FAQs

New Yellow Jackets | Returning Yellow Jackets | Parents

FAQs for New Yellow Jackets

Getting Started Weekend is designed to welcome and acclimate new Yellow Jackets to the Cedarville University community. Throughout the weekend, students will participate in events, activities, and sessions that help them connect with other students, become familiar with campus resources, and prepare for a successful start at Cedarville.

Please see the Getting Started Schedule for a list of events.

Getting Started Weekend is August 14–16, 2026. As a new student we recommend that you arrive on Friday, August 14th. Arriving at this time will provide you opportunities to be welcomed and acclimated to the Cedarville University community. 

Welcome Week is the first week of classes after Getting Started Weekend with events throughout the week, including:

  • Ice Cream Social (Monday)
  • Manhood and Womanhood Kickoff Event (Tuesday)
  • First Day Pictures and Donuts (Wednesday)
  • CU at the Patio Kickoff (Thursday)
  • Welcome Home Party (Friday)
  • and Yellow Jacket Games (Saturday).

Please see the Getting Started Schedule for dates, times, and details.

A variety of food trucks from around the Cedarville area will be available to purchase food on campus from 11 a.m.–3 p.m. on Friday and Saturday of Getting Started Weekend.

Getting Started is designed to welcome and acclimate you to campus. We have created an online course called Yellow Jacket Prep that will help you prepare to be a Yellow Jacket.

The Yellow Jacket Prep course will be available in June 2026. Please check myCU at that time to access this course. This course can be completed at your own pace.

You'll be placed in a Sting Group with 10–12 other new Yellow Jackets. Led by two to three current students, your Sting Group is your place to connect, get your questions answered, and prepare for campus life.

In June 2026, your Sting Group will be added to a Microsoft Team, which provides resources, information, and a connection point. During the Jacket Fest on Friday, August 14th, you'll meet your Sting Group in person.

To access your Sting Group on Microsoft Teams, download the mobile app, log in with your Cedarville email and password, and turn on notifications. For complete instructions and more helpful hints, visit Connect With Your Sting Group on the Getting Started homepage.

What to bring to campus for living at your home away from home can be tough to decide. We've created a list of things that we recommend you pack, including both essentials and non-essentials as well as items that you or your roommate can share.

Cedarville's Campus Experience Office provides transportation from the Dayton International Airport. Please email sting@cedarville.edu with your flight information.

Yes! After August 1, you may send packages to campus and they will be waiting for you when you arrive. Visit the Incoming Mail page to learn more about addressing and picking up packages on campus.

Welcome Home!

Please enter campus from State Route 72 onto University Blvd. Follow the signs and flags to Yellow Jacket Check-in where you will be assisted by a student leader. Please have a valid government-issued photo ID ready.

Please see the diagram below for traffic flow.

Yellow Jacket Check-In

We recommend that all new Yellow Jackets arrive on campus on Friday, August 14. When you arrive on campus we ask that you enter the main entrance across from the Shell gas station (University Blvd.). You will be welcomed by our team and directed to the Yellow Jacket Check-In.

Yellow Jacket Check-In

At Yellow Jacket Check-in, you will be welcomed to Cedarville University by one of our student leaders. You will need to show a government-issued photo ID. You will receive your residence hall key, University ID (if you submitted your photo online by the deadline), and vehicle parking sticker (if you registered your vehicle online in advance).

Once you have completed the check-in process, you will be provided a specific colored tag that corresponds to your residence hall and will be directed to your residence hall by flags and student leaders.

Yellow Jacket Check-In

Once you have completed Yellow Jacket Check-In you will be directed to your Residence Hall. You will be given a specific color tag that corresponds with your residence hall and you will follow the flags with that color. There will be students along the route to assist you.

Yellow Jacket Check-In

Student leaders at each residence hall will assist you with moving your personal belongings to your room. Our goal is that no parent has to carry any item. Anyone can help you move into your residence hall room during these hours:

  • 9 a.m.–6 p.m. on Friday
  • 9 a.m.–6 p.m. on Saturday
  • 2–6 p.m. on Sunday

If you need additional time, please contact your Resident Director.

You can meet the members of your Sting Group now by connecting online. You will meet the members of your Sting Group and your Sting Group Leaders on Friday, August 14th, 2026 at 6:30 PM around Cedar Lake. Please look at the diagram below to locate the area where your Sting Group will be.

The first contract meal of the semester is dinner on Friday, August 14, 2026.

If you complete the Cedarville University ID Card photo submission before July 15, 2026, you will receive your University ID at Yellow Jacket Check-in during Getting Started Weekend. This is highly recommended so you will have immediate access to your residence hall and The Commons.

If you do not complete the photo submission by July 15, you can get your photo taken and receive your University ID at the Campus Security office in the Stevens Student Center (SSC) when you arrive on campus for Getting Started.

Cedarville University has extensive WiFi inside and outside. Please follow these directions to connect your approved devices.

Once our students interview for an on-campus job and receive a Job Offer Letter, every student employee needs to complete a Federal I-9 form.

All First-time Student Employees must bring a couple of forms of Government ID with them to campus, meet with Human Resources, to complete these required documents. Here is a list of 'Available Documents' needed for the I-9 form. It is very important to note, that HR must see the original, unexpired government forms of ID. No photocopies or snapshots on a mobile device are acceptable. Students who do not complete an I-9 form, are not eligible to work on campus.

All student employees who had a campus job within the last academic year, during 2025–26, do not need to complete a new or second I-9.

The Music Department will have sign-ups for auditions for musical groups on Friday and Saturday, August 14 and 15, from 9 a.m.–3 p.m. in the Dixon Ministry Center Bolthouse Center for Music.

The New Student and Faculty Breakfast will be on Monday, August 17, 2026, from 7–8:30 a.m. in The Commons. The breakfast provides an opportunity to meet faculty and other freshmen from your major and department.

Faculty and Student Breakfast

FAQs for Returning Yellow Jackets

Welcome Home. We recommend that all returning Yellow Jackets return to campus on Saturday, August 15, 2026. We recommend this due to the large amount of new Yellow Jackets returning on Friday.

You can start moving back in on Friday, August 14, 2026, at 9 a.m..

Welcome Home. Since Getting Started Weekend exists to welcome and acclimate new and returning Yellow Jackets, Getting Started Weekend is for you too! There are food trucks available on Friday and Saturday for lunch. We encourage you to welcome the new Yellow Jackets by being a part of the Jacket Jaunt on Saturday. Join in the SGA worship night to close out Getting Started Weekend. Please check the Getting Started schedule for more information and opportunities.

If you are returning on Friday, August 14, 2026, we ask that you park in the auxiliary parking lots and not the parking lots connected to the Residence Halls.

Visit the Campus Security office located on the top floor of the SSC to get a new University ID.

The first contract meal of the semester is dinner on Friday, August 14, 2026.

Welcome Week is the first week of classes after Getting Started Weekend with events throughout the week. The first event is the Ice Cream Social on the first night after the Fall Bible Conference. The second event is the Manhood and Womanhood Kickoff Event on Tuesday morning led by student chaplains and women's ministry leaders. First Day Pictures and Donuts is an event on Wednesday morning, the first day of classes, and you can get a donut and take a fun first day of school picture. Thursday after chapel is the CU at the Patio Kickoff, and Friday after the Involvement Fair is the Welcome Home Party. The final event to close out Welcome Week is called Yellow Jacket Games and it takes place on the Saturday after Getting Started Weekend. Please see the Getting Started Schedule for more specific information.

Getting Started and Welcome Week have many events. Please see the Getting Started Schedule for all event information.

Welcome Home. Please enter campus on University Blvd off of State Route 72. Follow the signs and flags to Yellow Jacket Check-in where you will be assisted by a student leader. Please have a valid ID ready so we can provide you with your University key. Once you receive your materials you will be directed to follow a specific colored flag to your residence hall. Please see the diagram below for more information

Yellow Jacket Check-In

Anyone can help you move into your residence hall room during these hours:

  • 9 a.m.–6 p.m. on Friday
  • 9 a.m.–6 p.m. on Saturday
  • 2–6 p.m. on Sunday

If you need additional time, please contact your Resident Director.

The Music Department will have sign-ups for auditions for musical groups on Friday and Saturday, August 14 and 15, from 9 a.m.–3 p.m. in the Dixon Ministry Center Bolthouse Center for Music.

Yes! After August 1, you may send packages to campus and they will be waiting for you when you arrive. Visit the Incoming Mail page to learn more about addressing and picking up packages on campus.

FAQs for Parents

Getting Started Weekend is designed to welcome and acclimate new and returning Yellow Jackets to campus. Our goal is to welcome them home. Our team is here to serve you as you seek to serve your student.

Parent Learning Outcomes:

  • Families of Cedarville students will identify the key elements for their student’s academic success.
  • Families of Cedarville students will identify and develop methods of beginning a healthy and smooth transition from high school to college for their student.
  • Families of Cedarville students will be able to identify and understand the expectations and core values of Cedarville University.
  • Families of Cedarville students will be able to identify opportunities for their student in the areas of involvement, discipleship, leadership, church participation, local ministries and understand how these opportunities inuence success at Cedarville University.
  • Families of Cedarville students will identify and explore ways to stay connected to campus from a distance and positively encourage their students toward graduation.

You will be welcomed and served by a team of 500 student leaders. Our goal is that you can focus on your student and let our team do the work

Yellow Jacket Check-In

We do have things specifically for parents during Getting Started Weekend. We have seminars, a Parent Zone, and opportunities for you to create memories with your student. Please check the Getting Started Schedule for specific parent opportunities identified with the purple dot.

Cedarville University is blessed with many food options which include The Commons, Panda Express, Chick-fil-A, and Tossed. During Getting Started weekend we will have food trucks available for lunch on Friday and Saturday.

We are thankful for the opportunity to partner with you. Please encourage your student to get involved in the different activities available during Getting Started Weekend. Pray for your student and trust that God has them at Cedarville University for a reason.

Welcome Home. Student leaders at each residence hall will assist you with moving your student's personal belongings into their room. Our goal is that you will not have to carry any item. You can assist your student from 9 a.m.–5 p.m. on Friday, August 14, and Saturday, August 15. If you need additional time, please have your student contact their Resident Director.

Once our students interview for a job and receive a Job Offer Letter, every student employee needs to complete a Federal I-9 form. All First-time Student Employees must bring a couple of forms of Government ID with them to campus, meet with Human Resources, to complete these required documents. Here is a list of 'Acceptable Documents' needed for the I-9 form. It is very important to note, that HR must see the original, unexpired government forms of ID. No photocopies or snapshots on a mobile device are acceptable. Students who do not complete an I-9 form, are not eligible to work on campus. All student employees who had a campus job within the last academic year, during 2024-2025, do not need to complete a new or second I-9.