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‘This is where it starts’ for new undergrads

Video highlights March Through the Arch
September 17, 2026 | By Northwestern Now Staff
The campus tradition known as March through the Arch is a procession under the Weber Arch, Northwestern’s iconic entry way. Every fall, new students, led by the Northwestern University Marching Band, take their symbolic first steps through campus to Deering Meadow cheered by family, friends and the University community. Video by Stephen Lewis

They’ve moved in, and now they’re settling in.

Northwestern University welcomes more than 2,000 new undergraduate students with a host of Wildcat Welcome events this week, including March Through the Arch.

With words of encouragement from President Mung Chiang — who also is beginning his first year at Northwestern — the Class of 2030 has an exciting week ahead, learning campus traditions and forging new relationships with their classmates before the fall quarter kicks off next week.

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