in Granville Mall Area) January 30, 3 pm – 5 pm All BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour) students are invited to tea and hangout event at the Treaty Space Gallery, an Indigenous led space at NSCAD. This is a fun, casual way to meet other students who identify as BIPOC and form connections with classmates from across programs and campuses. If you’re an international student and/or this term is new to you, “BIPOC” is often used in Canada to highlight and celebrate the experiences of people who identify as non-white, including both newcomers and those whose communities and have long histories here. Head, Heart + Handies
January 14, 5:30 – 7:30 pm Beginner Book Binding Workshop with the NSCAD Library Team
January 21, 10:30 am – 11:30 am & 2 pm – 3 pm Accessibility Focus Group with NSCAD Accessibility Team
Organize your Squirrel Brain Workshop
January 27, 11 am – 1 pm Pitewey Friday: Tea and Hangout for BIPOC Students
Indigenous Arts Workshop
Drawing Studio D241, Fountain Campus
TBA
All NSCAD students are invited to celebrate and learn about Mi’kmaw history and culture through traditional art forms and storytelling.