Navigating Emory: Your Comprehensive Guide to the Student Portal

Welcome to Emory University! This guide provides essential information for new and returning students on effectively using the Emory student portal and related resources for a successful academic journey.

Getting Started: Welcome to the Emory Community

We are delighted to welcome the Class of 2029 to the Emory community! As you prepare for your first year, several important steps will ensure a smooth transition.

Initial Setup and Information Verification

Personal Information: Begin by reviewing and updating your personal information.
Parent/Guardian Addresses: Select “Parent/Guardian Addresses” and update if needed. Click “Save” to submit changes.

Your First-Year To-Do List

The First-Year Checklist is a comprehensive list of action items that you will need to complete before Move-In. Below are important items included on the First-Year Checklist that take time and preparation.

Key Dates and Deadlines

January 13, 2026: First Day of Classes Spring 2026. For more details, visit the College Academic Calendar.
December 11-17: Final Exams (no classes, res halls, and dining remain open).
Fall schedules will be finalized by the end of Add/Drop/Swap on September 10.

Important First-Year Checklist Items

The Office of Enrollment Services will communicate with you over the next few months regarding your final transcript and college credit (from college courses, AP/IB, etc).

Housing Information

Click here for more information about living on campus. Have questions about housing?

Read also: Emory University Tuition

Student Parking Permits

If you plan to bring a vehicle to Oxford College during the spring semester of the 2025-2026 academic year and have not already registered your vehicle, you should do so here. The cost to register your vehicle is $125.00 per semester. The parking permit fee will be billed to your student account as part of the pre-term registration bill. Registration does not automatically mean you are approved for a permit. Vehicles on campus that are not approved will be subject to parking violations and could result in the vehicle being towed off campus at the owner’s expense.

Orientation Week: Save the Date!

NSO is designed to welcome you to the Oxford community and make your transition to campus as smooth as possible. Students are able to invite family and supporters to campus to help them move in. We have a special program for guests on August 22 which will conclude just before dinnertime. Questions?

Parent/Family/Supporters Webinar

Save the Date! The first Parent/Family/Supporters Webinar will take place on Friday, June 13th from 12-1:15 pm ET. Here is the Zoom link. Webinar topic: Transition of Care, Privacy, and the Role of Parents as Consultants

Emory Summer Send-offs

We’re excited to be getting back on the road to host our Summer Send-Off series! Click here to see where we’re going and register for an event near you!

Essential Online Tools and Resources

Emory University provides a variety of online tools and resources to support students' academic and personal success. These tools are designed to help you manage your enrollment, access course materials, and connect with the Emory community.

Read also: Finding a Job at Emory

OPUS: Your Central Student Portal

OPUS (Emory's student portal) is your primary tool for managing enrollment and financial records. Use OPUS to:

View your academic record
Manage your enrollment
Access financial information

Canvas: Your Learning Management System

Canvas is the learning management system used by Emory University to deliver course content, assignments, and grades. It serves as a central hub for accessing course materials and engaging with instructors and classmates.

Getting Started with Canvas

Find Your Course Site: Login to Canvas with your Emory NetID and password at canvas.emory.edu. Your Dashboard will show colored cards for your active courses. Click on the course you want to build out to access it.
Add New Content: Upload files: Under Files, you can upload files individually or in bulk, set usage rights, and restrict or schedule which files are available to students. You may also import and reuse material from prior classes. Each Canvas course starts with 2 GB of space.

Syllabus Management

There are a couple of ways you can create/add a syllabus to your course.

Canvas Syllabus feature: Create a page in Canvas to post your Syllabus.
- Click Syllabus in the Course Menu
- Click "Edit" in the top right corner
- Type your syllabus with the text editor. You can also add images, insert links, and embed media.
- Link to your Syllabus and other Files in the righthand menu
Upload syllabus as a file: If you wrote a Syllabus in Word or a PDF, you can upload your Syllabus to Files and then link to it on pages in your course. You don't have to use the Syllabus page, but it's a nice option.

Read also: Emory's Chemistry Department

Assignments you create in your course will automatically show up under your course syllabus on the Syllabus page You can set your Syllabus as your course homepage (see #5 below) and/or link to it from other parts of your course (i.e., Assignments pages and Modules).

Modules and Assignments

Modules: You can organize your course content by week, topic, or other category using the Modules tool.
Assignments: Create graded or ungraded Assignments for your course, which will be added to the Gradebook.

Things to Remember

Not Graded assignment types don't show up in the Gradebook. You can create ungraded assignments that appear in the Gradebook by creating a graded assignment and giving it a grade value of 0.
Set due dates for your Assignments.
Take advantage of the indent feature in Modules. This is helpful for organizing your content and making it easily accessible to students.
Check your Gradebook to make sure all assignments are accounted for with the correct grading value (points, percentage, etc.)

Setting Your Course Homepage

Your course homepage is the first thing students see when they view your course. You can set your course homepage to one page only, but there are several options, depending on what you want to be most accessible for your students. Here are some recommendations:

Modules: set your homepage to the Modules page to allow students to view all of the available coursework, readings, and other content for each week or subject.
Syllabus: set your homepage to the Syllabus so students can quickly view the course outline and due dates.
Customized Page: in Pages, you can create a customized homepage using text and images. Check out the Canvas Commons for examples.

Publishing Content

Modules: click "publish" on the far right side of each item in a module. If an item is published, the green circle will be checked.
Syllabus page: simply save the Syllabus and it will publish.
Other pages: click "publish" at the top." If a page is published, the box at the top will be green and say "Published."

Publishing Your Course

Once your course is ready, publish it! You can always add more content and edit parts of your course later.

Additional Canvas Features

Create Pages: The Pages feature in Canvas lets you create Pages with images, text, and links to post your course content (like a webpage). You can create as many pages as you want in your course.
Create a Rubric: Rubrics in Canvas are useful for creating a grading scheme for specific assignments or assignment types. Once you create a Rubric, you can add a Rubric to an Assignment you've created.
Use SpeedGrader: Easily grade and post comments on individual and group assignments with the Canvas SpeedGrader feature.
Use Turnitin for plagiarism detection: Papers submitted through Canvas can be checked against Turnitin's content databases.
Use External Tools: Use external tools like Canvas Studio, Office365, and VoiceThread within your Canvas courses.

Canvas Support

For additional help with Canvas, you can schedule an appointment with a Canvas expert.

Academic and Technology Resources

Academic Technology Services
Student Digital Life
Student Learning Toolkit

In addition to OPUS, your primary student information and enrollment portal, these apps provide key support for your Emory experience.

Emory-Wide Resources & Support

These resources are available to all Emory students regardless of school or program. See the following section for links to school-specific resources.

The Emory University Libraries provide guides, collections, and skilled subject librarians to support student research.
Technology Setup Guide
- Confirm your computer's readiness: Start with our general Technology Recommendations (note: the schools of Law, Nursing, and Public Health have additional requirements for their students).
- Know your computer's admin credentials (see macOS, Windows). Important: do not use your Emory Microsoft account as your computer login. You will lose access to Emory's Microsoft account once you leave the university, risking the loss of device access.
- While logged in, record your name under Account > Namecoach so professors and classmates know how to pronounce it
Course Atlas: browse courses and create your schedule
EaglePrint: to use campus printers (Note: you must be connected to the EmoryUnplugged Wi-Fi to access this page)
EmoryCard Web Center: add Eagle Dollars to your ID or check meal plan status
Guide to Student Academic Resources at Emory: see all learning support resources
Guide to Campus Life Resources at Emory: see all other support resources
Need help? Visit Student Technology Support, the IT help desk for all Emory undergraduate and graduate students.
Canvas Support
Learning and Training

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