Welcome to Elon!
We are excited you are Elon Bound for fall 2025! Whether you are coming to Elon as a first-year student or a transfer student, New Student Orientation (NSO) will ensure that your transition to Elon is smooth and enjoyable. Move-in for new students will occur on Friday, August 22, with students being assigned a unique move-in time. Students will be able to check their unique move-in time on July 10 in their Acorn Account.
All new students (both first-years and transfers) are required to participate in New Student Orientation which directly follows move-in and is scheduled Friday, August 22-Monday, August 25. Classes begin on Tuesday, August 26. Through participating in New Student Orientation we hope that all new students will:
- Connect with peers in meaningful ways and share experiences to broaden their community.
- Engage their intercultural awareness and learn Elon’s common language, perspective, and skills to bolster their understanding of self and how their identity contributes to the broader Elon community.
- Discover Elon University’s traditions and campus culture.
- Learn about and deepen their understanding of the University services and procedures that they will use throughout their years at Elon.
- Intellectually engage with faculty, staff, administrators, and other students to strengthen their understanding of the academic expectations of the college experience, including the Core Curriculum, engaged learning, and academic advising.
- Enhance their understanding of University requirements and resources designed to support them as they strive for academic success.
Students will be assigned a specific move-in time on Friday, August 22 for Move-in. Students, check your Acorn Account for your assigned time beginning July 10.
Please adhere to your assigned time. Additionally, to help reduce congestion, please only bring one-two vehicles with you. We encourage you to bring your own dolly or wagon to help assist you in the move. While we offer some move-in assistance it is best to plan to move-in your own belongings – wear closed toed shoes, drink plenty of water, and label all your items with your name, building, and room number.
On arrival to campus, all students and families must report first to our central check-in at the Schar Center. There, students will receive orientation materials and directions to their move-in location for their residence hall.
Please follow the driving directions to the Schar Center and then to your Residential Neighborhood.
We’re developing an orientation program for first-year students which will include numerous small and large group engagement opportunities held in person. Check out the schedule from 2024! There will be no print schedules. Students should plan to use this link throughout the program.
Orientation will begin in the afternoon on Friday, August 22 and go through Monday, August 25. It is required that all new students fully participate in New Student Orientation.
We’re developing an orientation program for transfer students which will include numerous small and large group engagement opportunities held in person. Orientation is Friday, August 22 through Monday, August 25. Check out the schedule from 2024! There will be no print schedules. Students should plan to use this link throughout the program.
It is required that all new students fully participate in New Student Orientation.
International students arrive on Wednesday, August 20, and begin an International Student Orientation program offered jointly through the Isabella Cannon Global Education Center and New Student Orientation. Because international students may have unique logistical needs, this extra time on campus will help make sure you are confident and ready to begin classes. The Global Education Center will be your primary resource for the days leading up to Orientation.
From Friday–Monday, international students will participate in New Student Orientation along with the rest of the new students. Throughout the experience, you will attend several sessions with your group and your Orientation Leader in which you will learn about how to be academically successful at Elon, how to get involved in student organizations, and how to immerse yourself in the Elon community. Each night during Orientation, Elon will host a social event for new students that will give you the opportunity to meet people from all across campus—not just in your NSO group or Residence Hall. Participating in NSO will lay the foundation for life at Elon!
Our staff understands that a student coming to college is a transition for the whole family! We want to make sure the whole family feels welcomed as part of the Elon community. There are several events specifically for parents during New Student Orientation, including a session with Elon’s senior leaders, meeting with your student’s academic advisor, a coffee social for you to meet other Elon parents, and a Family Sendoff Picnic features our many North Carolina based Elon Dining partners (wristbands required for the picnic, $20/person, pre-orders start in March). Check out the orientation schedule from 2024!
The Office of Parent Engagement is another great resource for you to learn about being a part of the Elon community.
Spanish translation services are available from the information table at the Parent Welcome program on Friday and at New Student Convocation on Saturday.
We’re developing a New Student Orientation experience for all new students that will include small and large group engagement opportunities. Activities will occur post Move-in on Friday, August 22 and go through Monday, August 25. You will participate in a small group of 15-20 students and an Orientation Leader, an upper-class student who has been trained to give you all the information you will need to be successful at Elon. Whether you are new to college, or just new to Elon’s campus, Orientation Leaders will make sure you feel confident and competent as you begin your Elon experience.
You will also have the chance to meet with your academic advisor, the person who will work with you to help plan for coursework and experiential learning until you declare a major. Once you declare a major, you will be assigned a new academic advisor in that disciplinary area.
In addition to making sure you are prepared to begin class and engage in academics at Elon, Orientation will help you learn about campus life and cultural values at Elon. Elon’s values a strong, inclusive community in which students understand the importance of different identities respectfully engage with each other across those differences.
Check out the schedule from 2024! There will be no print schedules. Students should plan to use this link throughout the program.
New Student Convocation is an important Elon tradition in which new students and their families gather Under the Oaks to hear an official welcome to the University from the President, the Provost, and other senior administrators. New students also receive an acorn, a symbol of the ways in which they will grow during their time at Elon. Please arrive early and dress neatly for this special event. Photos from previous Convocation ceremonies can be seen on Elon’s Flickr site as well as social media!
Families and guests may find this map (forthcoming) useful on Saturday morning to locate the Parent & Family College Coffee (starting at 7:30 a.m.) and the Under the Oaks ceremony area in the Historic neighborhood.
Spanish translation services are available from the information table behind the seating area.