Orion

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

This page lists common questions that any type of user may have. For high-level instructions specifically for students on using the PeopleSoft system, see How Do I Use Orion? It explains how to register for classes, check grades, request transcripts, and perform other tasks.

General Questions

For Students

For Faculty/Staff

How can I avoid typing in the same information over and over?

To avoid filling in the same fields numerous times while navigating through the pages in Orion, you can set defaults for certain fields. To set your preferences, access the Student Center and click User Preferences under the Personal Information heading.

There are four fields you can set as defaults:

  • Institution: University of Texas at Dallas
  • Academic Career: Undergraduate or Graduate
  • Term: A four digit number representing the term. Use the Lookup Term button to select from a list.
  • Aid Year: A year that represents the entire school year. For example 2010 for the Fall 2009-Spring 2010 school year. Use the Lookup Aid Year button to select from a list.

After you make your selections, click on the SAVE button.

Back to top

What do I do if I am having trouble accessing items in the menu pagelet or the navigation pane?

If you are having problems such as these, it may be due to domain-related security settings on your Browser.

Follow these steps to change security settings in Internet Explorer.

  1. Open Internet Explorer.
  2. Select Tools.
  3. Select Internet Options.
  4. Click the Security tab.
  5. Set the Zone to Internet.
  6. Click the Custom level… button.
  7. Scroll down to the Miscellaneous settings.
  8. Enable the Access data sources across domains option.
  9. Enable the Navigate sub-frames across different domains options.
  10. Click OK.
  11. Click OK.

Back to top

Why doesn't anything happen when I click on a link?

You may have a pop-up blocker activated. Review your browser help for steps on turning the pop-up blocker off. Or, try this keyboard shortcut: hold the [Ctrl] key and clink the link again.

Back to top

What is PeopleBooks? I clicked on the Help button in Orion and a new window opened with a PeopleBooks reference.

PeopleBooks are help documents provided by Oracle about the PeopleSoft application. They refer to the basic PeopleSoft product (the unmodified version of the application), as such they do not contain UTD-specific information. However, they do offer comprehensive explanations of what the fields do and how screens relate to each other.

Back to top

Where can I find out more?

An excellent resource is the OrionHelp web site. It offers User Guides, Quick Reference Guides (Job Aids), and tutorials in the form of online players. If none of those resources answer your questions, you can contact the functional or technical leads listed on the site's Contacts page.

Back to top

Why can't I see my evening classes on my scheduling calendar?

By default, the weekly schedule displays classes between the hours of 8:00 AM and 6:00 PM. This can easily be changed to display whatever hours in the day you would like.

  1. From the Student (or Faculty) Center (Self Service > Student Center/Faculty Center), click on the weekly schedule link.
  2. Click in the Start Time field.
  3. Enter the earliest time you want to see on your schedule, e.g. 11:00 AM.
  4. Enter the latest time you want to see on your schedule, e.g. 10:00 PM.
  5. Click the Refresh Calendar button.

The schedule now displays all your courses between 11:00 AM and 10:00 PM.

Back to top

What is the Enrollment Checklist?

This is an online process that must be completed before a student can complete their enrollment. Once all items have been completed the student will be able to finish enrolling.

Back to top

Where is my Unofficial Transcript?

If you are a current student, you can view your unofficial transcript online using Orion.

  1. Login to Orion and navigate to the Student Center.
  2. Click the My Academics link.
  3. The My Academics tab displays.
  4. Click the View My Unofficial Transcript link.
  5. Make sure that "University of Texas at Dallas" appears in the Academic Institution drop down box.
  6. In the Report Type drop down box, choose "Unofficial Transcript."
  7. Click the Go button.

WARNING! This process may take a few moments to complete. Please do not press any other buttons or links while processing is taking place

Note: If you have a service indicator (hold) on your record that impacts transcripts, an unofficial transcript will not be generated. Instead a message displayes stating: “Report not created - negative service indicator exists." You can view your holds by navigating to the Holds section of your Student Center home page.

You can review previous unofficial transcripts by clicking the View a Report That You Had Previously Requested button. A list of previous unofficial transcripts displays. Click the name of the report you would like to view.

Back to top

How may I find my account balance?

Students may view their account balance by logging into their EZPay account. Students may access EZPay by going to http://www.utdallas.edu/ezpay, selecting “Pay your Tuition” and logging in with their Net ID and Password. Once logged into EZPay, account balance may be viewed in the Quick View box on the home tab or by selecting View Current Activity and sorting the activity by term.

Back to top

Is it possible for me to view my account balance as soon as I enroll for classes?

It depends. The viewing of tuition and fees is not typically available until three weeks after the registration has begun for the semester. However, once the tuition and fee tables are turned on students should be able to log into the EZPay account and view their tuition and fees.

Back to top

Will I be able to allow my parents to view my accounts?

Students may authorize another party to view and pay their tuition. To set up an authorized user, go to http://www.utdallas.edu/ezpay, select “Set Up Authorized User” and then log in with your Net ID and Password. Once you are logged into EZPay, select the “Authorized Users” tab and then “Add Authorized User” and follow the steps.

Back to top

How do I apply for a short term loan?

To apply for a short term loan, students need to log into their Orion account and select Self Service, Campus Finances and Enroll in a Payment Plan. Follow the steps in the payment plan wizard to apply for the short term loan.

Back to top

Why can’t I download results into an Excel spreadsheet from Orion?

If you are having problems downloading results into an Excel spreadsheet, it may be due to the security settings on your Browser.

Follow these steps to change the downloads setting in Internet Explorer.

  1. Open Internet Explorer.
  2. Select Tools.
  3. Select Internet Options.
  4. Click the Security tab.
  5. Set the Zone to Internet.
  6. Click the Custom level… button.
  7. Scroll down to the Downloads settings.
  8. Enable the Automatic prompting for file downloads option.
  9. Click OK.
  10. Click OK.

Back to top

Updated: May 12, 2010