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5 Steps your student can take right now

“College isn’t that far away…what are the next steps and how do we take them?”

The college selection process might feel like it’s dragging along right now. While some students know where they’re headed, some are in decision-making mode, others are waiting on financial aid offers and some are just deciding to get started. If your student is ready to make CMU their choice, or is considering it, we want you to know exactly what their next steps are.

1. Making your college decision

If your student has already made their decision to attend CMU, you can skip to #2. If not, then here are some steps they can take.

  • If they want to meet in person with someone to get questions answered, they are able to do that several times over the coming months. CMU will be hosting several events for admitted students and their supporters, both on campus and off, from February until May. Your student should keep an eye on their email for invitations to events in their area or check out CMU's visit page
  • If a trip to an event doesn’t work, they can always call our office Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.–5 p.m. at 989-774-3076 or email us at cmuadmissions@cmich.edu. We’re happy to provide the information they need to help make the decision easier.

2. Submit your enrollment deposit

Once your student has made their decision to attend CMU, the next step is pay the $200 enrollment fee. This fee unlocks the ability to take each of the steps below as well. 

  • The fee can be paid at https://fireup.cmich.edu/account/login
  • Your student will use the email and password they used when they submitted their application to CMU.
  • Fee waivers are available if a student is eligible for a Pell Grant, which requires that CMU has received your FAFSA, or if you can show proof that the FAFSA provided you a Student Aid Index of $0 or less. Feel free to have your student call our office or email cmuadmissions@cmich.edu to see if they qualify.

3. Sign up for orientation

After a student has submitted their enrollment deposit, they can sign up for new student orientation.

  • Orientation can be scheduled at https://fireup.cmich.edu/account/login.
  • Your student will use the email and password they used when they submitted their application to CMU.
  • During orientation, your student will register for their first year of classes with the help of an academic advisor.

4. Set up your CMU account

Another key step for students is to create their CMU account, which allows them to do several important things moving forward, like signing up for housing, viewing their financial aid offer once it is available and creating their CMU email.  Setting up their account securely can be done in a couple short steps.

  • Go to  https://fireup.cmich.edu/account/login and look for the “Set up your CMU Account” step. Take note of the CMU Account PIN that is listed there.
  • Click on “Set up your CMU Account”. You’ll need the PIN during the last step of this process. 
  • After you’ve set up your account, you can now set up CMU’s security  “multi-factor authentication”, which is a security process to ensure only your student can log into their account. Go to this web page to learn more.

5. Start your housing application

After your student has submitted their enrollment deposit, they will receive an email in their cmich.edu email account with information about housing and a link to fill out the housing application.

  • The housing application requires students to use their CMU Global ID and password to login. 
  • In order to login using their Global ID and password while off campus, a student must have also completed the process for CMU’s multi-factor authentication (DuoMobile). 
Virtual information session

Want more information about living on campus? Check out this webinar recorded on February 25 to learn more about the housing application, roommate selection and our residence halls.

View the Recording

I know that having multiple steps, with multiple logins, can be confusing. Especially with the busy schedules that we keep (my son has basketball games 3 nights this week!). If you need assistance with steps 1-3, our Admissions Office is happy to help. If you need help with steps 4-5, the CMU Help Desk will be your best resource. Either way, everyone at CMU is ready to make your student's college selection process as smooth as possible. 

Have a great day, and...

Fire Up Chips!

Bob

Blog: Admissions Director's Blog posted February 18, 2025 | Last Modified: February 26, 2025 | Author: by Bob Garcia, Senior Director of Admissions | Categories: Admissions
The views and opinions expressed in these blog pages are strictly those of the page author.