UT Martin welcomes class of 2029, freshmen prepare for life on campus
UT Martin’s 2025-2026 school year kicked off with its annual Welcome Weekend for freshmen and new students beginning on Thursday, Aug. 21. Events included the annual Welcome Back Picnic and Block Party, Aux Cord Wars on Saturday and Glow Night on Sunday.
The class of 2029 is expected to be one of the larger freshmen classes UT Martin has seen thus far. In 2024, fall enrollment at UTM reached 7,507 students, the highest since 2012; of those, 1,220 were freshman, according to the university. During Chancellor Yancy Freeman’s enrollment update on Monday, Aug. 18, first-year student enrollment was reportedly up by 8.8% — if that number holds, the class of 2029 should be approximately 1,327 students. Updated enrollment numbers are expected to be released as part of the university’s fall census.
Housing Director Ryan Matin said about 600 freshmen moved in on Thursday during Move-In Mania and about 2,000 overall on-campus residents for the fall semester. These students came from Tennessee and beyond. As they experienced campus for the first time, many students shared their thoughts about the UT Martin campus, their plans, their worries and much more as their first day came to a close during the Welcome Back picnic.
Many students were overjoyed to be on campus; a whole new world of memorable experiences rested before their eyes as they finished the first day in their new environment.
Beth Young, a Biology major from Dover, said the most thrilling part of her day was “most definitely getting to meet my roommates and getting to meet the people I’ll be spending most of my time with.”
One of UT Martin’s many features that attracted several students was its small town location.
“I like how it’s not super big, but it’s also not super small,” said Luke Robison, a business major from Munford. “It kind of feels more like a community.”
As expected, some students were nervous about their time in college, especially when it came to all the responsibilities they would have to take on for the next four years. Kenzie Jackson, an Ag Business major from Memphis, said that if there was anything she was nervous about it would be “how difficult it’ll be to do my homework and balance school, social and my family.”
Despite their nerves, many students looked forward to fun, social events and organizations on campus. Rachel Wesson, a Vet Tech major from Dyersburg, said she joined Greek Life organization Zeta Tau Alpha to gain more friends, and was excited to get involved with every event her sorority held.
There was also an assortment of students who had committed to ambitious academic pursuits, such as the prestigious University Scholars Program. One of its newest members, Alyssa Martin, a Studio Art major from Paris, TN, shared her plans when it came to campus involvement.
“I’m definitely just excited to meet new people and I really look forward to joining the League of Striving Artists,” she said.
The Welcome Week festivities continued the following day at the Housing Block Party on the Conner Community Lawn where students jammed to music played by D.J. Von, slid down an enormous water slide, rode the mechanical bull, played corn hole and a variety of other activities.
