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New Knox students, all in yellow t-shirts, talk as they wait for an orientation event to begin.

New Student Orientation

New Student Orientation brings students from around the nation and world to unite as one community, living and learning here in the heart of the Illinois prairie.

Pre-Arrival Tracker Show Off Your Knox Pride!

Welcome to the Knox Community!

Our New Student Orientation program is designed to welcome you to campus and introduce you to the Knox community. You will meet lots of new people, including your classmates, student leaders, current students, as well as faculty and staff. Orientation leaders will facilitate small group discussions and many fun activities for new students.

New Student Orientation is filled with social, educational, and academic programs designed to introduce you to the many unique aspects of the College. By the end of orientation, you will have the chance to:

  • Meet faculty, staff, and students
  • Learn how to navigate campus
  • Experience the resources you will have available to you as a Knox student
  • Understand how learning happens at Knox
  • Cheer on a Prairie Fire athletic team
  • Explore the city of Galesburg

New Student Orientation begins on Tuesday, September 9, 2025

Arrival and Check-In is between 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. at the Ford Center for the Fine Arts. Refer to the Blaze a Trail email from Tuesday, August 19 for detailed instructions about check-in. In the morning, you will pick-up your keys and have time to move into your residence hall—with the help of our fall athletes—before programming starts that afternoon. 

Parents, family, and friends are welcome to join you for move-in and to attend sessions Tuesday afternoon. Around 4:00 p.m. there will be time for good-byes. This is when the new students meet their Orientation group leader and parents, families, and friends are invited to a reception hosted by the President’s office.

Download the Guidebook App

We strongly recommend that all new students and their visitors download the free New Student Orientation Guidebook app, where you will have all the most up-to-date information about orientation, including schedules, orientation leaders, maps, and the ability to create your own personalized schedule for the week.

We know you'll find it the most useful tool to have an outstanding New Student Orientation! We've created an at-a-glance schedule for the first day of orientation—you'll find the rest of the schedule in the app. 

To access the app:

  1. Visit this url on your device: https://builder.guidebook.com/g/knox2025/
  2. Tap the “download” button to get the free Guidebook app.
  3. Open Guidebook and look for the guide: "Welcome to Knox College!"

We Look Forward to Your Arrival!