For Parents

Welcome to the University of Virginia! You will now begin to receive a great deal of information from the University, and in that spirit, below are a few of the most critical next steps in the process for you and your new Wahoo.

All new first-year undergraduate students are expected to attend one of the five two-day orientation sessions offered in July. In addition, we offer one final session immediately before Move-In Days (August 24 and 25). This final session is typically reserved for students who live outside the country as well as for domestic students traveling great distances to Virginia.

Transfer students are expected to attend orientation as well, but their program is one day instead of two. Two sessions are offered.  One takes place on July 19 for students transferring as third-years into the College of Arts and Sciences or into the School of Nursing. Another transfer session takes place July 20 for second-years transferring into the College.

We strongly encourage incoming students to register early since sessions fill on a first-come, first-served basis. Please do not make summer travel arrangements until you have completed the orientation registration process and your student’s session dates are confirmed.

The Program: The Parent Orientation program, which runs concurrently with the student program, is a valuable means for you to learn about the student experience at U.Va. and to receive information tailored specifically for you. Most students who attend Summer Orientation bring at least one parent or guest.
If you are the parent of a first-year student coming to orientation in July, you will check in with your student and then have some free time before joining other parents and U.Va. people for a late-afternoon reception. The next day will consist of programs and presentations just for you.

See the schedules for complete details about the parent program you will be attending.

Lodging:  Family members and guests must make their own arrangements in local hotels. Students attending orientation are housed overnight in Hereford and Gooch residential areas.

Arrival and departure:  Participants attending the two-day program will need to arrive early in the morning on Day One of their session, and they will finish by late afternoon on Day Two. Please do not schedule flights that leave Charlottesville before 5:30 p.m., since some students will have course advising and registration times late in the afternoon.

Fees: The student orientation fee will appear on the fall tuition and fees bill, but the parent/guest fee ($60 per guest) must be paid at the time of online registration via credit card or mailed check.

Registration: You may want to complete the web registration process together to ensure that the correct number of guest registrations is entered and the desired method of payment is indicated.

Resources

This website includes many helpful resources that you may wish to review before coming to the University. On it, you will find:

• a list of the tasks your student needs to complete to prepare for enrollment
• dates for Summer Orientation
• parent and student orientation schedules
• a list of items to bring to orientation
• a list of hotels near the University
• travel information including maps and driving directions
• a list of things to do while you're in Charlottesville
• information about Project SERVE
• and links to other offices and resources that will help you and your student prepare for the fall

If you have remaining questions that the website does not address, please feel free to contact us at orientation@virginia.edu.

We are very excited that you have chosen to join the UVA family, and we look forward to seeing you at Summer Orientation!