Welcome to the Carleton University community!
While your student is at Carleton, they are going to go through a wide range of emotions and experiences. As parents and family members, you can be prepared to assist them along the way by providing emotional support, helping keep them on track and directing them to the proper resources around campus. In this section you will learn about the general way in which students progress through their first year as well as information about different services across campus and how to stay connected with your student.
To learn about the transition your student will be going through, check out Help Your Student Transition. To see a detailed, month-by-month look at what your student will be doing and how you can help them along the way, the Student Clock is here to help.
Finding Support
One of the best ways for your student to find support is the Current Students website. This website is your destination for student news, events and services supporting student success on campus and in the community. We encourage students to regularly check this site for upcoming academic deadlines, opportunities to get involved or pursue their career goals and utilize the service search tool to browse through our many support services.
Get Social
Encourage your student to get connected and stay connected with Carleton Mobile, Carleton’s official mobile app for current students. This app allows students to view their class schedule, search support services, access grades and stay up-to-date with student news and events. Carleton Mobile is also used to share Emergency Notification System (ENS) messages with the Carleton community.
Carleton Mobile is available for iPhone and Android devices.
Along with the mobile app, you can stay up-to-date with the latest news, services and events from Carleton by following @MyCarletonU on X (formerly Twitter), Threads and Instagram.
Helping Your Student Stay Healthy
Health and Counselling
Health and Counselling Services offers a combination of medical care and mental health services. Students can access medical and counselling appointments as well as urgent same day appointments Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Hours and Appointments
Students can access medical and lab appointments Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Same-day services are available for acute or new episodic issues.
Medical Services
Health and Counselling Services has a team of medical professionals including family physicians, GP psychotherapists, registered nurses and lab technicians. They provide outpatient medical services and serve as primary care providers to our students while attending university.
Counselling Services
Counselling Services supports students at Carleton University by providing a wide range of accessible mental health services. Mental health services include single-session counselling, brief individual counselling, group counselling, psycho-educational events and programs, workshops and online resources.
In addition to these services, Carleton also has an on-campus pharmacy and dental clinic!
Health Insurance
Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) administers the student health and dental plan. Students taking 1.5 credits or more in the fall term are automatically included in the plan through student fees. Students taking fewer than 1.5 credits are eligible and may self-enrol during the change-of-coverage period. Students covered by an equivalent health and/or dental plan (such as a parent or spouse’s benefit plan), may opt out during the change-of-coverage period and receive a credit to their student account.
Athletics
Staying active is an important component of your student’s university life. Their physical health has a direct impact on their academic life and overall wellness. Carleton Athletics has a variety of facilities to help them maintain their physical health during their time at Carleton. They have access to state-of-the-art facilities and extensive recreational programming from the moment they arrive on campus in September, including our Fitness Centre, swimming pool, campus recreation and intramurals.
Stay Connected
We know sending your student off to university can be a challenging time for you as a parent or family member, that’s why we want you to be able to stay up to date with the important events occurring on campus, upcoming dates and deadlines and opportunities for your student.
The Parents and Family Newsletter
The Parents and Family Newsletter is delivered monthly and gives you the opportunity to stay informed about the questions and concerns important to parents and family members. Look to the newsletter for information about upcoming dates and deadlines, featured student services on campus and events on campus. We are here not only to make sure that your student has an excellent experience, but we also wish the same for you!
Visiting Ottawa
Take advantage of your student studying at Carleton by coming and spending some time in Canada’s capital city! There are many fantastic sights to see in Ottawa as well as many museums, galleries, festivals and of course Parliament! Winterlude takes place in February and is a great excuse to come visit during winter, strap on your skates and try out the Rideau Canal Skateway!
While you’re in Ottawa there are lots of hotels to stay at, we’ve compiled a list for you on our Admissions website. Check out Ottawa’s official tourism site to find out what fantastic events are going on in this great city!