But some parents - and children - find that a little more difficult than they'd bargained for.
Sleep tight: The parents of freshmen students sleep on the floor of the gym at Central China Normal University
One university in China is helping them get through the transition - for the first night at least.
The Central China Normal University opened its gym overnight to allow 350 parents of freshmen students to sleep on mats laid out on the floor.
The parents were accompanying their children on their first day of school.
It is not clear how thrilled the children were to hear the news.
Up to 350 parents slept on the gym floor for their children's first day of school
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