What To Expect Before New Start
Important Deadlines and When You Will Receive Information
You registered for New Start, now what? As we get closer to the summer you will start to receive more and more information from us in different ways. Here is what you can expect:
In the Mail
We will be mailing you a postcard in March with a reminder to file your FAFSAs (24-25 for summer aid, and 25-26 for fall aid) so you can qualify for the New Start Tuition Scholarship and potentially the Pell Promise. It will also have a link to our 2025 New Start Hub.
In April you will receive a welcome booklet with a checklist you can post somewhere in your home to make sure you have completed all the pre-program steps. This information is also available in the New Start Hub.
In Your Arizona Email
Your @arizona.edu email address is your source for official communication from the University and New Start. This is because you are required to authenticate into that account with both a username and password AND a 2-factor authentication step like the Duo app, or a passcode via phone/text. Please check this regularly (even better, add it to your computer or phone's email app) for the latest information from sources like New Start, Orientation & New Student Services, Financial Aid and your college.
We will have a series of messages that will go out about every two weeks from now until the summer. A list of messages will also be available in the New Start Hub.
Online via Family Chats
We host two New Start Family Chats each month in the spring, and we will begin a series of focused conversations covering the residence hall experience, financial aid, placement exams & Next Steps, STEM learning communities and Blast Off, and a session entirely in Spanish. All the sessions will be recorded, so if you are not able to join us for the meeting, you will still be able to view the information later. To protect everyone's privacy, the question/answer period at the end will not be recorded.
CatCloud Pre-Program Plan
This year we will try to use a new way to update you on your status with the pre-program required steps by creating a pre-program plan in your Cat Cloud. Simply log in at catcloud.arizona.edu and then click on "plans" at the top right (or in the menu on mobile devices). You should then see a New Start Pre-Program plan along with all the required steps to complete before June 1. We will periodically check off completed steps every two weeks. You should see the plan populate in your Cat Cloud the Friday after you submit your application.