WEST PLAINS, Mo. – First-time freshmen or transfer students with less than 10 credit hours who are planning to attend Missouri State University-West Plains this fall are invited to attend a STudent Advising and Registration  (STAR) Orientation session from 1 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, July 29, at the Shannon Hall campus, 401 E. 17th St., in Mountain Grove.

STAR Orientations are designed to provide students with an introduction to the university and its services, policies and procedures, and to assist students in registering for their first semester. During STAR, students will meet with a faculty adviser, schedule fall classes, receive a photo ID, be assigned a BearPass login, receive a parking permit, have an opportunity to visit with a financial aid representative, and if desired, take a tour of the Mountain Grove campus.

Space is limited for the session, so students are encouraged to register early.

Before attending an orientation, students must be admitted to the university and complete required ACT or Compass placement testing, as well as the in-house writing sample.  Additional testing may be required for placement purposes depending upon ACT scores.

An English placement test will be given at 9 a.m. that day at Shannon Hall for those needing to submit a writing sample as part of the registration process.  For more information about the required testing or to register for testing, call the Advisement and Academic Coaching Center for Empowering Student Success (AACCESS) office at 417-255-7222.

Students also may take the Compass and English placement tests at the Mountain Grove campus by appointment, officials said.  Call 417-547-7575 to schedule a testing session prior to the July 29 STAR Orientation.

For more information about the admissions process, call the Missouri State-West Plains admissions office at 417-255-7955.

For more information about the STAR Orientation sessions and how to register for an orientation session, contact AACCESS at 417-255-7222.  All university offices can be contacted toll free by calling 1-888-466-7897.