CHE Navigate

We are so excited to have you join our collaborative and supportive community. As a new member of CHE, you will be part of the CHE Navigate program, which will help to ensure you have what you need to start the semester on solid footing. You will be supported throughout the summer as well as throughout your time at Cornell by the team of college advisors from the Student and Career Development Office.

Weekly Navigate newsletter

Throughout the summer, check your email for the weekly Navigate newsletter. It will include timely updates and information to help you get ready for fall. Be sure to read and act on information in the weekly Navigate and any communication you receive from Cornell. 

CHE Navigate virtual sessions

In addition, we will host three CHE Navigate virtual sessions to share information about the college and your major, academic requirements in your first semester, how to enroll in your fall courses and resources available to support you throughout your journey. 

We will share the dates for the virtual sessions and the CHE dean's Virtual Family Welcome shortly.

We will share more details about these events in the Navigate newsletter.

Your Cornell email

We will contact you via your cornell.edu email address, so be sure to activate your NetID and regularly check your official Cornell email account for updates.

Course enrollment

There are two registration periods each semester at Cornell: 

Pre-enrollment for new first-year and transfer students 

July 20-July 23

This is your first opportunity to get a spot in your preferred fall courses. 

Add/drop period 

begins Aug. 21 for first-year students

You can make changes to your schedule during this time.

Please see the University Registrar's Key Dates and Guide to Enrollment for detailed information.

More information 

In advance of the July enrollment period, we will share resources and instructions through CHE Navigate on Canvas, Cornell’s learning management system. You can also schedule an individual meeting with a college advisor from Student and Career Development.

All students will be automatically enrolled in the introductory course required for their major. To see your degree requirements and start planning out the rest of your schedule click on your major from the list of Undergraduate Degrees and then click "Curriculum" to see your degree requirements. 

Orientation

Cornell’s New Student Orientation is August 18-23, 2026.

During this time, new students are required to attend college-specific orientation sessions and a session related to their major.

The major-specific orientation sessions will be on Friday, August 21. Check your Cornell email for the specific time, location and other updates.

Information by department

Learn more about our majors

Course enrollment

We will directly enroll you in some courses for your major. Please do not drop these courses as you try to schedule other courses since you could find yourself without a critical introductory course.

Laptop and accessory requirements

Effective: 2026/2027 Academic Year

General requirements

It is strongly recommended that each HCD student own the appropriate laptop computer and necessary accessories for coursework, which may range from heavy graphics tasks to writing papers and emails. These requirements ensure students can fully participate in all course activities and complete assignments effectively.

Required accessories (all students)
  • USB thumb drive (64 GB minimum)
  • External mouse (wired or wireless)
  • Recommended: External hard drive for backup (1TB minimum)
  • Recommended: Protective laptop case or sleeve
For DEA (Design + Environmental Analysis) students

DEA students should have a Windows laptop capable of supporting CAD/BIM modeling, 3D visualization, rendering, Adobe Creative Cloud, and real-time walkthrough/simulation tools used in DEA coursework.

Minimum specifications

  • Processor: Intel i7, 13th generation or newer; Intel i9; AMD Ryzen 7/9; or equivalent high-performance processor
  • Memory: 32 GB RAM
  • Graphics: Dedicated NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 or better, or NVIDIA RTX A-series equivalent
  • Storage: 1 TB NVMe SSD
  • Operating System: Windows 11
  • Recommended: 3-year warranty
  • Recommended: Theft and accidental damage insurance 

Recommended brands and models

  • Dell Alienware
  • Razer
  • ASUS ROG / ProArt series
  • Lenovo Legion or ThinkPad P series
  • Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2, only when configured with dedicated NVIDIA graphics and 32 GB RAM 

Important note about Mac computers

DEA students are strongly advised against purchasing Mac computers as their primary laptop. Revit, certain Rhino plugins, and many real-time 3D visualization and simulation tools used in DEA courses do not run natively on macOS and work only in Windows. While Windows virtualization may be possible on some Mac computers, it is not recommended for DEA coursework because of significant performance and compatibility limitations.

For FSAD (Fiber Science and Apparel Design) students

Minimum Specifications

  • Any recent laptop with Windows 11 or Mac OS 15 should be adequate.
  • Chromebooks, Netbooks, and other mobile PCs are not sufficient for coursework requirements.

Contact

If you have questions, contact Darin Gillenwater, our undergraduate coordinator, at djg326 [at] cornell.edu or 607-255-3196.

DNS is home to three majors: 

Plus the Biological Sciences concentration in Human Nutrition and several minor fields at Cornell. Our programs include students from three colleges. Each year we welcome approximately 200 new undergraduate students to join our majors.

Advising

All first-year students in DNS are assigned a professional staff advisor in Student Services. You will get to meet the team of DNS professional staff advisors virtually over the summer during the events surrounding pre-enrollment for fall courses. 

You will later have an opportunity to meet with your assigned staff advisor and student peer advisor, as well as DNS faculty, at Orientation in August. These individuals are all part of your Advising Support Network, a larger group of people at Cornell who will help guide your undergraduate experience and assist you with thinking about what opportunities will be most valuable to help you reach your goals at Cornell and beyond.

Contact

Have other questions? Please reach out to us at dnsstudentservices [at] cornell.edu!

Visit the Psychology Department website for information for new Human Development majors.

For pre-health students

Cornell’s Health Professions Advising Center (HPAC) provides advising all the way to assistance with professional school applications near the end of your time at Cornell. 

 

HPAC will host virtual information sessions for incoming first-year and transfer students to drop in and chat with pre-health advisors on July 13 and 15. Once you arrive to campus, HPAC will host a New Student Welcome Event on August 26. Visit the HPAC Incoming New Students website to learn more. 

 

For international students

We encourage you to register for the pre-orientation program Prepare for incoming international undergraduate students. This program introduces you to important resources for international students and connects you to other international students.