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Your first day of college is mostly forms, queues and orientation. The University Grants Commission's guide Deeksharambh: A Guide to Student Induction Programme says induction engages new students "as soon as they come into the institution, before regular classes start". So pack for an office counter as much as a classroom.
What documents should you carry on the first day of college?
Read your admission email first; requirements vary. Most Indian colleges check these in week one:
Admission or allotment letter and fee receipt, printed and saved on your phone
Class 10 and Class 12 marksheets: originals in one folder, photocopies in another
Transfer certificate and migration certificate, if your college asked for them
Category, income or domicile certificate, if your admission depended on one
A photo ID such as Aadhaar, and a few passport-size photos
Your anti-ragging undertaking registration number (see below)
Hostel allotment letter and medical form, if you are staying on campus
Never hand over an original document unless the office gives you a written receipt for it.
Two digital items are worth sorting out before day one. The first is the anti-ragging undertaking. Under the UGC Regulations on Curbing the Menace of Ragging in Higher Educational Institutions, 2009, the student and a parent or guardian each sign an undertaking that they have read and understood the rules. It is now filled online at antiragging.in: you receive an email with your registration number and forward it to your college's nodal officer. The same portal runs a 24x7 toll-free anti-ragging helpline, 1800-180-5522.
The second is your APAAR ID. APAAR is "a unique 12-digit student identification number linked to the ABC system", the Academic Bank of Credits, according to a Press Information Bureau backgrounder from July 2026, and it is accessible through DigiLocker. Institutions upload credit data against it, so check your DigiLocker login works before day one.
What stationery do you actually need?
Less than you think. You will not know which subjects need lab records, graph books or a particular calculator until teachers tell you. For day one:
One notebook with a section for each subject
Two or three pens, a pencil and an eraser
A pocket diary, or a notes app, for room numbers, teacher names and deadlines
A scientific calculator, if you are in a science or engineering stream and already own one
A water bottle, a phone charger and some cash for photocopies and forms
Wait a week before buying textbooks; teachers usually share reading lists first.
How do you get your college timetable?
Timetables arrive by notice board, department WhatsApp group, college portal or a printout at orientation. Leave day one with three things: a photo of your timetable, the name of your class coordinator, and a login for the portal that records attendance and notices. If the timetable is "not out yet", ask where and when it will be posted.
What questions should you ask on the first day of college?
The UGC induction guide suggests small groups of "preferably 20 students with a faculty mentor each". If your college has given you a mentor, ask them these questions. If not, try the department office or your class coordinator.
What is the minimum attendance required, and how is it recorded?
Where will notices and timetable changes be posted?
Who is my mentor or coordinator, and how do I reach them?
When are the first internal tests or assignments due?
Which of my documents are still pending, and by what date?
If you feel shy, use a script: "Hi, I'm in first-year BSc. Where will timetable changes be posted?" Write the answer down straight away.
Parents, let your child do the talking at the counters where you can. If fees are the worry, see how to read a college fee structure line by line. If you care for siblings or do chores at home, here is how to plan study time around family duties in college.
What if the first week feels overwhelming?
It often does. The UGC guide calls the move from school to college "one of the most challenging events in a student's life". Use the first week to learn the campus, not to master it.
If an early lecture feels shaky because a Class 12 idea never clicked, the Fermi Concept Library has a lesson for every concept in physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics and computing, so you can fill the gap before the syllabus moves on.
If you face or see ragging, call the anti-ragging helpline on 1800-180-5522. If you feel low or anxious for more than a few days, talk to your college counsellor, or call Tele MANAS, the free 24x7 national mental-health helpline, on 14416.
Pack the document folder tonight, and leave the textbooks for next week.
