Parents: Frequently Asked Questions

Address all mail to your student as:

First Name Last Name
Residence Hall Name and Room Number
5000 N. Willamette Blvd.
Portland, OR 97203

Visit Mailing Services to learn more.

Learning to live with another person naturally requires adjustments, patience, and good communication. Should your student experience a problem with their roommate, encourage them to contact Residence Life. Residence Life staff members can work with students to resolve roommate issues. The live-in professional and paraprofessional staff are trained and experienced in leadership, communication skills, problem solving, working with people, and community development. Visit the Residence Life site to learn more.

If your student will live at home and commute to school, remind yourself that college is not an extension of high school. Courses are more demanding and require more hours of preparation outside of class time. Involvement in a variety of campus activities is essential if your commuting student is going to derive the full benefit of an undergraduate education. Make a conscious effort to limit the domestic responsibilities of your student in the home and support their full participation in University life.

There are many transportation options for commuter students, including personal vehicles and public transportation. More information on parking and commute options can be found on the Campus Safety website.

The Care Team Program is a referral program for faculty, staff, students, and parents who are concerned about the physical, emotional, academic, or personal health of a University student. The Care Team Program can assess the situation, offer support, and provide referrals to the breadth of resources on-campus.

To learn more about the Care Team Program, please visit their website or email careteam@up.edu. The Care Team Program does not respond directly to emergencies, so if you have an emergency please call Campus Safety at 503.943.4444 or call 911.

The University seeks to foster an environment that values, honors, and respects the inherent differences in our students, faculty, and staff populations and that benefits from the ideas, experiences, and perspectives of a diverse and inclusive community. We provide safe and inclusive programs, events, and resources that embrace our diverse community. For more information about diversity, equity, and inclusion at UP, as well as resources available to students, please visit the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion site.

The Shepard Academic Resource Center (located in Buckley Center 101) is a "one-stop" place for students to come for support, counsel, and assistance. The Center provides academic counseling, helps students explore interests related to their studies, and works closely with students having difficulty adjusting to college life. The Center can connect students to the other departments on campus, including Residence Life, Financial Aid, the Registrar, Study Abroad, Volunteer Services, and the Career Center.

To learn more, please call the Center at 503.943.7895. Hours are 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Monday-Thursday, and 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Friday.

Fall Orientation for first year and transfer students is held the weekend before classes start.

Orientation is a critical time for students to learn about the University, meet new people, and begin their adjustment process. Through an exciting and informative program of activities for both students and parents, Orientation allows you to build relationships with faculty, staff, and fellow Pilot parents as you embark on the college journey ahead. Please refer to the Orientation Webpage for specific dates and more information.

Students face a number of adjustments over the course of their first year at college, and each student may handle the transition differently. Typically the initial biggest issue is homesickness. It takes time to get used to life away from home, with a person they may never have met before, and without the support system that you as parents often represent for them. Later in the semester, roommate issues may loom large as the "honeymoon period" of living with that other person wears off. Academic pressures begin to mount as the semester goes on and students realize the greater amount of time and effort that is needed to be academically successful at UP.

The good news is that UP has resources for students at each point of their adjustment to The Bluff. Homesickness is tempered through frequent and intentional opportunities to make connections and get involved in campus life. The Counseling Center has counselors available to speak with students about their homesickness and any other issues they may want to discuss. For roommate issues, we encourage students to first communicate with each other to resolve the problem. Residence Hall Staff are also available on each floor to help mediate. Finally, students facing academic difficulties can talk to their professors and utilize the services of the Shepard Academic Resource Center.

Plenty! The Office of Student Activities puts on frequent events around campus, including movies, dances, off-campus excursions, and more.

Is your student planning on being an engineer? Does your student have a passion for board games? UP has a club for them! Check out our full list of clubs and organizations.

They might also enjoy our Outdoor Pursuits Program, which allows UP students to witness the beauty and excitement of the Pacific Northwest.

Whether it’s getting an on-campus job, joining a club, attending a retreat through Campus Ministry, or performing community service, there are many ways to get involved at UP!

The University of Portland does not mail grades home. Final grades are available online to students in Self Serve. Midterm grades for 100 and 200 level classes are also posted in Self Serve. We encourage you to speak with your student about grades frequently.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords students certain rights with respect to their education records. For more specific information on what is protected under FERPA, please refer to the registrar's website. In our efforts to adhere to FERPA guidelines, University of Portland administrators will not share certain information to parents without the submission of authorization from students. Students must sign the FERPA Parent Proxy in order for parents to have access to any education records, including grades. If your student does sign the form, you are welcome to contact the Shepard Academic Resource Center to have a discussion about their academics.

We encourage you to visit the student accounts website for more information about tuition, fees, and paying bills, or contact them directly.

Please keep in mind that the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords students certain rights with respect to their education records. For more specific information on what is protected under FERPA, please refer to the registrar's website. In our efforts to adhere to FERPA guidelines, University of Portland administrators will not share certain information to parents without the submission of authorization from students. Students must initiate the FERPA Parent Proxy process in order for parents or persons of support to have access to financial information.