Orientation is widely conceived to encompass activities that support the transition into educational institutions. The University of Cape Coast, Ghana places a premium on orientation for freshman year students and yet the impact of such programmes on students' performance remains a difficult thing to determine. This study, therefore, focuses on finding out the impact of orientation on the academic performance of students. The study used the descriptive survey design and multiple sampling procedures to select 250 Level 200 students from the university. Data were collected primarily through questionnaire. The results revealed among other things that orientation programmes provide fresh students with good academic information regarding academic programmes, policies and regulation that enhance students' learning. Also, it came out that participation in orientation significantly and positively impacted their academic performance. The outcome also showed that a significant difference existed in the mean Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) scores of students who participated in the 2012 orientation programme for freshman students and those who did not. Based on these findings, a recommendation was made for organisers to plan orientation programmes geared towards helping students to maximise learning.