June 30: Financial Deadlines and Insurance Waivers
Dear parents and families,
This week’s update covers the upcoming deadlines and some important financial and insurance processes, as well as some upcoming items from the Parents and Family Checklist.
But before we start, I wanted to share this tidbit, as our Office of Orientation, New Student and Transition Programs has been getting a lot of questions about move-in and Pre-Orientation:
- Specific instructions regarding the Move-In process will be communicated to students’ WFU email addresses by Residence Life and Housing in July. Thank you for your patience in the interim.
For those of you who were not able to attend our Virtual Information Session on June 23, you can view the recording and see the Q&A from the event.
Action Item Tracker
Health Insurance Waiver/Enrollment
Opens July 3; due September 15
Ensure your student either enrolls in or completes a student waiver for our health insurance program by Sept 15.
Tuition bill available for Third Party Payers
Tuition becomes visible in Workday July 2; tuition must be paid by August 1.
Consider tuition insurance (optional but strongly recommended)
Enroll by August 23
Investigate insurance coverage for your student’s belongings
Have coverage in place before your student moves in
Family Weekend event registration
Opens 10 a.m. July 15 at familyweekend.wfu.edu.
As a reminder, Family Weekend will be held October 2-4 on campus.
Featured Topic: Critical Financial Deadlines and Other Key Processes
There are many important financial processes and considerations we want new families to know about:
- Tuition is due August 1: Fall tuition becomes visible in Workday as of July 2 to families with Third Party Access. See payment method options.
- Important Note: if your student has not set you up for Third Party Access in Workday, encourage them to do that ASAP. If they do not grant you access, your student will be the only one to receive bills, and Student Financial Services would not be able to discuss your student’s account with you due to FERPA restrictions.
For those who like to plan ahead, tuition for the Spring semester will be due on December 1. Student Financial Services (SFS) has a comprehensive website that covers many financial matters and also houses an AI chatbot that is available 24/7 to answer any questions you may have. Any time you have financial questions that are not answered on their website, you should contact the SFS experts for assistance.
- Student Health Insurance Requirement: All students are required to have health insurance. Students are automatically billed for the Student Health Insurance Plan but the charge can be waived if they submit a waiver form demonstrating comparable coverage. For Fall 2026, students must enroll or waive between July 3-September 15.
- EVERY year while they are at Wake Forest (i.e., not just the first year), students must actively enroll in or waive the Student Health Insurance program. If your student does not complete either the waiver or enrollment form by the deadline, the charge for insurance will stay on their student account (even if they have coverage through your policy).
- Please consider optional tuition insurance. Wake Forest offers an elective tuition insurance plan through GradGuard that will help minimize financial loss if a student suffers a serious illness or accident and must withdraw before the end of a semester. Tuition insurance is something we want every family to know about. It is an option that you can choose to take – or not – as you see fit. Wake does not financially benefit.
- Personal note: Through my many years at Wake, I have seen families work through an unexpected withdrawal for their student. Depending on when a student has to withdraw, it can mean significant financial consequences for families (see the refund policy). I have elected to purchase tuition insurance for my ‘27 at another school because I would not be able to easily absorb the loss of a full semester’s tuition.
There is no financial incentive to the University for students to enroll in the program. We just want to share this information for peace of mind to those who could benefit.
- Consider protecting your student’s belongings with renter’s insurance. As part of the housing application process, students have the opportunity to purchase renter’s insurance from a partner vendor, GradGuard. You may also want to check out your family’s homeowners insurance policy to see if it will cover your Deac’s belongings at school: many policies will cover loss or theft even if the policy is in parents’ names. But it will be important to understand your insurance coverage and have a plan in place before move-in.
- Vehicle Registration: For students who want to have a car with them on campus during college, first-year vehicle registration will open August 4 via the Transportation and Parking Services website.
- As a reminder, Wake Forest is a compact, walkable, and bikeable campus with a robust shuttle system and Zipcar car-sharing service. The majority of first-year students do not bring a car to campus, so please do not worry if your student does not have a car.
You’ll hear from me again next Tuesday!
Betsy Chapman, PhD (‘92, MA ‘94)
Executive Director of Family Communications