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A Big Red Welcome: Move-In and Orientation 2026, in Photos

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The University greeted the members of the Class of ’30, as well as transfer students, with open arms and a wide variety of activities

By Cornellians staff

Photography by Alexandra Bayer, Devin Flores, Sreang Hok & Ryan Young

More than 4,000 people joined the Cornell community in mid-August, having traveled to Ithaca from all around the country and the world. And denizens of the Hill gave them and their families a hearty Big Red hello, with a slate of Orientation activities to acclimate them to campus.

The new arrivals included 3,681 first-years in the Class of 2030, as well as 603 transfer students. They hail from 49 states (all but North Dakota) plus Washington, DC, Puerto Rico, and American Samoa, and 62 countries.

a student, carrying a set of drawers, heads toward West Campus during Move In, August 2026 — Toting belongings on West Campus ...

Families shopping for Cornell gear at the Dump & Run sale — ... and hunting for bargains at the Project ReCollect (formerly Dump & Run) sale at the mall.

Among the freshmen, 997 are New York State residents and 12.8% are the first in their family to attend college; the overall contingent of new students includes 27 military veterans.

The new arrivals included 3,681 first-years in the Class of 2030, as well as 603 transfer students. They hail from 49 states plus Washington, DC, Puerto Rico, and American Samoa, and 62 countries.

Some of the new Cornellians opted to begin their Big Red experiences even earlier, participating in pre-Orientation events like Cornell Outdoor Education's popular Outdoor Odyssey program and community service projects through the Einhorn Center.

A crowd outside Willard Straight, which has a WELCOME TO CORNELL! sign — The crowd outside the Straight.

During Orientation itself, there were myriad offerings including the Big Red Welcome Fest on Ho Plaza—where student groups and University organizations staffed tables with information and swag—and a series of informational panels for families in Statler Auditorium.

Some of the new Cornellians opted to begin their Big Red experiences even earlier, participating in pre-Orientation events like Cornell Outdoor Education’s popular Outdoor Odyssey program and community service projects through the Einhorn Center.

For the first time, the family Orientation activities included sending "hugs from home": postcards from parents, siblings, and other relatives, to be delivered to the new students two weeks into the semester.

President Mike Kotlikoff and SCL VP Ryan Lombardi post with a new student in a dorm — President Mike Kotlikoff (far left) and Ryan Lombardi, VP of student and campus life, with a new Cornellian.

"My advice to you on your first day as Cornellians is to embrace this community and all its diversity," President Mike Kotlikoff said in his Convocation address in Schoellkopf Stadium.

"And by community I mean your fellow students, our faculty and staff, and also the wonderful people of our beautiful, rural upstate town. Interact with everyone you meet in ways that build this community, while expanding yourselves."

Scroll down for a photographic tour of Move-In and Orientation 2026—including the Welcome Fest on Ho Plaza and Convocation in Schoellkopf!