The Catholic University of America's Smart Start program is a pre-orientation program facilitated by DSS for incoming students that have approved academic accommodations through our office.
Goals of Smart Start
- To help students new to CUA prepare for their college experience through targeted programming offered by DSS
- To assist students that are living on campus by providing additional time to move in to their residence hall room
- DSS will arrange an Early Arrival into the residence halls for Monday, August 18, 2025 between 10:00am-3:00pm
- To introduce our newly registered students and their family to the DSS staff while attending informative sessions on the services and programs offered
- To review and understand how the most common academic accommodations are managed in practice and learn how to access various services provided by DSS
- To learn about campus resources and support partners available to students
- To begin the development of self-advocacy and a sense of community with other DSS registered students
Dates & Times
DSS offers Smart Start as a two-day program:
- Tuesday August 19th from 8:30am - 3:30pm EST for students and their guests.
- Wednesday August 20th from 8:30am - 12:03pm (approx.) for students only, designed to me a hands-on working session.
It is strongly encouraged that students opt to attend Smart Start in-person; Parents or Guardians can attend either in-person or via Zoom on Tuesday, August 19th.
Register for Smart Start
Students must first be registered with DSS before signing up for Smart Start. Visit our How To Register page to begin the process.
Once registered and an accommodations plan has been developed, you will be sent a Smart Start Participation Form to complete by 9:00am ET on Thursday, August 7th, 2025.
Late submissions after this date (in order to attend Smart Start virtually) will be accepted through 12:00pm, Thursday, August 14th. However, early arrival to on-campus housing will not be included with these late registrations.
Updated July 2025