August 22–25, 2025
Welcome Weekend is the beginning of many Taylor traditions.

Along with Taylor’s First-Year Experience program, Welcome Weekend can help you meet new friends, make the transition academically, and provide opportunities for you to know yourself and God in a deeper way.

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Welcome Weekend & Orientation Details

  • August 22 (Friday) to August 23 (Saturday)—Welcome Weekend for Students and Families
  • August 23 (Saturday) to August 25 (Monday)—New Student Orientation for First-Time and Transfer Students
  • Early Arrivals:
    • International Orientation begins August 19 (Tuesday).
    • Athletes, check with your coach for arrival details.

Important Notes

  • Residence halls will be open for move-in from 8 am–6 pm. After your vehicle receives a welcome from the President, please check in at your residence hall prior to moving in. We encourage all move-in activity to be completed within those hours.
  • Transfer students are invited to move in on Friday and participate in Welcome Weekend and New Student Orientation.
  • Move-in for upperclassmen starts at 10 am on Saturday, August 23.

Other Helpful Links

FAQs

Your entire family is absolutely welcome on campus, but it’s completely up to you who you choose to bring.

You and your family are welcome to stay in the area and participate in all the events on Friday and Saturday morning. These events include an Information Fair and Celebration Service on Friday as well as a Dedication Service and Farewell Brunch on Saturday morning. Parents are then encouraged to say their goodbyes at 12:30 pm on Saturday as the rest of the programming that weekend will be for students only.

The residence halls open at 8 am and you will have the entire day to move in. The other events on the schedule that day are options for you when you are done moving in. You may want to run to the store with your son/daughter to get any missing supplies they need, go to Ivanhoe’s to get ice cream, check out a local coffee shop, explore campus, walk around Taylor Lake and Taylor Woods, or check out the Campus Store.

There will be a Parent and Family Hospitality Corner at the Memorial Prayer Chapel if you need a space to relax and enjoy a hot cup of coffee. The day will really be what you want it to be. We encourage you to be back on campus in time for the evening Welcome Celebration Service because this is a meaningful highlight of Welcome Weekend. On Saturday morning, we have a special Dedication Service and Farewell Brunch before you say goodbye to your student.

Yes. The name of the company is Hoosier Shuttle. The shuttle will drop off/pick up passengers at the Cracker Barrel restaurant at exit 259 on I-69.

For our international students/families, International Orientation takes place the week leading up to Welcome Weekend, August 20–22. The Office of International Programs oversees this event. Nate Chu is the Director of International Student Programs and can answer your questions.

After International Orientation, we would love for you to stay and participate in all the Welcome Weekend events on Friday and Saturday if you are able. These events will include an Information Fair and Welcome Celebration Service on Friday as well as a Dedication Service and Farewell Brunch on Saturday morning.

Parents are then encouraged to say their goodbyes at 1 pm on Saturday as the rest of the programming that weekend will be for students only.

We do not have housing accommodations for parents/families. You will need to make your own arrangements. Find some lodging options in the area.

While proficiency testing is available for all students, not all students will need to take them and can be determined by ACT/SAT scores. Proficiency testing is offered throughout the spring/summer on an individual basis and at Summer Orientation on June 13. We strongly recommend submitting your ACT/SAT scores or taking the proficiency test prior to June so the Registrar's Office can take it into account when creating your fall schedule. 

More information on Academic Testing and Placement is available online. Further questions about proficiency testing can be directed to Cindi Carder. For questions regarding language placement and testing, please contact Melinda Clester.

Returning students can begin moving in on Saturday at 10 am.

Classes begin at 5 pm on Monday with the first full day being Tuesday.

Questions?

Email WelcomeWeekend@taylor.edu.

*The First-Year Experience® is a service mark of the University of South Carolina. A license may be granted upon written request to use the term The First-Year Experience in association with educational programmatic approaches to enhance the first college year. This license is not transferable without written approval of the University of South Carolina.