Incoming Families (P’30)
For parents and families of students who were accepted via Early Decision and have enrolled in the Class of 2030, we are eager to welcome your student to Wake Forest in August 2026!
This page will share preliminary information for families of the Class of 2030. Our New Students website will be updated on May 1, 2026, and that will be your resource until move-in.
Getting Started as a Wake Forest Family Member
There are a few things we encourage you to do as a new Wake Forest family member:
- Verify your Family Record
- Subscribe to the Daily Deac
- Follow official WFU social media accounts
- Understand college terms and processes
- Learn about how we partner with families
- Key Dates for Your Calendar
Verify your Family Record
Once your student’s deposit is received and processed.
Verifying your family record with us ensures we have your correct contact information in our system. In order to do this, you will need these instructions, as well as your student’s 8-digit WFU ID that was provided in their acceptance letter.
Most of the formal communications to new families will begin in Spring of 2026: we will include new families in our monthly Wake Parents & Families e-newsletter starting in January 2026.
Subscribe to the Daily Deac
The Daily Deac is a blog that shares important news, offers advice about supporting your students, and covers a variety of WFU activities and events to help you get a sense of campus life. Subscribe to the Daily Deac to receive news and tips in your inbox each weekday around 5 p.m.
Get the Daily Deac in your Inbox!
Follow official WFU social media accounts
Follow Wake Forest’s official social media accounts.
Understand college terms and processes
Refer to our A-Z of WFU: A Glossary of Terms page to familiarize yourself with terms commonly used within higher education and at Wake Forest.
Learn about how we partner with families
Read our best advice on how we can work together towards our shared goal: your student’s success.
- How we communicate
- Stop, Drop, and Roll framework for helping your student
- Understanding student and family roles
Key Dates for Your Calendar
December 2025 – March 2026
- Early Decision families get a welcome email from the Office of Family Engagement.
Late-January to mid-February 2026
- The Family Weekend date will be selected after the schedule for the 2026 football season is released.
April 10 and 13, 2026
- Campus Days for Accepted Students (this is an optional, daylong program for enrolled and accepted students to visit Wake Forest; additional details about the schedule will be sent to admitted and enrolled students in the spring).
May 1, 2026
- The New Students website is updated for the Class of 2030. (Note: The current info on this site is for the Class of 2029.)
August 13, 2026
- Move-in dates for students enrolled in Marching Band and Wilderness to Wake
August 14, 2026
- Move-in dates for students enrolled in all other optional Pre-Orientation Programs (except for Marching Band and Wilderness to Wake)
- NOTE: The specific instructions regarding the Move-In process will be communicated to students’ WFU email by Residence Life and Housing in July.
August 18, 2026
- New and Transfer Student Move-In Day (for students who are not doing a Pre-Orientation program)
- NOTE: Students will be assigned a move-in time when they receive their housing assignment in early June.
August 18-19, 2026
- New Deac Week Orientation sessions for Parents & Families (strongly encouraged)
- Note: For travel planning purposes, family orientation activities begin on Tuesday, August 18 and conclude by 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, August 19. All families should plan to depart on the 19th or 20th, as students will be busy with their mandatory Student Orientation sessions through the 21st.
August 24, 2026
- Fall semester classes begin
NOTE: New Deac Week Orientation for Parents & Families (strongly encouraged) is scheduled to occur between Tuesday, August 18th and Wednesday, August 19th; this is an in-person experience that we hope you will attend if possible.
For families of students approved for Pre-Orientation programs, there will be a gathering on Friday, August 14th to welcome you to the Wake Forest community. Many families choose to send their students to campus with the bare necessities for their Pre-Orientation Move-In date and then bring students’ remaining belongings on Move-in Day, Tuesday, August 18th; this enables families to participate in all parent and family Orientation activities which will begin on Tuesday, August 18th.
Commonly Asked Questions
Even once the 2026-27 Academic Services calendar is released, we encourage you to wait on firm travel plans until your student decides whether they want to do a Pre-Orientation program (which takes place a few days before official move-in). If you make travel plans prior to notification of Pre-Orientation program acceptance, consider booking options that are flexible or easily changed if needed.
The date for Family Weekend is typically set based on the football schedule, which is usually released in late January or early February. It takes some time between the football schedule release and the setting of the date, as we need to check on a variety of things (hotel space, local conferences, holidays, etc.) before we can choose the date.
We encourage you to be flexible in your planning. Normally it is wisest to wait until your student has their final course schedule (which they will have after Orientation and the drop/add period) to purchase airline tickets for breaks. Students must consult their course syllabus for each class and/or talk to professors about the course schedule and final exam times.
Upcoming Events for P’30 Families
Fall 2026 New Student Move-In
- August 13, 2026: students enrolled in Marching Band and Wilderness to Wake
- August 14: students enrolled in all other Pre-Orientation programs
- August 18: students who are not doing a Pre-Orientation program
2026 Family Weekend
TBA (January/February 2026)