Common First-Year Challenges

We encourage families to think critically about how to best support your student during their transition to college. In partnership with Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), Parent and Family Programs developed the video above to help you prepare for some of the changes your student is about to face and reflect on how to support your student in the coming months. Click above to watch the video.

Families can read more about common first-year transition challenges in the Parent and Family Blue Book.

Important Dates

June 29 • Fall payment plan enrollment deadline (see below) *
July 15 or 19 • Fall 2021 first-year registration windows
Late July - Aug & Aug 17-18 • Parent & Family Orientation
Aug 2 • Fall tuition and fees bills posted
Aug 17 • New Student Move-In
Aug 17 • New Student Orientation begins
Sept 1 • Fall tuition and fees due
Sept 5 • SMIP waiver period ends (see below)
Oct 15-17 • Family Weekend 2021

* Optional program

Upcoming Events

New Student Move-In Process

To kickoff their Orientation experience, new students will move in to their residence halls on August 17. Before moving in, all students will complete an entry COVID-19 test on campus. At this time, students are not expected to sequester after this test. More details about testing are forthcoming.

On July 19, your student will receive detailed move-in instructions, including a map of campus and a specific move-in time.

Parent & Family Orientation

Parent and Family Orientation will begin online in late July, ensuring that families begin their transition as Duke families before students move in. Some in-person activities will continue on campus August 17-18. All highly recommended events for families will conclude by 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 18. At that point, families are kindly asked to depart campus in order to allow your students time to connect with their peers and engage fully in New Student Orientation programming.

A full schedule of Parent and Family Orientation events will be posted in July on the Parent and Family Programs webpage.

Pratt School of Engineering "Parent to Parent" Meeting

Duke Engineering invites parents of the Class of 2025 to a Virtual “Parent to Parent” Meeting: Meet Current Pratt Parents and Learn from Their Duke Experiences! This event is hosted by Duke’s Pratt School of Engineering
Development Team and will occur on Tuesday, June 22, 2021
6:00–7:30 p.m. EDT on Zoom. Click here to register & submit questions.

Featured speakers: Lee Gibb P’23, Brandee Krzanich P’24, Andrew Sinwell P’23, & Jo-Ann Vassallo P’24

Moderator: Malinda Whitson, Senior Director of Major Gifts

Summer Student Emails

Students must begin checking their Duke email accounts regularly. They will continue receiving emails throughout the summer with helpful reminders, details about deadlines, and necessary tasks to complete before arriving to Duke. If students encounter any difficulty accessing their email, students should contact the Office of Information Technology (OIT).

We encourage families to lean into the transition and empower your students to take the lead in completing their summer tasks.

Get Ready for Duke!

Duke Student Medical Insurance Plan (SMIP)

The 2021-2022 open enrollment for the Duke Student Medical Insurance Plan (SMIP) began Tuesday, June 15. Every student must enroll in or waive the SMIP coverage by September 15, 2021. Students received an email on June 15 with more information and instructions.

The Duke SMIP is administered by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. Visit this website for plan details. To waive coverage, a student must be insured by an approved health insurance plan.

To make the best decision for your family, please call your insurance company and ask if you have access to health care services at Duke Health locations, and what (if any) co-payments, co-insurances, and deductibles will be your responsibility.

Visit the Student Health website for more information.

Fall Tuition & Fees

This academic year, bills become available on students' DukeHub accounts on August 2. Payment is due by September 1.

Guest Access to Pay Tuition

To view and pay your student’s tuition bill, your student must grant you guest access to their DukeHub account. Learn more about gaining “Guest Access” here.

Payment Plans

For those families who are interested, the monthly payment plan allows your student’s tuition bill to be split into 5 payments per semester -- 10 payments over the academic year. Using this handy worksheet, your family can estimate your monthly payment if you were to opt in to the payment plan. The deadline to enroll in the Fall payment plan is June 29.

Advising and Registration

By now your students should have heard from a contact in Trinity or Pratt in anticipation of course registration for the fall semester. Each first-year student will be assigned a registration period on either July 15 or 19. Students can find their registration window on the registration page in DukeHub. Before that, students will have the ability to prepare for registration by placing courses of interest into a virtual shopping cart. Shopping carts open on June 28.

Learn more about common Pratt family questions and a brief overview of the advising and first-year experience of students in each college in the Parent and Family Blue Book.

Family Engagement Opportunities

We hope families will continue to save the date for Family Weekend 2021: October 15-17! A schedule of events and registration will be available in early August.

Families can also engage with the life of the university by joining the Duke Parents Advisory Council (DPAC). The DPAC plays an instrumental role by providing feedback, support, and counsel throughout the academic year to Division of Student Affairs leadership. The application will be available later this summer.

International Families

International Orientation and Move-In

International House is hosting International Undergraduate Student Orientation virtually this year! This programming will occur late July to early August and precedes New Student Orientation. For many international students, the International Undergraduate Student Orientation serves a key role in acclimating them to the U.S. and Duke culture as well as a way of developing deep friendships with other students. Students who register and attend will be allowed to move in early to allow more time to acclimate to Durham and Duke. Learn more.