
Family & Supporters Guide
Congratulations on your student’s admission to the University of Guelph!
Entering university can be both an exciting and challenging time for you and your student. This guide provides an overview of some of the key events, deadlines, and milestones that your student may experience in each month. The guide also provides some questions and resources that you can look and discuss with your student.
Family and Supporters Welcome
The START Team hosts Family and Supporters Welcome sessions during the summer. In these sessions you will learn about what your student’s life will be like on campus, and resources and strategies to support them.
Stay tuned for 2026 dates and registration links!
Resources on Campus
Parents and families are some of the biggest supports for students while they are at university, even though the support may look a little different. We want to provide you with the resources available at U of G, so you can recommend and encourage your student to visit them.
A Year Overview (2025-2026)
Information for the 2026-27 academic year will be posted in summer 2026.
Questions?
Do you have a question about how to support your new student or about a resource at the University of Guelph? You can send your question in an email to start@uoguelph.ca
Your Student’s Privacy
When your student enters into the University of Guelph they are considered an adult (regardless of age or experience). It is important that any communication or interaction with the University comes through the student and is done so with their University of Guelph email address.
The University is bound by the Freedom of Information & Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA); provincial legislation that governs the University’s collection, use and sharing of personal information. Under this legislation, University faculty and staff are prohibited from discussing, changing or divulging a student’s personal information. This means that we will not provide you with information on grades, academic progress, financial status, disciplinary history, etc. Your student is always welcome to discuss their university experience with the appropriate University academic or administrative resource.
Should you be concerned for the well-being of your student, we invite you to call us to seek advice on how you can support and help your student, and encourage them to speak with a University resource person if needed. We will be happy to walk you through the range of support services that are available to them. We will gladly reach out to your student to discuss their university experience directly with them.
