Someone takes a photo of a family with a phone

Welcome to the Grinnell Community

Information for families of admitted students

Congratulations on your student’s admission to Grinnell College, and welcome to our community. You play an important role in your student’s transition to College, and the resources on this page will help you fulfill that key role.

Throughout the month of April, the Office of Admission is now hosting a limited number of outdoor guided campus tours for admitted students led by Admission staff. We invite you and up to two guests to register for an in-person visit below.

Additionally, the Office of Admission is hosting a number of upcoming live events for you and for your student. Keep an eye on your email inbox for information about events and other virtual opportunities and announcements for your family, such as live faculty chats, happy hours, virtual admitted student programs, live informational panels, and much more. If you want to join in, have your student register for events, too (login required). You can also participate in any of our traditional admission offerings.

Read about the College's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Message from Joe

Joe Bagnoli, vice president for enrollment, would like to welcome you to Grinnell.

“Parenting through the college process is no small feat. It’s something I think about every day — not only as vice president for enrollment and financial aid at Grinnell College, but also as a father of four… As we navigate the stresses of COVID-19, I assure you that Grinnell remains as dedicated to our students as always, thanks to our healthy endowment and commitment to experiential equity. Not too many institutions can make that claim as honestly as we can.”

Upcoming Live Events

Get to know Grinnell better by attending one of our live events throughout the spring. Joining on your own? We’ll send you an email with the Zoom link before the event. Joining with your student? Have your student register online through their Admitted Student Portal (login required). Please check back on this webpage and keep an eye on your email for information on future live events.

Career Planning & Alumni Chats

Career Planning Panel — “How Grinnell Will Help You Find a Meaningful Career:” From individualized exploratory advising to intentional planning with career community directors, we’re here to support our students and set them up for post-graduation success. We are excited to invite you to one of these live chats featuring staff members from the Center for Careers, Life, and Service (CLS). Come with your questions!

Monday, April 19, at 12:15–1 p.m. CT (recording)

Alumni Chats: Congratulations and Q&A with Grinnell alumni!

Saturday, March 27, from 1–1:45 p.m. CT (recording)

Students wearing masks in the Joe Rosenfield Center.

Live Faculty Panels

One of the hallmarks of a liberal arts education is the regular opportunity to think deeply and across disciplines about the world’s most pressing issues. In that spirit, we invite you to join Grinnell professors as they speak with each other — and take questions from you — on some of the most timely, relevant topics facing us today. All events begin at 6 p.m. Central Time.

Jan. 27 — “How We Recover from COVID-19” (recording)
March 29 — “Amanda Gorman & The Civic Imagination” (recording)
April 12 — “Sustainability at Grinnell” (recording)
April 22 — “How Language Fuels Dance and Dance Fuels Language”

Grinnell with the Experts

Learn about all things Grinnell through these expert-led informational panels. All events begin at 12:15 p.m. Central Time.

March 31 — “The Academic Experience” (recording) - (individually advised curriculum, faculty mentorship & advising, First-Year Tutorial, and opportunities for independent research)
April 7 — “The Division of Student Affairs” (recording) - (residence life, new student orientation, disability resources, and student health & wellness)
April 14 — “Center for Careers, Life, and Service” (recording) - (career advising, funding for internships, career communities, opportunities for professional development, graduate school acceptance rates, and postgraduate success)
April 19 — “What's it really like to be a ‘diverse’ student at Grinnell?” (recording)

Parent Testimonial

“Our daughter formed a tight group of friends on the second floor of Norris, where she lived during her first year. These friends sustained and supported her during the period of remote learning. She has been challenged by the courses in her intended majors (biology and Spanish) and is excited about exploring new areas (dance and East Asian religions).

Faculty and staff have worked hard to provide our daughter with the best possible college experience. Professors have been actively engaged in her education in many ways, including one-on-one conversations outside the classroom. The administration has been responsive to her needs. When she needed to return home mid-semester for family reasons, the student assistance staff were very helpful.”

— Bret & Doreen Gifford, P ’23

Helping your student get ready for Grinnell

Congratulations! Your student has been admitted. What's next?

Here’s a brief timeline of activities and events to plan for during the spring and summer before the school year begins. Please note that all dates are dependent on the public health climate. You will be informed of any changes to the timeline in the weeks and months ahead.

Before May 1

Get to know Grinnell.

Tour campus at your own pace: virtual reality tour
Review our virtual visit page: campus tours, information sessions, live chats, and more
Watch video highlights: students talk about academics, commitment, community, and more
Connect with other parents and families
Follow Grinnell on Instagram

May - June

Make some exciting decisions.

May 1: This is the deposit deadline for students who were admitted through Regular Decision. Whatever your student decides, please be sure they fill out the “Reply to Offer of Admission” form.
mid-May: Your student will receive their Grinnell email address and network credentials.
June 15: Your student’s roommate and housing preferences form is due. (And don't worry, we have space for everyone!)
June 25: Your student’s top-five ranking of First-Year Tutorial options is due.

July - August

Help your student stay on top of the paperwork.*

late July: Your student’s first Grinnell College bill is due.
early August: Your student will receive their roommate and residence hall assignment.
August 20-25: Your student will participate in New Student Orientation (NSO).

* All forms will be available through Grinnell’s intranet site, GrinnellShare (login required).

Welcome, International Students and Families

Information for Families of International and Global Nomad Students

International Student Affairs (OISA)

International Pre-Orientation Program (IPOP)

Allison Wong ’12 at the United Nations Foundation

Why would I go somewhere that doesn’t feel the way Grinnell feels? I knew I wanted to be in an intentional community — with individuals who were both focused on their academics and dedicated to creating a supportive environment.

Allison Wong ’12, Officer, United Nations Foundation

Read Allison's Story

I wanted to be making my own choices. Grinnell was willing to give me the power to do that.

Blake Creasey ’16, IT strategy senior consultant, Protiviti

Read Blake's Story

Alexandra Odom ’16 in front of a tree with autumn leaves

There was a point that I was like ‘I love teaching, but I also really love research,’ and I didn’t realize that there was a career where I could kind of meld the two.

Alexandra Odom ’16, Ph.D. student in history, University of North Carolina

Read Alex's Story

In business terminology, we call this thinking laterally and working cross-functionally. That’s basically, in my opinion, having a liberal arts education.

Raghav Malik ’13, Digital payments product owner, Mastercard

Read Raghav's Story