Texas Tech University

Frequently Asked Questions

For Red Raider Orientation

Red Raider Orientation

We're here to support you in becoming a Red Raider. However, before reaching out to us please check the list of frequently asked questions below. This will give us more time to answer specifics and it saves you time waiting for our reply.

Red Raider Orientation FAQs


Red Raider Orientation (RRO) is designed to help you become familiar with campus, learn about campus resources, meet other new students, and register for classes.

This 2-step RRO process includes self-paced online modules and in-person academic advising and class registration.


All first-year and transfer undergraduate students attending the Lubbock campus are required to complete the RRO Online Modules and participate in an in-person session to see campus, meet your advisor, and register for classes.

First-year students starting in the summer or fall will attend a two-day session.

First-year students starting in the spring will attend a one-day session.

Transfer students will attend a one-day session.

Former Tech students who have previously earned course credit at Texas Tech University are not required to complete RRO again.

Second degree students are required to attend RRO. Students who earned their first degree from Texas Tech University are not required to complete Red Raider Orientation again.

Summer Gateway students are required to attend RRO and must be fully admitted to register. Once you complete the Gateway program requirements, you'll receive an email notifying you of your admission.

International students International students must participate in Red Raider Orientation. Some students may also need to check-in with the Office of International Affairs.

Distance learning and online students attending a TTU Regional Site or TTU Online need to contact the program academic advisor for assistance with course registration. RRO is not required.

Graduate students do not attend Red Raider Orientation. RRO is for undergraduate students only. You may attend New Graduate Student Orientation (NGSO) sponsored by the Graduate School. For more information about New Graduate Student Orientation, please call the Graduate School at 806.742.2787

Transient/Non-Degree students attending a TTU Regional Site or TTU Online need to contact the program academic advisor for assistance with course registration. RRO is not required.

Student's who have previously attended RRO, but did not attend classes at Texas Tech, will be required to register for and attend an RRO Advising & Registration session for their new admit term in order to register for classes.Students will not have to pay a second Academic Orientation Fee. Please contact us at orientation@ttu.edu to avoid the charge.


Events hosted by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions are designed to help students and guests become better acquainted with Texas Tech. In order to meet with an advisor and register for classes, students must complete the Online Modules and participate in Red Raider Orientation.




Registration is required to secure your spot for an RRO session. Login to see your available sessions. Space is limited in each session based on academic college and major. RRO sessions are available on a first-reserve basis and once a session has filled, it will no longer appear as an option. There is no waitlist.

After registering for RRO, you may view and change your session date by loggin back into the RRO registration system.

Students starting in the spring term will attend RRO in November or January leading up to the start of the semester.

Students starting in the summer term will attend RRO a few days before the start of the summer semester.

Students starting in the fall term will attend RRO over the course of the summer.




While there is no guarantee for any session, we recommend that you register early to have the most session dates available to you. RRO sessions are available on a first-reserve basis and once a session has filled, it will no longer appear as an option. There is no waitlist.


You will get the classes for your program. Texas Tech has systems in place to ensure there is adequate course availability and new seats open in many classes throughout the summer.


The student RRO Fee, which is billed to the TTU billing account with the first semester's tuition, covers materials, meals, and parking. The fee is assessed to students that attend RRO even if you do not attend classes at Texas Tech. It is non-refundable and cannot be paid in advance or during RRO.

RRO Student Fee
One-Day Session - $60
Two-Day Session - $175
 



Guest RRO Fees cover materials, dinner on Day 1 (two-day sessions only) and parking. All Guest RRO Fees are non-refundable.

Summer/Fall Sessions
8+ years old: $50 per Guest
7 years old and under: Free

Spring Session
13+ years old: $10 per Guest
12 years old and under: Free


While it is not mandatory that parents or family attend RRO, we encourage students to have at least one guest attend with them. To learn more about parent and family participation, click here. To add guests to your RRO reservation, log in to the RRO registration system, locate the Guest tab, and click the green plus sign to enter guest(s) information in the pop-up window. You can update or add guests up to two business days prior to your session. All Guest fees are non-refundable.


RRO confirmation emails and other important reminders are sent to your TTU email account at outlook.office.com using your eRaider credentials.

A guest registration confirmation is sent to the guest email provided.




We understand that your plans might change. You can update your RRO reservation up to two business days before your scheduled session. Guests may be added at RRO check-in.

Change Session Date: Log in to the registration system to make changes to your information even after you have registered for orientation. Remember, there is no waitlist for closed or full sessions. At any time, you can check session availability and make updates.

Change Admit Term: If you need to change your entry term, contact Undergraduate Admissions. (ie: Admitted for Fall term but would like to change to Summer.)

admissions@ttu.edu
806.742.1480

Once your term has been changed, please allow 24-48 hours for the change to be updated in the RRO registration system. You will then be able to see the new orientation dates for your term.




To cancel/withdraw your application and/or decline admission, please complete the online Withdrawal Form with Undergraduate Admissions.

Only withdraw admission if you no longer plan to attend Texas Tech. If you need to defer admission to another term, please contact Undergraduate Admissions at admissions@ttu.edu.

Once your acceptance is withdrawn, your RRO session will be canceled. Please allow 7 to 10 business days to fully process this request.


Students will register for classes after meeting with their academic advisors during their scheduled RRO session. Remember, before you can register for classes during orientation, you must clear any registration holds and complete your Online Modules.




Yes! Our Red Raider Orientation student Crew members are excited to welcome you to Texas Tech University. They will be available during your scheduled RRO session to answer questions.



Get ready to learn about your academic college, meet with your academic advisor, register for classes, learn about university resources, meet classmates and much more. You'll receive a full, detailed schedule with more information one week prior to your scheduled date to your TTU email.



Yes! When you come to campus for your in-person RRO session, University Student Housing will have residence hall tours available for you to see the variety of room styles they have. If you know what hall youve selected, this will give you a great opportunity to see a comparable space.



All portions of RRO are mandatory. You are required to participate in each session and activity. If you do not participate, arrive late, or miss your advising session, it may cause a delay in course registration.



All incoming students are required to participate in an orientation session to register for their first semester of classes. If you're unable to attend a scheduled RRO session, we offer later RRO sessions just before the start of each semester. Contact us at orientation@ttu.edu or (806) 742-2993 to discuss this option.

 
 

Major Change FAQs


If you change your major after registering for RRO you are not required to change your session. It may take up to 48 hours for the new major to appear in the system.


Admission to Texas Tech University does not guarantee admission to majors in the Rawls College of Business, Whitacre College of Engineering, and majors in Biology, Microbiology and Cell & Molecular Biology.

If you applied to a restricted major and did not meet the assured admission requirements, you're admitted into the related eXplore program.

While in eXplore, you will enroll in core curriculum and prerequisite courses for your desired major with the intent to transfer in to the program. eXplore students benefit from the highly personal, success-oriented advising provided by University Advising.

Learn more here.




All students who have applied to an engineering program and have met assured admission requirements are admitted to the Whitacre College of Engineering. During your first year, you'll work to complete the Foundational Engineering curriculum within your discipline.


In order to ensure student success, the Rawls College of Business (COBA) has established minimum requirements and expectations for undergraduate business students. All students will be classified as COBA upon admission to Texas Tech and will apply to a specific major during RRO. A minimum cumulative 2.75 Texas Tech GPA is required to progress in the Rawls College of Business.



Pre-nursing is considered a designation at Texas Tech; it is not a degree-granting major. Students designated as pre-nursing are advised by Pre-Professional Health Careers and will take the prerequisite nursing courses at Texas Tech in order to apply for admission to the School of Nursing at the Texas Tech Health Sciences Center (or another nursing program) to complete their degree.



The College of Arts & Sciences offers a minor in athletic coaching that requires 18 hours and can be completed entirely through online courses. This minor is primarily designed for College of Education students who want to teach a content area in high school and be a coach, but is open to all students.

**Prior to Red Raider Orientation, you will only need to verify your major. During RRO, you can work with your academic advisor to declare a minor.

Other major options include Kinesiology and Sport Management through the College of Arts & Sciences. This degree prepares individuals for professional careers, advanced graduate study, and entry into applied health programs (e.g., physical therapy, occupational therapy, medical school).





The Honors College curriculum is completely independent of your major. The Honors College offers honors courses throughout the various academic colleges at Texas Tech. Therefore, students of all majors can participate in the Honors program. If you are accepted into the Honors College, your college listed within the RRO registration system and on the Admitted Student Tasklist will be associated with the academic major you chose on your ApplyTexas admissions application.

Students enroll in an academic program in a college of their choice AND they enroll in the Honors College at the same time; so most honors students have dual enrollment in two colleges. The Honors College offers one major, Honors Sciences & the Humanities (HSH). Students in the HSH program enroll only in the Honors College.

Students who are accepted to the Honors College at Texas Tech will have a primary academic advisor in the college of the major they are pursuing, AND will also have an Honors College advisor who will help guide them in selecting courses to meet the honors requirements. At Red Raider Orientation, you will meet with your primary academic advisor for your major. There will be an opportunity to connect with Honors College advisors at RRO, but it is optional since you will receive Honors information via email prior to your session.


If you have questions about the Honors College, email honors@ttu.edu or call (806) 742-1828.





If it is LESS than 48 hours prior to your RRO session, you will attend a Major Change table at your in-person RRO. 

If it is MORE than 48 hours prior to your RRO session, to change your major:

  1. Log into your Raider Connect account at raiderconnect.ttu.edu
  2. Go to your “My Applications” tab
  3. Select Major Change
  4. Choose your desired major from the available options, then click save.


Please allow up to 48 hours to process this request.

NOTE ON RESTRICTED MAJORS: If you have been admitted to the University at the time of your request, the options for changing your major could be restricted due to additional requirements of some programs. You will be allowed to select a major from the programs that you are qualified to enter. Please refer to information on admission requirements for specific colleges to see if you are qualified for restricted majors.

 




 

Registration Holds FAQs


An important part of Red Raider Orientation is meeting your academic advisor and registering for classes for the fall semester. However, before you can register for classes during orientation, you must clear any registration holds. A hold is placed on your record to indicate that an action is needed.

Academic and administrative offices can place holds on a student's account for many reasons. You can view your holds when you log into the RRO registration system. Your holds, if any, are listed under the "Questionnaire" page, in the student information section. Below, we have listed some common holds you may encounter as a new student and instructions on how to take care of these holds.

We STRONGLY encourage you to take care of any registration holds you have prior to your RRO session to help ensure a smooth advising and registration process.


The Texas Success Initiative (TSI) is a state mandate that requires students to be assessed in reading, writing and math skills prior to enrolling in college, and to be advised based on the results of that assessment. The TSI Hold New Student is a temporary hold placed on a student account until the TSI Compliance Office has had a chance to review your files.

Action to take:

Once your records have been reviewed by the TSI Compliance Office, the hold will automatically be removed if you are considered TSI Complete or will be replaced with a "TSI Hold Needs ___."

Monitor your holds to see if testing is required, as indicated by a TSI hold for a specific test (see below).

We encourage you to review the TSI Exemptions to determine if you are required to take the TSI Assessment. 




The Texas Success Initiative (TSI) is a state mandate that requires students to be assessed in reading, writing and math skills prior to enrolling in college, and to be advised based on the results of that assessment. Students who do not meet TSI Exemptions will be required to take the TSI Assessment.

The TSI Compliance Office will place a registration hold on any student who requires testing. A student may have one of several TSI holds depending on which areas require testing:

  1. Math (M)
  2. Writing (W)
  3. Reading (R)
  4. Math and Writing (M/W)
  5. Math and Reading (M/R)
  6. Reading and Writing (R/W)
  7. All (M/W/R)

Your hold might be followed by "em" and a date. This indicates that the Registrar's Office sent you an email on the date indicated to inform you about any required TSI testing.

Action to take:

The TSI Assessment is a state approved test for TSI compliance. This test is offered daily throughout orientation. You may come as a walk-in between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. Seating is limited, but you will be worked into a testing lab as soon as a seat is available. You must take the exam before you can register for classes.

All students needing to take the TSI Assessment are STRONGLY encouraged to test PRIOR to Red Raider Orientation. This may mean you need to arrive a day before your scheduled RRO session.

The TSI Assessment is offered at Academic Testing Services at TTU. Be sure you bring your driver's license and your payment with you to the test.

If you think you might be exempt, you can review the TSI Exemptions to find out if you will have to take the TSI Assessment. If you are not exempt, you must take the TSI Assessment.

Steps to follow for taking the TSI Assessment:

  1. The TSI Assessment is administered in 214 West Hall.
  2. Visit the TTU TSI assesment website to see testing dates and times.
  3. Pay $50.00 check, money order or credit/debit card.
  4. Present a valid government issued picture I.D. such as a license or passport.

For more information, please visit the Texas Success Initiative website.


If you do not pass the Texas Success Initiative Assessment and do not meet one of the exemption requirements, the TSI Needs Advising Hold is placed to ensure students are registered in the appropriate developmental courses and that compliance with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board is being met.

Action to take:

When you attend Red Raider Orientation, you will meet with a TSI Advisor. During check-in at your RRO session, you will receive information with an appointment to meet your TSI advisor. You MUST attend this TSI advising session in addition to your academic advising session in order to register for classes.




Students under the age of 22 on the first day of class are required to submit proof of a Meningitis vaccine received within the last 5 years. Please note, that to meet the state's Meningitis requirement, you must submit proof of the MCV4 (sold as Menactra, MenHibrix, and Menveo) or MPSV4 (sold as Menomune) version of the Meningitis vaccine. Meningitis serogroup B vaccine (sold as Bexsero and Trumenba) only prevents illness from a single strand of Meningitis and will not be accepted to meet the state's Meningitis vaccine requirement.

For more information on the immunization requirement, please visit the Immunization Requirements for New Students page on the Student Health Services website.

Action to take:

Submit your records to Student Health Services via Med+Proctor.




Students with fewer than 30 college hours, excluding dual credit or credit by exam, are required to live on campus unless exempted by University Student Housing. The "Housing Form E" registration and transcript hold is placed on a student's account when the student does not meet the criteria for an exemption from the residency requirement and has not yet signed up for on-campus housing.

Action to take:

To remove the hold, you must either show proof of your off-campus eligibility by fulfilling one of the exemption requirement categories listed in OP 30.25 OR sign up for a room on-campus using the Priority Room Selection system. To learn more, visit the University Student Housing website.

For questions, please contact University Student Housing at housing@ttu.edu.





Academic advising holds prevent the student from enrolling in classes until the student receives academic advising, and vary by major. Students must meet with their advisor prior to class registration so that the student's program can be discussed and course recommendations can be made.

Action to take:

Attend your scheduled Red Raider Orientation session to meet with your academic advisor. No action prior to RRO is required.





All incoming students will have an Academic Orientation hold. This is the only hold that cannot be removed prior to your orientation session.

Action to take:

This hold will be removed when you complete your online modules and AFTER you attend a Red Raider Orientation session.



 

New Student FAQs


Your R number is your official Texas Tech student ID number.  It is an 8-digit number, preceded by the letter "R". To find your R number:

  1. Go to raiderlink.ttu.edu
  2. Log in with your eRaider username and password.
  3. Make sure the “My Tech” tab is selected on the left-hand side.
  4. Underneath “Registration and Financials", you will find an R followed by an 8-digit number. This is your TechID Number.
  5. Memorize this number. It will never change during your time at Texas Tech.

You can also find your R number inside the Red Raider Orientation registration system on the "Personal Information" page.




Your eRaider account is your TTU electronic identification. Your eRaider is a single username and password that is required to access many resources at TTU.

Your eRaider account allows you to access your TechMail (e-mail), access the campus wifi internet, access Raiderlink for class registration and information, download free software, and much more.

In accordance with university policy and to protect your privacy, you should never divulge your eRaider username and password to anyone. No university official or university sanctioned service provider will ever ask you for your eRaider password.

NOTE: Your eRaider account is different than the RaiderConnect credentials you used during the admissions process.

For help setting up your eRaider, contact IT Help Central




For a list of important dates (like first day of class, Spring Break and more), view the complete academic calendar.


For information about residence hall move in, click here.



We understand that paying for college can be a bit overwhelming, so we've provided resources below to help break it down.

Cost to Attend Explained

Net Cost Calculator

 

Admitted Student Tasklist FAQs


The Admitted Student Tasklist is your personalized list of next steps to enrolling at Texas Tech University! You should take care of all of your tasklist items before your scheduled RRO Session.


To access your tasklist, you must be:

  • Fully Admitted for at least 24 hours
  • An undergraduate student
  • A degree-seeking student
  • Attending the Lubbock campus


Click below to login with your eRaider credentials.




Completing Items: Each tasklist item has step-by-step instructions for completion. Carefully read and follow instructions for completing each item. Within your personalized checklist, you'll see four ways completed items are tracked:

Automated GearAutomated Item: This step will automatically be marked as complete within 24 to 48 hours after you complete an automated task (such as reserving your orientation date).

checkboxManual Item: After you have completed this step, you can mark the item as complete by clicking on the checkbox.

pending iconPending Item: This step will become available at a later date or after you have completed all required prerequisite steps. Read the instructions for details.

Get Help
Within the tasklist, click on the question markHelp Icon to see contact information to get help completing any particular item. Each item has a different contact office. Check out our FAQs for additional assistance.

 
 

Support with Access

We're here to assist you through the process of registering for RRO and answer any questions you may have. Review the information below and our FAQs.


If you are having issues logging into the RRO registration system, make sure your eRaider is set up. If you've forgotten your username or password, utilize the Forgot Username or Forgot Password option to retrieve this information.

For assistance with eRaider issues contact:
IT Help Central
806.742.HELP(4357)
ithelpcentral@ttu.edu

Note: Your eRaider login is different than the RaiderConnect credentials which you used during the admissions process.


Your eRaider username and activation code was provided to you in your admission email. If you need this resent to you, please contact Undergraduate Admissions:

admissions@ttu.edu
806.742.1480


If you get an Unmatched Registration Attempt error, your admissions application may not match the following conditions to register for RRO:

Fully Admitted for at least 24 hours

Undergraduate student

Degree-seeking

Attending the Lubbock campus

Please contact Undergraduate Admissions at admissions@ttu.edu or call (806) 742-1480 to verify or change any application information if needed.

To ensure a smooth registration process, please review all important items above before entering the registration system.