
Philadelphia New Student Orientation
Saturday, August 19, 9:00 am - 11:00 am at 701 Market St. Philadelphia, PA 19106
Check in begins at 8:30 am. Please plan to arrive at least 15 minutes early to allow for parking and transportation.
New Student Orientation is an opportunity for us to welcome you to campus AND for you to learn critical information about the Philadelphia campus, university resources, and your program. At orientation, you will learn about:
- Program expectations
- Student support services
- WCU resources, such as library access
- Classroom technology
- Making payments and using financial aid
- Insider info from current WCU in Philadelphia students and alumni
- AND MORE!
Register for New Student Orientation
- Undergraduate Students: Register in the Undergraduate Admissions Portal
- Graduate Students: Register in the Graduate Admissions Portal
Public Transportation
SEPTA Connections
At 8th and Market
- Bus (Making Stops within 2 Blocks) - 17, 33, 38, 44, 47, 48, 61, 62, 78, 400, 401, 402, 404, 406, 408, 409, 410, 412, 414, 417, 555
- Market-Frankford Line (Service to 69th St. and Frankford)
- Broad Street Line via Broad-Ridge Spur (Service to Fern Rock Trans. Center and AT&T Station)
At Jefferson Station (11th and Market)
- Regional Rail (SEPTA and AMTRAK Service to Norristown, Manayunk, Doylestown, Chestnut Hill, Airport, Paoli/Thorndale, DE, NJ, MD, NYC, and more!)
PATCO Connections
At 8th St. Station
- Regional Rail (Service to Lindenwold, NJ and 16th and Locust St.)
Parking
If you are driving to campus for orientation, you will have two parking options:
*Option #1 - 8th and Market Lot: Students may park in the lot on the southwest corner of 8th and Market St. This parking option is located across from the Giant Heirloom Market. Please take a ticket and bring it in with you. The front desk staff will provide you with a validation sticker.
*Option #2 - PPA 8th Street Parkade: Students may also park at the PPA 8th Street Parkade on the corner of 8th and Arch Street. You may enter the lot on either side. Please take a ticket and bring it inside with you.
*IMPORTANT: The validated prices for both the parking lot and parking garage are $7.00. Do not prepay for parking at either of these structures as we cannot provide you with a refund. If you run into any issues, please call the front desk at 610-436-3701.
RamCard
Please log onto https://ramecard.com/account-login to order your student ID or as we call it here at West Chester University, your Ram Card. The Philadelphia Center will cover the cost of the Ram Card so please be sure NOT to pay the $25. You will need to upload a government-issued identification card and a picture of yourself behind a white background. The Ram Card Office will notify you if your documents were approved or if you need to make changes. If you run into any issues with this process, please contact the Ram Card Office at ramecard@wcupa.edu.
Please complete this no later than August 12th. Please note that you will not be able to access the space if you do not have a Ram Card. You do not need to travel to West Chester Campus to pick up Ram Cards as they will be provided to you at the Philadelphia orientation.
Questions?
Please contact:
Evelyn Anderson, Ed.D
Associate Director of Student Services
Philadelphia Campus
eanderson@wcupa.edu
610-436-3701