Back to school
Queen’s welcomes more than 5,500 incoming first-year students
September 11, 2026
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Students arrived on campus Friday and Saturday to move into Queen's residence buildings.
The Queen's campus is once again bustling with students heading to class and taking part in welcoming activities.
Over 5,500 first-year students have begun their academic journeys at Queen’s with the start of the new academic year. This year's incoming class includes students from across Canada, including 10 provinces and two territories, as well as from 75 countries around the globe.
The newest cohort was selected from a record pool of more than 64,400 applicants, an eight per cent increase from last year. The size and strength of that pool made admission increasingly competitive, with the incoming class achieving an average high school admission average of 92.3 per cent.
Students and staff members volunteered to welcome and assist incoming students.
Move-In weekend
Under sunny skies, more than 1,000 students and staff members volunteered to welcome the incoming students and assist them with settling into residence, helping to carry boxes, bags, and personal belongings into Queen's 18 residence buildings.
Queen’s Housing and Ancillary Services also worked with city partners to ensure a smooth traffic flow into and away from campus.
“From the moment students arrive at Queen's, they are greeted by and become part of a community that they are connected to forever,” says Patrick Deane, Principal and Vice-Chancellor. "It is the relationships we build, locally and around the world, that give Queen’s its personal scale and global reach. As we approach the university's bicentennial in 2041, there is much to look forward to and work to be done. Students not only motivate that work, but play a key role in realizing it."
Orientation activities began after Move-In, and continue into the Fall Term.
Kicking off Fall Orientation
Fall Orientation began Saturday evening with a Welcome Home Night event hosted by the Student Experience Office, and continued Sunday with the Tricolour Parade along Union Street to Richardson Stadium, where the incoming class gathered for the official Stadium Welcome. There, students met peers from their faculties and programs and heard from campus leaders.
Principal Deane encouraged students to make the most of their time at Queen’s by taking part in campus life and exploring the many academic, extra-curricular, and support resources available to them.
Student orientation leaders brought great enthusiasm as they shared reflections on their own Queen's experiences and prepared the incoming class for Faculty Orientation events. Led by the Queen's Bands, students showed their tricolour spirit by learning the Oil Thigh and the "Cha Gheil!" cheer.
The Tricolour Open House clubs showcase took place Thursday night and an all-student women’s soccer game tonight kicks off a second weekend of orientation activities. Campus partner events, such as those hosted by Yellow House and the Four Directions Student Centre, continue throughout the start of the Fall Term, providing students with additional opportunities to connect with others, and learn more about campus offerings.
The university’s annual Enrolment Report, providing greater insight into the incoming first-year class, will be made available to the Queen’s community later in the year.
For links to all student resources, visit the Student Affairs website.
