UAlbany Welcomes New Great Danes for Fall 2022 Semester

Residential Life staff greet new students at Indigenous Quad.

ALBANY, N.Y. (Aug. 18, 2022) – The University at Albany is gearing up for the start of the Fall 2022 semester, with new students moving into their residence halls this week and classes starting on Monday, Aug. 22.

Approximately 2,700 first-year students, from more than 26,000 applicants, are joining UAlbany’s Class of 2026. In addition, approximately 1,000 transfer students and 1,520 new graduate students are joining the campus community this fall.

The Class of 2026 is one of the most diverse in University history with 44.7 percent of students coming from historically underrepresented groups. 

More quick facts:

  • The class boasts an overall high school average of 91.2 percent
  • 260 students are joining the University’s Honors College
  • 229 students are enrolled as Presidential Scholars
  • Students come from 27 states and 40 countries

Welcome Week

Once moved in, new students are invited to Welcome Week, which begins on Tuesday with the traditional Candlelighting Ceremony, fireworks, and a movie night under the stars at the University Entry Plaza.

All first-year students will then participate in a three-day Welcome Week orientation where they will engage in a variety of workshops with their peers.

The week culminates on Friday, when freshmen and new transfer students, along with their families, and the campus community, will gather at the University Entry Plaza for the annual Opening Convocation Ceremony.

While Commencement marks the completion of study, Opening Convocation celebrates a student's entry into higher education. The roughly 30-minute ceremony will include a welcome from Vice President for Student Affairs Michael Christakis, followed by remarks from President Rodríguez, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Carol Kim, Torch Professor Jeffrey Berman and student speaker Eva Alvarez Ero.

The ceremony will conclude with a class photo on Collins Circle, followed by the President’s Picnic and a Silent Disco event at Dutch Commons.

Along with new student faces, 22 new full-time faculty are also joining the campus community. This includes both tenure-track faculty and lecturers/visiting professors appointed across the institution.