Advising Resources
Information for 2026 Enrollment
K-State First is open to all new students, including traditional first-year students as well as new transfer students. To see a full list of what is available for students during the upcoming enrollment period and to help students through the process, click and download our At-A-Glance CAT and FYS Enrollment Guide.
K-State First has academically engaging options for every student, and the right CAT Community and/or First-Year Seminar class can be found based on their academic interests, majors, degree needs, and future career goals. With almost 100 different academic offerings connected to all of the Manhattan-campus undergraduate colleges, we have something for every new student.
K-State First Enrollment Response Time
As you are working with students during enrollment beginning in April, our team will be as available and responsive as possible. Send us a message at kstatefirst@ksu.edu or call us at 532-1501 to enroll students in our CAT Communities and FYS courses anytime.
Depending on the time you send the email and our team availability, we will respond to you ASAP and have the student enrolled within the hour (and often much more quickly; our quickest enrollment/response time is 2.5 minutes)! Our office is open Monday-Friday between 8-5. If you message us outside of that time, we will respond as quickly as possible on the next business day.
Communicating with Incoming Students
Students who have registered for New Student Orientation can indicate an interest in a K-State First CAT Community or FYS class as they prepare for their enrollment advising session on their Pre-Intake Advising Form.
If they have done so, we have prepared some information and resources that you can include in your Navigate campaigns that will hopefully cut down on the time needed to explain the purpose and goals of our CAT Communities and FYS classes in your advising meetings, so you can instead work together to find the right fit for your students. If you need any materials, messaging, or additional resources from us as you are working with your advisees, please let us know by emailing kstatefirst@ksu.edu and we are happy to draft something for you!
Video:
If you would like to include the video overview of our program, the YouTube link for that is below:
Learning Assistant Messages:
Each of our CAT Communities and Residential CAT Communities also has a video message from the Learning Assistant peer mentors on their individual pages, so if there is a specific one that you are recommending to a student, you might consider including that peer-to-peer connection!
We also created a draft message below, and you can edit it as needed to fit your student cohort:
"Consider enrolling in a K-State First CAT Community or First-Year Seminar during your first semester. They are a great space to find your place and people at K-State, and are interactive, supportive, and challenging classes and learning communities where you will discover your passion and build your community. Find peers and professors who are interested in and excited about similar topics to you, connect to unique research and outside of the classroom opportunities, engage in and connect to your learning through hands-on in-class activities, and make friends that just might last a lifetime.
CAT (Connecting Across Topics) Communities each have a unique theme that is focused around your major, pre-professional track, or your general academic interests. In them, you take two general education classes and a one-hour once a week connections course which offers academic and social support. All courses count towards your degree. Explore over 40 options and find the right fit for you at www.k-state.edu/first/cat/.
First-Year Seminar Classes are small, hands-on classes in a range of fields where you can ask questions, interact with professors, and feel comfortable in an academic environment. You receive personalized attention from exceptional faculty while earning credits towards your degree. Explore over 40 options and find the right fit for you at www.k-state.edu/first/fys."
Enrolling Students in CAT Communities
Students have the option of signing up for Residential CAT Communities themselves early on their Housing applications. Those that indicate an interest are contacted with class and living requirements through Housing. They have the opportunity to choose their rooms starting at the end of March and are enrolled in the Residential CAT Community classes in early April by our K-State First team.
If they are in a Residential CAT Community, they will already have all three courses on their schedules when meeting with you. Please do not drop them or change their course sections.
Students are also welcome to enroll in Residential CAT Communities throughout the enrollment period when working with you, as we will be holding room spaces for them as well as spaces in the classes. Whether they have already selected their hall space or still need to do so, we can get them enrolled in a Residential CAT Community throughout the spring and summer.
Just send us an email or give us a call at 532-1501 with the following info and our team will get them enrolled in all three courses:
- Student's name (first and last)
- Student's eid
- Name of Residential CAT Community they want to be in
If a student is pre-enrolled in a Residential CAT Community and already has the courses on their schedule, and you need to drop them, please let us know right away by emailing kstatefirst@ksu.edu. It will affect their Housing and they will be removed from their room as well as the three CAT Community classes. We crosscheck twice weekly and note students that drop any of the three CAT classes. If they drop one of the CAT courses, the process is as follows:
- the student and their advisor will be contacted to double check that their drop was on purpose. If the drop was on purpose or if we do not hear back...
- the student will be dropped from all three courses that are a part of the CAT Community
- they will be removed from the room space that they chose as part of their Residential CAT Community selection
- there is the possibility that the student can re-enroll in the general education courses connected to the CAT if they need to and if there is still space available outside of our saved CAT seats. We can help with that.
- we can also work with our Housing partners to help students find space available based on when they drop the Residential CAT Community
Getting students connected to a CAT Community is easy. Just send us an email or give us a call at 532-1501 with the following info and our team will get them enrolled in all three courses:
- Student's name (first and last)
- Student's eid
- Name of CAT Community they want to be in
Please do not try to enroll students in the CAT Community classes on your own, as doing so will not take the reserved seats we already have set aside for those students in those classes.
For a full list of the CAT Communities, their classes, and descriptions that will help students decide, visit our CAT Community page. Students are required to be enrolled in all three courses and should not have credit for any of those that are connected to the CAT Community.
CAT Community Enrollment Chart (2026 Chart Coming Soon)
Linked above is a detailed enrollment document with information that might be beneficial as you consider students' schedules and academic needs. The pdf chart lists all classes that are a part of each CAT Community and includes info like residence hall locations, CAT themes, course numbers, class days/times, K-State Core categories, and instructors.
We crosscheck twice weekly and note students that drop any of the three CAT classes. If they drop one of the CAT courses, the process is as follows:
- the student and their advisor will be contacted to double check that their drop was on purpose. If the drop was on purpose or if we do not hear back...
- the student will be dropped from all three courses that are a part of the CAT Community
- there is the possibility that the student can re-enroll in the general education courses connected to the CAT if they need to and if there is still space available outside of our saved CAT seats. We can help with that.
As the enrollment season progresses, we will keep an updated list of which CAT Communities fill so you are able to share that information with your advisees. The closures will be noted on the chart on the Residential CAT Community and CAT Community pages themselves, but we will also keep an updated list below:
Residential:
- Animal Health and Nutrition
- Engineering Futures
- Pre-Med
Enrolling Students in First-Year Seminars
Students may enroll for one CAT Community AND for one FYS class. If you have a situation where a student might really need two FYS classes, please send us and email or give us a call, and we will work with you to get the student the best schedule possible.
We will have open seats in most of our First-Year Seminars throughout all enrollment sessions. To start enrollment in April, we will open up a few seats in each FYS course at the beginning of each week.
If the seats have been filled for the week and a FYS is showing as closed, but you think it would be a great fit for your student, please reach out and we will work to try and get them connected!
Just send us an email or give us a call at 532-1501 with the following info and our team will see if we can open up a seat to get them enrolled:
- Student's name (first and last)
- Student's eid
- Name of First-Year Seminar they want to be in
Linked above is a more detailed enrollment document with information that will be beneficial as you consider students' schedules and academic needs. The enrollment course guide includes a full list of our First-Year Seminar offerings along with info about course numbers, days/times, K-State Core categories, and instructors for each class.
As the enrollment season progresses, we will keep the FYS page updated with closures, as well as an updated list below of which FYS courses fill so you are able to share that information with your advisees.
Honors Sections:
Student Success:
- DAS 100 (D) - Rudd Scholars section
Exceptionally Admitted Student Requirements
All exceptionally admitted students (they will have an indicator* in KSIS and Navigate) are required to enroll in a K-State First option—a FYS class, a CAT Community, or one of each. If you would like any support in selecting and enrolling the right option for your student, please let us know.
EDCEP 111 Foundations of College Student Success is an excellent option for students admitted by exception, and is the course we highly recommend. Our assessment data repeatedly indicates how much of an impact this course has on student success and retention.
We have a flyer you are welcome to share with your students if you feel like EDCEP 111 is a good fit or a requirement for them: EDCEP 111 Flyer
Thank you for the work that you do to connect students with high impact opportunities that support their success. We appreciate your collaboration!
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In the student's KSIS student center, click on General Info, and the first option has Service Indicators. The exceptional admit indicator is "Academic Achievement Center"
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In the student's Navigate profile under the "Overview" tab, look for the "Categories" information, and the exceptional admit category is also "Academic Achievement Center."
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Run an "Advanced Search" in Navigate, under "Student Information" -> "Category (in any of these)" -> "Academic Achievement Center (P4SS)"
CAT Community Scholarships
K-State First will award four in-state scholarships and one out-of-state scholarship to first-year students enrolled in a CAT Community this fall to cover the cost of the CAT Community one-hour connections course tuition.
We are especially eager to support students who might have financial need where tuition could be a barrier to selecting a CAT Community, and we would love your advisor input on selecting the students for these scholarships. You may nominate students on our form by answering three short questions: CAT Community Scholarship Nomination Form
Contact Us
The best way to contact us is via email: kstatefirst@ksu.edu. Our phone number is (785) 532-1501.
If you would like to work with us on your Teams page during enrollments, you are welcome to invite us in and tag us! We are also happy to set up a zoom session to work with you and your students if needed to answer any questions. Our core team emails are also below:
- Brianne Heidbreder, Director: heidbr@ksu.edu
- Mariya Vaughan, Assistant Director: mbjv@ksu.edu
- Cosette O'Brien, Learning Assistant Coordinator: cfobrien@ksu.edu
- Stephanie Claar, Office Specialist: sclaar@ksu.edu