Roanoke College welcomes 524 new students as 2025-2026 kicks off

New students, including Roanoke College’s largest group of transfer students, arrived on campus for move-in weekend ready to launch a new chapter of discovery, growth and opportunity. 

Their arrival marked the start of a fun-filled Welcome Week that introduces them to beloved campus traditions (bingo, anyone?) and the close-knit community that defines the Roanoke experience. 

“We are so happy you’re here,” Max Cardwell ’26, head of the student government association, said during President’s Welcome, an event that introduces the new class to campus leaders and celebrates the start of their transformative path as Maroons. 

“Since the day I sat where you are now, I’ve been on a journey of living, loving and learning more and more each day about the people around me and the subjects that fuel my passion,” said Cardwell, a history major. “I just want to say how glad I am to see you all becoming part of our community.” 

This fall’s incoming students include more than 90 transfer students, a Roanoke record. In total, new students, including freshmen who make up the Class of 2029, hail from 22 states and 12 countries. More than 11% of freshmen are in the honors program, and the class’s average high school GPA was over 3.6. 

As part of the commemoration of their first day, students were invited to sign the college roll books, an archival record of the generations of Maroons who’ve walked these grounds and built bold, purposeful futures. 

“It’s normal to be excited and apprehensive,” Roanoke College President Frank Shushok Jr. said, reflecting on all the new milestones that the year ahead will hold. “However you feel, you are not alone.” 

“Our remarkable faculty, staff and alumni are already deeply invested in your success and ready to help you design your unique Roanoke experience,” he said. “We will challenge you to be your best and embody the marks of a Maroon – to be rooted, curious, inclusive, confident, undaunted and hopeful.”