Home | The Grainger First-Year Experience

Grainger First-Year Experience (GFX) is here to help you build community, learn how to become an engaged leader, and celebrate diversity.

GFX aims to ensure all incoming students have a successful transition to Illinois and make the most of their education. We offer a variety of orientation programs and classes, interdisciplinary courses, and events to help you build a strong foundation for continued academic, personal, and professional success as a Grainger engineer.

Save the Date for Launch! on Friday, August 22

Bardeen Quad | Urbana, IL
Friday, August 22 from 1:45 PM - 4:00 PM

Join the fun, games, and prizes during your official welcome to The Grainger College of Engineering!
Engineering students will be directed to Bardeen Quad immediately following the campus New Student Convocation and Welcome celebration.

View all Welcome Week events

Build Community

Grainger engineers work together. From New Student Registration through ENG 100 and ENG 300, GFX offers events and classes focused on building community and honing your teamwork skills. Come prepared to learn from upper-class peers at New Student Registration and meet new friends at Launch!

Create Engaged Leaders

Grainger engineers lead the way. Solving the world’s greatest social, environmental, and technical challenges demands imaginative and innovative leadership. GFX offers a variety of classes and job opportunities to develop self-aware leaders who engage thoughtfully and creatively with their communities.

Celebrate Diversity

Grainger engineers understand that our differences matter. Solving the grand challenges of our time requires us to embrace diversity and include many perspectives. GFX values all of our Grainger engineers and seeks to celebrate their different abilities, ages, philosophies, cultures, gender expressions, nationalities, backgrounds, and experiences.