Welcome, Parents and Families | May 7, 2024

Dear Parents and Families,

Hello from the Medford/Somerville and SMFA Fenway/Boston campuses! We are looking forward to welcoming your student to the Tufts community in August. Planning for orientation is well underway, and our colleagues in Academic Advising and Student Life are busy preparing for their arrival.

To kick off the summer, we invite you to join us for our Welcome to Tufts webinar for parents and families on Wednesday, June 5, at 7 p.m. ET. During this live event, you will meet members of the Student Life and Orientation teams and learn about the New Student Checklist. There will also be time to answer some of your questions. Pre-registration is required, and please submit any questions in advance.

Don't worry if you are not able to make the live webinar; it will be recorded and available on the Orientation website. Please note that this event is geared specifically to parents and families and not intended for students. Your student will be invited to a New Student Checklist 101 webinar just for them on Tuesday, June 4.

New students who choose to participate in an optional Pre-Orientation program will arrive and move in on Friday, August 23. Please refer to the Pre-Orientation web page for further details.

Students not participating in a Pre-Orientation program should arrive and move in on Wednesday, August 28. Undergraduate Orientation is mandatory for all new students, including new transfer students. It begins after move-in, starting at 3:00 p.m. and runs through Monday, September 2. The first day of classes is Tuesday, September 3.

There will be programming for parents and families on both arrival/move-in dates: August 23 and 28, 3:30–5:30 p.m. 

On Thursday, August 29, parents and families are invited to attend the Matriculation Ceremony (the official welcoming of the incoming class) but are not required to attend. We ask that all parents and families depart following the ceremony as students will continue their Orientation. Note: the Matriculation Ceremony will also be livestreamed.

During the summer, we will keep you updated with specific details on arrival, move-in, and the parent/family orientation programs and schedule. We will also send periodic emails and invitations to additional webinars to introduce you to Student Life team members and campus partners as well as various campus resources.

Please reach out to Student Services at 
617-627-2000, StudentServices@tufts.edu
or the Family Engagement contact Carole McFall at carole.mcfall@tufts.edu.

This summer, we will send an email each week to incoming students to help them stay up to date and on track for orientation in August. We will introduce students to various departments and resources at Tufts. All orientation communications this summer will be archived online (including recorded webinars) in case students miss a message or would like to review information again. We will also archive communications to parents and families online.  

Your student has a few important tasks to complete over the summer; many can be completed online. We will list all items on their customized New Student Checklist 2024, which will open Monday, June 3 on their Application Status page.

The Tufts Parents Giving Program connects with parents to enrich the Tufts community, directly impacting the individual student experience through philanthropy, our Parents Leadership Council, communications, and events. We are excited to be planning Parents and Family Weekend, which will take place on October 18 and 19, 2024. More information will be available in the coming months.

Next week's Orientation message will cover housing: how to apply for housing accommodations, the housing survey, roommates, and more. 

Family Engagement