Summer Freshman Orientation Schedule
Students are required to attend the entirety of their 2-day orientation session, including the overnight stay on campus. Students may not arrive late, check-out early, or stay overnight off campus (including commuter students) without prior approval from Orientation Programs staff.
2026 Freshman Orientation Student Schedule
Students can participate in Early Arrival Check-In for no additional charge. Preregistration is encouraged, but students can arrive early if they did not preregister due to the ongoing I-65 closure in our area.
If you want to add Early Arrival to your registration, or if you selected early arrival but your plans have changed, please contact our office via email to let us know: orient@louisville.edu.
Early Arrival Check-In
Check-in will take place from 6:30–8:30 PM (ET) at Belknap Village North Residence Hall. All other details—such as traffic alerts, parking, check-in location, and what to bring—remain the same as those shared for students arriving the morning of their session.
Once you’ve checked in, you’re welcome to leave the residence hall to explore campus. If you haven’t had dinner beforehand, you may order food for delivery. The residence hall address will be provided at check-in.
As you begin your transition into college life and greater independence, we aim to balance that freedom with safety and accountability. If you leave the residence hall, you’ll need to sign out at the front desk and sign back in upon your return. All students must be back in the building by 9:30 PM (ET).
A few reminders:
- Dinner is not provided the evening of arrival
- A full breakfast is not served the next morning, but light grab-and-go items will be available in the residence hall lobby
If your arrival time changes, please contact our office in advance so we can assist. Students who arrive outside of check-in hours without prior notice may not be able to check in.
Orientation Check-In
Your first stop is housing and program check-in at Belknap Village North for your overnight stay. Check-in is from 7:45–8:45 a.m. EDT.
- You’ll receive your room key
- Bring all personal items with you
- Drop your belongings in your room
- Then head straight to Strickler Hall for the start of programming
Important: Orientation begins promptly at 9:00 a.m.
Students who arrive late may need to reschedule—so plan ahead!
| 7:45 - 8:45 am | Residence Hall & Program Check-in |
| 9:00 | Orientation Welcome |
| 9:30 | Small Group Meeting #1 |
| 10:20 | Understanding Financial Aid & Paying Your Bill |
| 10:40 | Life Inside the Classroom |
| 11:00 | UofL Spirit & Traditions |
| 11:20 | Safety, Health & Wellness |
| 12:00 | Catered Lunch & Campus Resource Fair |
| 1:00 | Academic Advising 101 |
| 2:10 | UofL Community & Student Affairs |
| 2:40 | Your Campus Experience as a Residential or Commuter Student |
| 3:30 | Small Group Meeting #2 |
| 3:50 | Breakout Session A |
| 4:15 | Breakout Session B |
| 4:40 | Breakout Session C |
| 5:05 | Small Group Meeting #3 |
| 5:35 | Dinner @ The Ville Grille |
| 6:00 | Student Involvement Fair & Student Recreation Center Open House |
| 7:00 | Small Group Check-in |
| 7:20 | Evening Programming & Small Group Meeting #4 |
| 8:20 | Small Group Meeting #4 |
| 8:50 - 10:00 | New Cards at Night Activities May Include:
|
| 8:40 - 10:00 | Night time residence hall check-in (Once a student has checked in for the night, they will not be permitted to leave the residence hall until day 2 morning) |
Residence hall & program check-in will be located at Belknap Village North.
Student programming will start in Strickler Hall.
The following campus departments will be available to talk with at the Lunchtime Resource Fair:
| Air Force ROTC | Campus Store | Family Association | PEACC & BRICC | Student Involvement
|
| Army ROTC | Cards Camp | Financial Aid | PNC Bank
| University Catering |
| Athletic Tickets- Ville’ns program | Career Services at UofL | Kentucky Air National Guard ROTC | REACH – Academic Assistance Programs | University Dining |
| Campus Health Services | Center for Belonging, Access & Engagement | Marching Band | Service Learning & Civic Engagement | University Housing & Resident Experience |
| Campus Recreation & Wellness | Counseling Center | Metropolitan College & UPS | Speed School Computer Requirement | University Libraries |
| Campus Safety | Disability Resource Center | Parking |
Students must choose one session to attend in each breakout block, for a total of 3 breakout sessions.
Breakout Session Options Students will be required to pick one session to attend in every time block. | ||
|---|---|---|
A | B | C |
3:50 - 4:10 | 4:15 - 4:35 | 4:40 - 5:00 |
| Office of Student Engagement | Office of Student Engagement | Metropolitan College |
| Sustainability - Beyond Green! | Campus Recreation | Campus Recreation |
| TRiO Student Support Services | Go Greek! | Go Greek! |
| Ville'ns Membership - Louisville Athletics | Ville'ns Membership - Louisville Athletics | |
| Education Abroad | Education Abroad | |
| UL Career Centers and On-Campus Employment | UL Career Centers and On-Campus Employment | |
| Success for First-Generation Students | Success for First-Generation Students | Religious & Spiritual Life |
| Center for Belonging, Access & Engagement | Center for Belonging, Access & Engagement | |
| 8:10 am | Day 2 begins and all students have exited the residence hall |
| 8:20 | Small Group Meeting #5 |
| 8:40 | Campus Spirit & Traditions Activity |
| 9:00 | Brunch @ The Ville Grille |
| 9:55 | Academic Boot Camp |
| 10:40 | REACH Academic Assistance Programs & Student Success |
| 11:20 | Welcome Week, Student Involvement & the First Year Experience |
| 11:55 | Small Group Meeting #6: Right Where You Belong |
| 12:45 | Program Closing |
| 1:00 - 5:00 | Students who feel ready to go for the fall semester can check out after program closing. All students must be checked out by 5:00 pm ET. You can also use the afternoon to:
|
After program closing, students may need or want to take care of some business items on campus or explore campus and your fall course schedule. You can use the afternoon to:
(all times are in the Eastern Time Zone)
| 1:15 - 5:00 | Meet with an Academic Advisor (as needed) These times will be scheduled on day 1 of your session if needed due to a schedule error. |
| 1:15 - 5:00 | Attend a walk-in 1:1 Financial Aid appointment |
| 2:00 - 3:00 | Tour a Residence Hall model room
|
| 1:30 - 3:30 | Visit the Center for Belonging, Access and Engagement Open House |
| 1:00 - 3:00 | Attend the Speed School Open House at the Engineering Student Success & Research Building (Engineering students only) |
| 1:00 - 2:00 | Attend the Honors Program Open House in Strickler Hall, Rm 126 (Honors students only) |
| 1:15 - 5:00 | Grab lunch on campus at one of our open dining locations |
| Take a guided Campus Tour | |
| Visit the Campus Store | |
| 1:15 - 5:00 | Visit any campus offices you need to! |
All students must be checked out of the residence hall by 5:00 pm ET.
Students who have taken care of all business items they need to can check-out of the orientation program from 1:30 - 5:00 pm in the lobby of the Belknap Village North Residence Hall. When you checkout:
- Bring all items from your stay
- Bring your housing key card to turn in
- If you completed a 1:1 appointment with your admissions counselor, you can pick up your Campus Store card at check-out
- Pick up your Cardinal Card
- Get excited - you're officially a Louisville Cardinal now!