Welcome Class of 2026

Parents and Families!

Duke Families,

Welcome to the Duke community! We are incredibly excited for the incoming Class of 2026 and to have you as part of our community. Each year we are thrilled to welcome your students to Duke University. Their energy and passion inspire our community. Much of our monthly newsletter information will be shared on our social media platforms; however, we do encourage you to read each edition for additional insights, context, and official University response.

Read more from New Student & Family Programs to learn about how we will support you this summer and throughout your student’s journey.

Important Dates

June 7 • Student immunization portal opens
July 12 or 14 • Fall 2022 class registration opens
July & August • Parent & Family Orientation (virtual)
August 20 • First-Year Student Move-In Day
August 20 • Family Farewell (in-person)
October 14-16 • Family Weekend

Get Ready for Duke!

Blue Book

The Blue Book is your student's guide to Duke this summer. It features deadlines, resources, and everything students need to do over the summer before they start, including course registration steps, immunization info, orientation details, and much more!

The Parents and Family section of the Blue Book provides an overview of resources and topics of interest to families, from wellness services and financial aid and billing information to explanations of student privacy laws and how to send students mail on campus. We encourage you to use this website throughout this summer and beyond to support your student while they are at Duke.

Student Weekly Digest Emails

Encourage your student to start checking their Duke emails regularly, as this is the email address where official University communications will be sent throughout the summer. Students should contact the Office of Information Technology (OIT) if they have issues accessing their Duke email.

Among the communications students will receive are weekly digest emails from New Student Programs, which began earlier this month. The digests will list the top five most important deadlines and pieces of information to help students transition before Orientation.

Summer Transition Series

New Student & Family Programs also hosts a webinar series for students called the Summer Transition Series (STS). STS provides online opportunities for your student to get their pressing questions answered in real-time by the experts. All webinars are hosted via Zoom and will be recorded.

New Student Orientation

The Class of 2026 will engage in a brand new and exciting experiential orientation! These new experiential orientation programs take the best of our previous Orientation model to create a more inclusive, fun, and engaging orientation experience.

Every first-year student will be placed into one of the 18 programs to experience Orientation Week. Combining experiential education with thoughtful team-building, exciting excursions, fruitful free time, campus and community tours, and leadership activities, each program introduces students to Duke in unique environments through interaction with classmates, current students, faculty, and staff.

Each program also has a dynamic group of Orientation Leaders (OLs) who will guide new students through Orientation Week! Learn more about the new orientation experience.

Students were emailed the Experiential Orientation Placement Questionnaire earlier this month. All students must complete this by June 10. If your student is having trouble finding this questionnaire, they can email studentorientation@duke.edu.

Duke Families on Facebook

Join the Class of 2026 Parents and Families Facebook Group. This is an opportunity to engage with other Duke families in a fun and informative setting. In order to join this closed group, family members will have to click the "Join Group" button at the top of the page and respond to a few security questions.

Upcoming Events

Parent & Family Orientation

The Parent and Family Orientation experience will allow you to learn more about Duke’s academic philosophy and student experience, connect with Duke community members, and help your student settle into their new home. Parent and Family Orientation will consist of a series of webinars throughout July and August in order to engage families early in their transition process and provide accessible programming to reach families, regardless of whether they can travel to campus for move-in day. Review the schedule of webinars. Each webinar requires registration and will be recorded and posted after airing.

First-Year Move-In Day

First-year students will move in on Saturday, August 20. Move-in will occur based on students' assigned residence hall. Specific move-in times for each residence hall will be communicated to students in mid-July.

We invite families to campus for this honored tradition. After the act of moving your student in, there will be an opportunity for you to meet other families and Duke staff at our Family Farewell on Saturday evening.
Students will begin full-day orientation events on Sunday, August 21. Accordingly, we ask families to plan their departure for this day so that we can orient your student to life at Duke.

If your student needs accommodations for move-in or your family has questions, please email familyprograms@duke.edu.

Family Weekend 2022

Mark your calendars! Duke University Family Weekend 2022 will be held Friday, October 14 – Sunday, October 16. This weekend will coincide with a home football game against UNC-Chapel Hill.

We encourage families to begin making travel arrangements. More details, a schedule, and registration will be posted to the Parent and Family webpage the first week of August.

For planning purposes, please note that programming will begin Friday morning and continue through midday Sunday.

Duke Parents Advisory Council

The Duke Parents Advisory Council (DPAC) plays an instrumental role within the University by providing feedback, support, and counsel throughout the academic year. Interested in joining the DPAC? Stay tuned for application information coming later this summer.