Throughout the year, we formally welcome Badger families to campus through personalized events and offerings. Each low-cost, family-friendly event offers a unique opportunity to engage with UW–Madison, experience your student’s college life, and make lifelong memories together.
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Annual Events
Family Weekend
We will be basing our Family Weekend 2021 plans on public health recommendations, group size restrictions, travel policies, and campus guidance for gatherings. At this time, we do not recommend that parents and family members make travel arrangements to visit campus for Family Weekend. We will provide more details regarding Family Weekend 2021 dates, registration, and event plans soon!
SOAR
SOAR stands for Student Orientation, Advising, and Registration and is coordinated by the Center for the First-Year Experience (CFYE). At SOAR, your student will begin their transition to UW–Madison by learning about academic advising, degree requirements, and campus resources. They will also enroll in their first-semester courses.
Badger Family Spring Visit: April
Badger Family Spring Visit will not be held this year due to continued COVID-19 safety guidelines both on campus and in the community. We hope to bring this event back for families in 2022 pending public health recommendations, group size restrictions, travel policies, and campus guidance for gatherings at that time.
2021 Spring Commencement
UW–Madison will hold in-person commencement ceremonies for spring 2021 graduates at Camp Randall. Two ceremonies will occur on Saturday, May 8 — one for undergraduates, the other for all graduate degree candidates. Families and friends may participate virtually.