St. Olaf welcomes the Class of 2029
St. Olaf student leaders welcome the newest Oles to the Hill during move-in day. Photo by Evan Pak ’19 
New students are cheered as they arrive on campus for move-in day. Photo by Evan Pak ’19 
Parents say an emotional goodbye to their student as the special welcome ceremony concludes move-in day. Photo by Evan Pak ’19 
Student leaders help first-year students move in to their new residence halls. Photo by Evan Pak ’19
St. Olaf College welcomed a dynamic, talented group of new students to the Hill this fall.
The 799 first-year students and 32 transfer students who moved into their residence halls on a beautiful late-summer weekend come from more than 500 high schools and 27 colleges across 45 states and 57 countries.
More than one in five members of the Class of 2029 are the first of their family to attend college, and the class includes 24 percent domestic students of color and 13 percent international students. More than half of the newest Oles hail from outside of Minnesota.
“The St. Olaf community — this community, your community — comes together on this Hill from all corners of the world,” Associate Vice President for Enrollment Chris George ’94 told students and their families as they gathered for a special St. Olaf welcome ceremony. “We each bring our own identities, backgrounds, and experiences, and together we enrich and evolve what makes St. Olaf so special — a community that is dedicated to making an impact on the world. I can’t wait to see what the Class of 2029 will accomplish.”
“We each bring our own identities, backgrounds, and experiences, and together we enrich and evolve what makes St. Olaf so special — a community that is dedicated to making an impact on the world. I can’t wait to see what the Class of 2029 will accomplish.”
— Associate Vice President for Enrollment Chris George ’94
In their first week on campus, the newest Oles also participated in a wide variety of orientation activities, got to know new friends and faculty members, and met St. Olaf President Susan Rundell Singer while signing their name in the college book. They attended the First Lecture for the Class of 2029 — a talk titled A Style Guide for Any Time by Assistant Professor of English Brett DeFries — and joined the campus community for Opening Convocation.
Welcome to the Hill, Class of 2029!