Post edited: August 14, 2025

Whether you are new to the University of Alberta, or a student returning for another exciting year of studies and student life, this list is for you. As August wears on, we know you may be dreading the start of September, but it’s not all bad. There’s plenty of ways to get ready and get excited about the new school year. We’re here with a list of five things to do to help you prepare to kick off your new school year! 
 

1. Download the UASU Perks App

Earn rewards just for getting involved in your campus community! With UASU Perks, you can earn Perks points for attending UASU events throughout the year, exploring campus, taking quizzes, or sharing your concerns and opinions in surveys. Then you can redeem those points for cool prizes like gaming consoles, iPads, gift cards, event passes, and other exclusive prizes. We gave out thousands of prizes last year (including over $12,000 in free groceries) to students who got involved on campus through Perks!

So what are you waiting for? It’s FREE on the App store and Google Play store, or even free-er when you use it in a browser.
 

2. Read your student handbook

Did you know that your UASU publishes a FREE student handbook every year? If you are a domestic student (ie. your permanent address from your application to the University is in Canada), you likely received a copy in the mail. If not, don’t worry! We will have plenty for you to pick up from the UASU tent at Week of Welcome (September 2-5)! 

This handbook is full of information about services available to you provided by your Students’ Union, a breakdown of your union fees, important University dates, and more! It even doubles as an agenda, to save you a few more dollars while you’re shopping for school supplies. 

3. Sync your Arc card to activate your U-Pass

Arc is the smart fare program for the City of Edmonton and surrounding areas. It’s also how you will access the U-Pass, or Universal Transit Pass, which is included in your union fees. The U-Pass saves you time and money by providing you with unlimited access to public transit services in Edmonton (including Edmonton International Airport), St. Albert, Strathcona County, Spruce Grove, Acheson, Fort Saskatchewan, Beaumont, and Leduc.

If you already have an Arc Card, you can activate your U-Pass right away by going here. Otherwise, pick up your Arc Card, register it at myarc.ca, and then activate your U-Pass the same way! 
 

4. Make the most of your money with the Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) program 

Since 2021, the Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) program has helped students save over $43,000,000! That’s worth a lot of coffee at the Daily Grind…

You can also get in on the savings when it comes to textbooks by using the ZTC filter right in Bear Tracks! Courses with Zero Textbook Cost—that is, textbooks and sources to accompany course material that is available for free—will have an indicator that looks like this:  

Zero Textbook Cost filter in BearTracks

You can also filter course sections by whether they are part of the ZTC in the filter menu when you are building (or rebuilding) your schedule.

For courses that aren’t part of ZTC, don’t worry: there are still lots of ways for you to get your books without breaking the bank. Visit our Be Book Smart tips page for more affordable textbook options! 

5. Get familiar with your home campus 

Whether your home-sweet-home-campus will be in Edmonton or Camrose, there are campus maps galore for you to explore! These include categories like residences, libraries, and student life locales. These are great resources for getting an idea of the routes you might take to get from class to class, in building to building, and help quell any nerves you might have about coming to a new place in the fall.

Keep your class schedule handy so you can map your weekly routines based on the buildings you’ll be using during the school year. And don’t worry if the room numbers don’t click right away—we’ve got a guide to reading room numbers for you right here. 

Finally, if you want to experience campus in person with the added bonus of making new friends, make sure you sign up for a tour through New Student Orientation. Friendly, expert volunteers who are students like you will guide you through the main thoroughfares of North Campus, to help you feel more at home before classes even start.