Summer and Fall 2026 New Student Onboarding Communications
This is a summary of the communications and events the Graduate School has planned for incoming graduate students for summer and fall 2026.
Highlights
- Welcome emails to newly admitted students (those with Admitted status in Slate) focus on preparing for graduate study and arriving to campus. The Graduate School will forward these emails to graduate program coordinators and managers after they are sent to students beginning in mid-May.
- New Graduate Student Welcome is Wednesday, August 26, 2026, as part of Graduate Student Welcome Week (August 24 – 28, 2026). Please avoid scheduling program orientations or other activities that day.
Key dates/deadlines
- Friday, May 8 (end of day): Deadline to update admit codes in Slate to ensure admitted students are included in the first welcome message
- Tuesday, May 19: First welcome message (May 2025 example)
- Friday, June 5 (end of day): Deadline to update admit codes in Slate to ensure admitted students are included in the June welcome message
- Mid-June (about one week before new graduate student enrollment appointments begin): Auto matriculation begins for new graduate students; students will be able to access their email and calendar accounts in MyUW around this time
- Tuesday, June 16: Second welcome message (June 2025 example)
- Monday, June 22: New graduate student enrollment begins
- Tuesday, July 7: Admitted students receive their invitation to New Graduate Student Welcome
- Friday, July 10 (end of day): Deadline to update admit codes in Slate to ensure admitted students are included in the third welcome message
- Tuesday, July 21: Third welcome message (July 2025 example)
- Tuesday, Aug. 4: Admitted students receive a reminder about New Graduate Student Welcome if they have not yet registered
- Monday, Aug. 24 – Friday, Aug. 28: Welcome Week for both new & current graduate students. Details will be posted to the New Students webpage in early July.
- Wednesday, Aug. 26: New Graduate Student Welcome
- Wednesday, Sept. 2: First day of fall classes. New students begin receiving GradConnections newsletters this week.
Other resources for new students
- The new student checklist covers key items students can prepare before and shortly after arriving to campus.
- Graduate Student Life is a central resource for new students to find out about housing, the City of Madison, navigating UW–Madison, and thriving in graduate school. It also includes information for students enrolled in online programs such as an overview of campus resource and welcome remarks from campus leaders.