EVERY August thousands of adults proudly accompany their college-age family members to university. For those living in halls of residence or off-campus housing, this experience usually includes helping to unpack suitcases, asking about lecture schedules, taking countless photographs, and offering one final piece of advice before saying goodbye.

For those who are commuting to campus, families are seeing the transition and development continuously unfolding. While much attention is given to preparing students for this new chapter, there is a quieter question that deserves equal attention, who prepares the parents and families?

The transition to university is often described as a student’s journey, but in reality, it is a family transition. Parents are not simply sending a child or family member to university; they are learning how to support an emerging adult in an environment that is very different from the one they may have experienced. Today’s university landscape is shaped by artificial intelligence, hybrid learning, increasing mental health awareness, financial pressures and rapidly changing career pathways. Supporting a student now requires more than encouragement – it requires understanding.