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Experience University of Rochester

Virtually explore University of Rochester in a fully immersive 360-degree experience.

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• Incoming Fall Students

Welcome to the Rochester family.

Congratulations on enrolling at the University of Rochester! We are so excited to welcome you into our global community of individuals, like you, who are dedicated to making the world ever better .

We're busy planning to bring you the best orientation experience possible. More information on your program, which includes an online summer program as well as in-person events in August, will be available in mid-May 2024 .

In the meantime, check out the timeline below. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to reach out to your Admissions counselor or our office.

See you soon! University of Rochester Orientation and New Student Programs

Fall 2024 incoming student timeline

Here's a high-level overview of the summer before you begin your first semester at Rochester.

May 15, 2024

Housing and dining contract form opens

May 21, 2024

Rochester Ready (summer online orientation) program begins

July 1, 2024

Housing assignments communicated to first-year students

July 8, 2024

Academic advising for fall course registration begins

Mid-July 2024

Fall tuition bills available to view

August 6-7, 2024

Fall 2024 course registration

Mid-August 2024

Fall tuition bills due

August 19-25, 2024

Fall Welcome Week takes place on campus

Join the Discord server.

Connect with fellow admitted Rochester students on a private Discord server, managed by the Admissions team and the Meridians, your on-campus tour guides. Ask questions, meet students with similar academic interests, and learn more about life at Rochester.

Save the date: Fall 2024 Welcome Week

Fall Welcome Week will take place from Monday, August 19 to Sunday, August 25, 2024 . We'll have more details in May, but here's a brief overview of Fall 2024 Welcome Week:

Monday, August 19–Tuesday, August 20

New students arrive (students will be assigned to arrive either Monday or Tuesday); Family Welcome Week events take place

Wednesday, August 21

Family Welcome Week events continue through the late afternoon; Welcome Week events for students only begin in the evening

Thursday, August 22-Saturday, August 24

Welcome Week events continue for students only

Monday, August 26

Fall 2024 classes begin

We're here for you.

If you have any questions about your online orientation program, Welcome Week, or preparing to arrive on campus in August, don't hestitate to call us at (585) 275-4414 or send us an email at [email protected] .

Multicultural Visitation Program

University of Rochester’s Multicultural Visitation Program (MVP) offers a funded campus visit for prospective students from a wide range of backgrounds and allows them to experience Rochester on a more personal level . We invite current high school seniors attending school in the United States (including permanent residents, refugees/ asylees, and undocumented/DACA students) who otherwise financially might not be able to visit campus to apply for MVP.

Prospective students who are accepted to MVP receive free travel to and from Rochester, specialized programming, and a two-night stay with a current student host in a residence hall. The fall 2024 MVP Experience will take place from Thursday, November 7- Saturday, November 9 in conjunction with the November 8 Research Rochester open house.

MVP Application

Acceptance to MVP is selective due to limited space. You will be asked to upload your unofficial high school transcript, a signed permission slip, and to submit two short written responses. We advise reviewing application requirements and preparing separately before returning to submit.

The deadline to apply is Friday, October 4 at 11:59 p.m. ET. We will notify all MVP applicants whether they are selected for the program or not by October 16.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please email us at [email protected] or call the Office of Admissions at (585) 275-3221.

Members of our University community represent differences in experiences, ethnicities, religious beliefs, values, socioeconomic backgrounds, abilities, intellectual interests, and points of view.  Rochester welcomes such differences and is dedicated to preparing the leaders of tomorrow to thrive in an equally diverse society.

MVP events include topics like:

• First-generation student experience at Rochester
• Academic and other services for underrepresented and low-income students
• University of Rochester’s commitment to equity and anti-racism

Below is a sample schedule. We will send a final schedule to all invited participants.

Thursday, November 7

Friday, November 8

Saturday, November 9

• MVP attendees will choose from admissions-sponsored activities (including a Rochester City Bus Tour and optional on-campus interviews) depending on their travel departure time and interests.
• All attendees will leave campus by 1:00 p.m. on Saturday.

University of Rochester Transfers: 2024 Requirements, Dates, GPAs & More

How effective are university of rochester virtual tours.

It depends how you use them. University of Rochester is a hustling, bustling campus and community. The beauty of University of Rochester virtual tours on CampusReel is that authentic video tours, made by real students, can be spectacular at capturing the University of Rochester vibe. We also go well beyond the confines of the University of Rochester campus by taking you around Rochester. In traditional virtual tours, you will mostly see still, unengaging images and will not see the surrounding area at all – which is why CampusReel virtual tours are so important.

Can a University of Rochester virtual tour replace a traditional in-person visit?

If you cannot visit University of Rochester in person, then we can honestly say that we believe a CampusReel virtual tour of University of Rochester is absolutely the most effective and holistic way to understand the University of Rochester people, campus and community. However, if you do plan on visiting University of Rochester and other colleges in person, we strongly recommend that you at least prescreen your college options on CampusReel before spending the time and money to visit. Most prospective families find that as soon as the step on campus, they instantly know whether or not they like the school – but they’ve already spent all that time and money getting there! Our goal is to eliminate all the time and money visiting University of Rochester in person until you can make a strong educated guess that it’s worth the investment.

What are the downsides of a University of Rochester virtual tour?

The downside of virtually touring University of Rochester on CampusReel is that, admittedly, our technology does not yet mimic the exact feeling and experience of visiting University of Rochester in person. We are working on this though! A common request we also receive from users is to add more perspectives (e.g. student guides) to the platform. Rest assured we are working on adding more CampusReel guides to the University of Rochester virtual tour. However, our selection of guides still far outweighs the available perspectives of traditional virtual tour platforms.

What are the benefits of a University of Rochester virtual tour?

The most obvious benefit of a University of Rochester virtual tour on CampusReel is that is can be accessed from anywhere. This can save families a lot of time and money compared to visiting University of Rochester in person . Another often overlooked benefit of a CampusReel virtual tour is that it goes far beyond a traditional in person tour University of Rochester . Campus visits are limited both in time and scope – how are you expected to truly understand a college in a 1 hour tour? That’s why we stress the added benefit of CampusReel virtual tours – experience University of Rochester and Rochester during different seasons, days of the week, and even hours of the day. What’s game day like? What is finals week life? Again, traditional virtual touring platforms don’t include this benefit.

Check out these related virtual tours:

• Virtal tour to American University (AU)
• Virtal tour to The College of New Jersey (TCNJ)
• Virtal tour to CUNY Lehman College
• Virtal tour to Fordham University (FU)
• Virtal tour to Marist College

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Office of Admissions PO Box 270251 Rochester, NY 14627-0251 (585) 275-3221

Financial Aid Office PO Box 270261 Rochester, NY 14627-0261 (585) 275-3226

Office of Pre-College Programs PO Box 270034 Rochester, NY 14627-0034 (585) 275-3221

7 Things You Shouldn't Do When Your Kid Goes Off to College

Keep this in mind if you're struggling to cope with their next chapter.

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2. Don't Track Their Location

3. don't constantly call, text and reach out, 4. don't tell them how much you miss them all the time, 5. don't bail them out at the first sign of trouble, 6. don't say, "you've changed.", 7. don't transform their room right away.

Sending a kid to college may seem like the end of a parenthood journey — or at least a new phase of parenting. At the same time, a student is going through a brand-new beginning, starting off in a different school and possibly living away from home for the first time.

1. Don't Take Over the Experience

Ultimately, it's the student's milestone, not the adult's. "Should you get the 'Proud Mom' car decal? Yes! Should you confidently wear your 'University Dad' shirt at family weekend? Absolutely! But draw the line on the 'we' statements ," says Chelsea Petree, Ph.D , Director of Parent and Family Programs at the Rochester Institute of Technology and editor of College Ready .

That includes statements like:

• We've got a great class schedule this semester!
• We're moving in on Sunday.

"While colleges see families as partners and as part of the university community," she adds, "remember that this is your student’s experience, and you should allow them to make it their own. Be proud, but remember you are now in a supporting role."

Yes, parents can get a certain peace of mind knowing that their scholar is safe and sound (or at least up and moving around, possibly to their lecture halls). But it comes at a cost to all involved. "Watching your child’s location creates high anxiety for the parent, which can mean contacting the child out of concern," Dr. Edlynn says . "This leads to the child feeling like their parents are still watching their every move even though they no longer live at home. This can result in all kinds of problems, including the child not feeling trusted and feeling less independent overall." Instead, parents should turn off the Life360 and have some faith that the student will reach out if they need to.

It's hard not to miss them. But what they need is some space to adjust to college life without being reminded of home every day. "Kids need to go through their own process of separation from parents and acclimation to college," says Stephanie Manes, LCSW , a therapist in private practice in New York City and adjunct professor at Columbia University School of Social Work. "To do this successfully, they often need to fully immerse themselves in their new life on campus and to simultaneously create some distance from you. In a way, the less you hear from them in the beginning, the better!"

"Let your child know you can’t wait to hear all about their life when they reach out to you," Dr. Edlynn adds. "Then sit on your hands and wait for your child to make the first move."

They probably miss home, too, but wallowing will only hold them back. "The more your kids know you are okay without them, the more permission they have to be okay without you," Manes says. "If your child thinks that you're really suffering in their absence, they might unconsciously create reasons to return to you."

Problem-solving and resilience are two important skills that college students are going to need to enter adulthood, and rushing in to fix all their problems means they don't get a chance to practice them. "Even if your student never truly encountered challenges before, they likely will in college," Dr. Petree says. "This will be hard to watch as a parent, whether it’s something small, like not getting the exact class schedule they want, or something more significant like getting fired from a campus job. Your first reaction might be to call the school and 'fix' it. Don’t. Now that your student is in college, your job is to stay calm, listen and help them understand their strengths so that they can move forward and grow from all experiences, even the negative ones."

That means no emailing professors or administrators on a student's behalf, reaching out to the "Parents of" Facebook group to solicit advice or scheduling appointments for them — trust that they have the ability to do it for themselves.

Rather than rushing in to fix all the problems, parents can step back and act more like a coach or a guide so that students can learn how to weather tough emotions or handle their own problems. "Be a listening ear, validate their experience and express confidence that they will get through the tough times," Dr. Edlynn says.

It may be true, but saying so may come with more judgement than intended. Actually, change should be celebrated. "One of the best things you can do to strengthen your relationship with your college student in this new phase of life is to expect them to change," says Christine Oakfield , host and producer of the Your Empty Nest Coach Podcast. "After all, there is a decent chance they’ll return home with new ideas, friends and thoughts."

Next time they visit home, Oakfield suggests, embrace the opportunity to discover the person they've become. "Jumping in with judgement may create a rift in your parent-child relationship that isn’t necessary," she says. "Instead, use this as an opportunity to build a strong bond, or bridge. Give them space to be themselves, respond with love — and remember that you may have undergone some change, too!"

Between all of the experts, this is the advice that came up the most. Yes, it may seem so attractive to turn a kid's room in to a home gym/craft room/guest bedroom. But that might signal that the student isn't welcome home again. "The first few times your student comes home, they will want the comfort of the familiar," Petree says. "Let them have their space … at least for the first year or so."

The same goes for clearing out some of their things while they're gone. "An item you believe to be unimportant may have untold meaning to them, so respecting their space and belongings is essential," Oakfield says, adding it's best to always just ask if it's okay to toss some things.

Craving their own space is a sign that a student still feels connected to home. "Their center of gravity is in many ways still with you," Manes says. "That will slowly shift, but it's a process that takes time. Probably longer than most parents imagine. You need to let them let go at their own pace, instead of giving them the impression that once they leave for college they're on their own."

Marisa (she/her) has covered all things parenting, from the postpartum period through the empty nest, for Good Housekeeping since 2018; she previously wrote about parents and families at Parents and Working Mother . She lives with her husband and daughter in Brooklyn, where she can be found dominating the audio round at her local bar trivia night or tweeting about movies.

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