2026–27 dates
Preview Days are Porter’s open houses for prospective students and their families. They are longer and broader than a weekday visit: every college is open, faculty are around, and you can apply on the spot.
| Date | Focus | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday, October 24, 2026 | All seven colleges; fall colors on the Riverfront Trail | 400 students |
| Saturday, November 14, 2026 | All colleges, plus an Engineering & Technology open lab in the Founders Hall high bay | 400 students |
| Monday, January 18, 2027 | No-school-day edition; Health Sciences simulation hospital and Jarvis cyber range open. Winter Term is in session, so campus is quiet | 250 students |
| Monday, February 15, 2027 | Presidents’ Day edition; Business, Education, and Arts, Design & Communication, with a class visit | 300 students |
| Saturday, March 6, 2027 | All colleges; separate transfer-student track | 400 students |
| Friday, April 16, 2027 | Junior Preview Day — shorter program for high school juniors | 350 students |
Already admitted? Admitted Student Day in April is built for you instead.
The agenda
| Time | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 8:30–9:15 a.m. | Check-in, name tags, coffee and cider | Welcome Center (the Depot) |
| 9:15–9:45 | Welcome from Trudy Solberg, Director of Admissions | Founders Union Great Room |
| 10:00–11:00 | College sessions with faculty and current students | Each college’s building |
| 11:10 a.m.–12:20 p.m. | Student-led tour: the Millrace path, a residence hall model room, one lab or studio | Leaves from Founders Union |
| 12:30–1:30 | Lunch, free for registered students and up to three guests | The Forge, Founders Commons |
| 1:30–2:15 | Paying for Porter: net price, scholarships and the FAFSA, with Financial Aid staff | Founders Union Great Room |
| 2:15–3:30 | Choose one: apply on the spot in the Welcome Center application lab; residence hall open house; faculty office hours; a coach meeting (request in advance) | Various |
Junior Preview Day ends at 1:30 p.m. and swaps the financial aid session for one on planning senior year. Weekday editions on January 18 and February 15 add a 50-minute class visit at 2:15.
Registration
- Registration opens six weeks before each date and closes three days before, or when the date fills. It is free.
- Register online from the visit page or by phone at (715) 555–0144. Tell us your intended program so the right college session is on your schedule.
- Park in Lot D next to the Welcome Center; visitor parking passes are emailed with your confirmation.
- Accessibility requests (interpreters, accessible transport on the tour loop) need five business days’ notice.
- Groups of ten or more from one school should book a group visit instead.
Travel reimbursement
The Preview Day Travel Grant, funded by the UW–Porter Falls Foundation, covers the cost of getting here for students who would otherwise skip the trip. You qualify if you live 60 or more miles from Porter Falls and any of these apply: you are eligible for free or reduced-price school lunch, your family expects to qualify for a Pell Grant, or you will be the first in your family to attend college and money is the obstacle.
| Distance from Porter Falls | What the grant covers |
|---|---|
| 60–149 miles | Round-trip mileage at 40 cents a mile, up to $120, or a prepaid regional coach ticket to the Depot District |
| 150 miles or more | Mileage up to $200, plus one night for the student and one adult at the university-visitor rate |
Check the travel grant box when you register; your admissions counselor confirms eligibility by email, usually within two business days, with no documents beyond a short attestation. Reimbursement arrives by check or direct deposit within 15 business days after you attend. In 2025–26, 186 students used it.
If you cannot make a Preview Day
Weekday visits run year-round, with two Saturdays a month in October and April (campus tour options). The virtual campus tour covers about twenty stops, and your regional counselor may be visiting your school this fall — check the travel schedule. Juniors should also see the junior timeline.
Fictional information
UW–Porter Falls is a work of parody. These Preview Days, the agenda, the free lunch and the travel grant are invented for a fictional university; there is no event to register for and no reimbursement to claim.