Dear Tulane Family Member,
We are so pleased that your new first-year student will join us for fall 2026, and we're excited to welcome YOU into our Tulane community. At Tulane, we consider families partners with us in supporting your students' education and growth during their university experience. To that end, Family Programs offers publications, webinars, tutorials, events, and other resources to help you support your student.
The Tulane Family Newsletter is sent twice monthly now through August and includes information to help you navigate your student's high school-to-university transition. Later issues will be sent once a month during the September through May academic year. Each issue features university resources and offers practical recommendations, deadline reminders, and preparation for upcoming procedures. Be sure to visit some of the Quick Links at the bottom of each e-newsletter and bookmark families.tulane.edu. If your spouse or partner didn't receive the e-newsletter, recommend that they check their spam folder first, then use this link to subscribe, if needed.
This e-newsletter and the families.tulane.edu website are the only official Tulane Family Programs communication mechanisms. (The parent groups on social media are not official and are not managed or monitored by Tulane staff.)
Once again, welcome to the Tulane community!
Warm regards,
|
|
|
Penny Wyatt
Director of Family Programs, Division of Student Affairs
|
|
|
|
Orientation Resources and Programs for New Students |
|
|
|
The Newcomb-Tulane College First-Year Experience Office offers an array of resources and programs to help new students adjust to their new university environment, expectations, and opportunities. Your student should become familiar with these elements supporting their high school to university transition:
The New Student Checklist, located within the New Student Modules, highlights important tasks and deadlines to guide your student's transition to Tulane. We recommend reviewing it at the start of each month and checking off items as they go so they are always ready for what’s next.
The Navigator is the official e-newsletter for first-year students at Tulane. Students will receive a new edition of the Navigator often, beginning in the summer and continuing throughout their entire first year. The Navigator is designed to support your student's transition to Tulane by connecting them with campus resources, informing them of upcoming events and opportunities, and offering advice for a successful first-year experience! Families may use the online Navigator archive to review the content.
New Student Modules - The required summer modules will introduce your student to the offices and people they'll come to rely on, teach them about the campus and city they will soon (or already!) call home, and prepare them to be an engaged member of our community. With a new theme each month, these mandatory modules will ease their transition to Tulane. Consider these their first homework assignments as a Tulane student!
Hullabaloo Hello! is an immersive orientation experience and celebratory welcome to Tulane in August for all new undergraduate students, including first-years and transfers! Throughout the experience, students will be introduced to the people, peers, and places committed to supporting their transition. Plus, there will be a parade of opportunities to build community with classmates.
Students should email any questions to firstyear@tulane.edu.
|
|
|
|
The Office of Family Programs offers informative webinars throughout the year on annual administrative procedures or topics relevant to the semester or season. Participation is free but requires online registration in advance. After registering, you will receive login instructions in a confirmation email message. All webinars will be archived on the Family Programs website.
|
-
Introduction to Tulane Family Programs - Wed., May 27, 2026, 6 p.m. Central Time
-
Supporting Your Student Through Academic Planning and Course Registration - Thursday, May 28, 2026, 6 p.m. Central Time
-
Accessibility at Tulane - Wed., June 3, 2026, 6 p.m. Central Time
-
Hurricane Preparedness and Response - Wed., June 10, 2026, 6 p.m. Central Time
-
Dining on Campus with Tulane Hospitality - Wed., July 22, 2026, 6 p.m. Central Time
-
Fraternities and Sororities - What Do Families Need to Know? - Wed., October 14, 2026, 6 p.m. Central
|
|
|
|
Attend a Hello Wave to Meet New Students and Families in Your Hometown |
|
|
|
Each summer, through the Hello Wave program, Tulane rolls out the green carpet to welcome new students to the Tulane family. Hello Wave events are festive gatherings sponsored by the Tulane Office of Alumni Relations and Tulane clubs across the country. These casual events bring alumni, current students, and incoming students and their families together in their hometowns to celebrate the university’s newest arrivals before they head to Tulane.
|
|
| |
|
Incoming students and families are welcome to attend the Hello Wave in their hometown or any other Hello Wave event across the country.
Search for locations and register online here. Note that only the primary registrant will receive a confirmation email, so please share details with your guests. Questions? Please contact Valerie Calenda in Alumni Relations at vtimmer@tulane.edu or (504) 430-9431.
|
|
|
|
Housing & Move-In Information |
|
| |
Roommate Grouping Period and Housing Assignments |
After submitting a complete Housing Application, new first-time applicants are guaranteed a housing assignment. Students can participate in the roommate grouping period from June 3–18, 2026, during which they may select or confirm roommate preferences through the Housing Portal. While room and roommate preferences are taken into consideration, when possible, they are not guaranteed. Students who do not participate in the roommate grouping period will be assigned a roommate by Housing and Residence Life. Housing assignments will be released in mid-July.
|
|
|
First-Year Student Arrival and Move-In Time Slots |
|
|
|
First-Year students will be assigned a move-in timeslot for either Aug. 9, 10, or 11, 2026. Please do not make travel arrangements until your student has been assigned their move-in time slot. Housing & Residence Life will email new students their assigned 30-minute Move-In arrival time slot to their Tulane email addresses in early June. By assigning Move-In arrival times, Tulane spreads out the number of students and families on campus at any given time and provides students with some flexibility in planning their arrival. If a student would like to change their assigned time slot, there will be a change period when they may cancel their time slot and select a new one from available options in the Housing Portal.
Scheduling your travel for Move-In
Many families arrive in New Orleans the night before their student’s assigned Move-In Day.
Parents/Families Activities on Move-In Day include:
|
|
|
|
-
assigned move-in/arrival time slots run from morning through mid-afternoon
- 2 - 4 p.m. Goldman Center for Student Accessibility Open House
- 3 - 4:30 p.m. Family Resource Station staffed by key departments and resources
-
3 - 4:30 p.m. Carolyn Barber Pierre Center for Intercultural Life Open House
- 5 – 5:45 p.m. Family Welcome from senior university leaders in McAlister Auditorium
- Students have a mandatory meeting with their Wave Leaders at this time.
-
8 - 10 p.m. Students have Floor Meetings with their Resident Advisors
|
|
|
|
The day after your student's assigned Move-In Day:
Families should plan to leave by 10 a.m. (or the previous evening)
Students' first required meeting starts at 10 a.m., and activities continue the rest of the week until the first day of classes. Please support your student in getting all the benefits of their "Hullabaloo Hello" orientation activities by allowing them to focus and fully participate in their new experience.
Consult the website and stay tuned for more details.
More information about Move-In, other housing information, and specific instructions for mailing/shipping students' belongings to campus will be announced later in the summer. It will be featured in an upcoming tutorial. Once students receive their housing assignments, they can find community descriptions and general room details on the Residence Halls webpage. Additional details are located on the New Student Housing Information and Fall Move-In sections of the Housing and Residence Life website.
|
|
|
|
PRO TIP:
If you wish to spend time in New Orleans as a family,
it’s best to schedule that before your student's Move-In Day.
|
|
|
|
| Ship to Room Program &
Purchasing Supplies |
Here's some helpful advice if you are purchasing items — or your student is planning to use graduation gifts — to outfit your student’s residence hall room.
|
|
|
|
Tulane utilizes a ship-to-room program through our partners at University & Student Services to assist all students with their move-in process. Later in the summer you will receive a packet in the mail and via email that will explain all the details of the ship to room program. Essentially, students can mail their belongings to Tulane during a designated time, and those items will be delivered to their room. No carrying boxes across campus for you!
Keep in mind it might be more cost-effective and efficient to wait until later in the summer to order from retailers, so your student’s items can be shipped directly to Tulane. This will save you from having to ship them again from your home to campus. No items should arrive at Tulane before July 15, 2026, or they will be returned to the vendor. Our Mail Services staff advises that when ordering items, you don’t have much control over when the vendor sends them. Vendors may promise a later delivery, but to recognize the sale, they must ship when you make the purchase. So, it’s better to wait to make those orders so they do not arrive before July 15.
Also, be aware that Tulane partners with University Student Services (USS) on a special residence hall supplies program for linens and décor called DormCo. Complete details will be sent later. Unless you want purchases shipped to your home first, items should not be ordered until after Tulane Mail Services sends your student their mailing address and detailed shipping information later in the summer. The Tulane Mail Room will not accept any items before July 15.
Trash to Treasure Sale
You can wait until Move-In to buy gently used residence hall supplies during the annual Trash to Treasure sale. The Trash to Treasure student organization sells items donated by students at spring move-out and donates sale profits to local New Orleans service organizations. Items vary each year, but typical treasures include plastic storage drawers, desk lamps, mirrors, hangers, shower caddies, hampers, rugs, pillows, shelves, laundry baskets, and more!
|
Fall Semester Important Dates and Deadlines |
|
|
- August 17, 2026 - First Day of Classes
- August 28, 2026 - Last Day to Register or Add Classes
- September 7, 2026 - Labor Day Holiday - No classes. Residence halls remain open and staffed.
- October 1 - 4, 2026 - Fall Break - No classes. Residence halls remain open and staffed.
-
November 5 - 8, 2026 Family Weekend - You may want to arrive on the evening of Thursday, Nov. 4, so you can attend as many family-specific Friday events as possible. The event schedule, travel discount information, and registration link will be available later this summer at homecoming.tulane.edu.
-
November 23 - 29, 2026 Thanksgiving Break - No classes. Residence halls remain open and staffed.
- December 4, 2026 - Last Day of Classes
- December 7 - 12, 2026 - Final Exam Period
- December 13, 2026 - Residence Halls Close at noon for Winter Break
|
|
|
|
Manage your preferences | Opt Out using TrueRemove™
Got this as a forward? Sign up to receive our future emails.
View this email online.
|
6823 St. Charles Avenue Lavin-Bernick Center for University Life, Suite G02 | New Orleans, LA 70118 US
|
|
|
|
This email was sent to .
To continue receiving our emails, add us to your address book.
|
|
|
|