Welcome, new Royals!
By Monique Kleinhuizen '08, GS'16, content specialist
September 05, 2025 | 2 p.m.
Many in the Bethel community have a specific vision in mind when they think of Welcome Week. It’s loud and colorful and involves herds of caffeinated upperclass student volunteers dancing energetically as they unpack new students’ cars and get them started on the right foot at Bethel.
For decades, Bethel’s community has perfected move-in days, turning them into a signature multi-day tradition. The spectacle oozes with fun and energy—and also intentionality. It meets practical needs, like helping new students feel welcome, find their way, and get all of their belongings efficiently into the right rooms. But it’s also about ensuring every student is seen and encouraged during a formative, and sometimes overwhelming, moment in their life. For the hundreds of student Welcome Week volunteers who step up to lead and lend a helping hand at move-in, the messaging behind the week is just as important as the muscle.
This year’s overarching theme—”Boldly Embraced”—is a nod to Matthew 11.
“It’s all about what Jesus does to embrace us. He’s bold in His love for us and calls to His people, ‘therefore, go, and make disciples,’” says Associate Dean for Campus Engagement Nate Gustafson. “It’s a message of constancy, sweetness, and purpose. We’re boldly embraced so we can boldly embrace others.”
Here’s what that looks like:
Welcome Week encompasses tailored, early move-in experiences for PSEO and transfer students, student employees, students in BUILD, athletes, J29 Scholars, Royal Bridge participants, and multilingual learners. This year, everything crescendoed on August 23 as the last, largest wave of students arrived.
President Ross and Annie Allen personally welcomed students to campus for their first official taste of life at Bethel. New students took care of important tasks—meeting with faculty advisors to confirm courses and credits, completing administrative steps, and learning their way around the Dining Center and campus. They also gave back, packing more than 600 backpacks for local kids in need.
The week also included a picnic for families, welcome celebrations, a Glo Party, the Royal Rumble relay race, and a “Movie on the Lawn.” There was also intentional time set aside for upperclass student-led Core Groups that often create long-lasting friendships. A longstanding tradition, “The Show,” shared key info for new students in a fun, musical way. And on the final night, Koinonia brought the entire Bethel community together in worship to kick off the semester.
About the new class
So what should we know about the incoming class? There are 528 new traditional undergraduate students*, including 66 transfer students and 71 former PSEO-turned-traditional students. There are also 32 students in BUILD and 551 new Post Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) students. They join the rest of the undergraduate student body, which totals 2,500 in all. (*Enrollment numbers are unofficial until the 10th day of classes.)
The most popular majors for incoming students are:
- Nursing (76)
- Elementary Education (36)
- Business: Marketing (32)
- Undecided/Exploratory (31)
- Exercise Science and Business: Finance (27 each)
Most fun hometown name: Oronoco, MN
Most mispronounced hometown name: De Pere, WI (like duh-PEER)
Coldest hometown: Snowmass, Colorado, where the average temperature is 34°F.
Hottest hometown: West Palm Beach, Florida, where the average temperature is 75°F.
Longest distance traveled: 1,945 miles (from Huntington Beach, CA)
Shortest distance traveled: 1 mile (Arden Hills, Minnesota)
Most common male name: Ethan (9)
Most common female name: Hannah (10)
Most common last names: Johnson (6), Ross (4), Olson (4), and Larson (4)
Though these don’t appear on the official admissions application, we asked incoming students to share a “fun fact” about themselves. Here are a few of their answers:
- One student first visited Bethel in 4th grade
- One broke both arms at the same time (also in 4th grade)
- One student can wakesurf
- One used to show dairy cows
- One has five wisdom teeth
- One had eight dogs at one point
- One has never had a peanut and butter jelly sandwich
- One lived in Germany for four years
— Associate Dean for Campus Engagement Nate Gustafson
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Welcome Week 2025
As Gustafson takes a step back from all the excitement of Welcome Week to reflect on Bethel’s student body, he’s humbled by what he sees.
“There’s such a deep hunger for the Lord in our students, and a joy and authentic community that flows from that. It’s an encouraging place to be and learn, and I’m wowed by our student leaders—by their hunger for deeper things,” he says. “Belonging happens in beautiful ways here. We have incredible staff and faculty, and an incredible group of students ready to receive and empower these new students to contribute to our community.”