Griz Welcome is a series of events providing opportunities for new students to become familiar with campus, get involved, meet other students, and have fun as fall classes kick off. Griz Welcome is our way of making incoming students feel comfortable and at home. During this time, students will participate in our fall orientation, which includes information about class registration, residence halls, financial aid, and more. We will also be offering services to students like Move-In Crew that will help students move into their new home away from home. We put on a variety of different activities, from outdoor movies to river rafting trips, to welcome incoming students to campus as well as to their new community - beautiful Missoula, Montana.

Well there are lots of reasons, the most apparent of which is that the activities that take place during Griz Welcome are a lot of fun, but the most important reason might be that these activities could help you stay in school and graduate.

Griz Welcome features dozens of events and activities you can participate in over the course of your first few weeks in Missoula. You will have opportunities to develop friendships with other incoming students, engage with the faculty and staff, and learn about the spirit, pride, and tradition that make the University of Montana a truly special place. While the programs of Griz Welcome are geared to being fun and inclusive, the concepts of making friends, engaging with the faculty and staff, and establishing a sense of place with a university have been the focus of numerous academic studies centered on student success. Simply put, if you participate in the kinds of programs featured in Griz Welcome, you are more likely to stay enrolled and to graduate.

The full schedule will be available on the UMontana App and on the Schedule page of the Griz Welcome website at the beginning of August.

Yes! We have arranged many of the events in such a way as to allow all students to participate in the programming. Many of the Griz Welcome events are held in the evening when you have free time, so we encourage you to bring some of your new orientation friends back to campus and join in the fun!

Visit the Fall Move-In page for the most up-to-date information.

Griz Welcome events are, for the most part, geared toward incoming and returning students. They are designed as a structured way for new students to meet their peers, as well as other students who already attend UM. There are a variety of other fun things to do in Missoula with your student before you drop them off for the semester, though!

Griz Welcome events are free with the exception of a few programs. If a program is not free, this will be indicated in the event description on the schedule.