A student stands on a ridgeline at sunrise
News & Events
New Student Orientation
Family Weekend
Alumni Hub

In-Person New Student Orientation

All incoming first-year students! Join us August 20–23 for four days of connection, campus exploration, and Mountaineer spirit. Orientation is the perfect way to get familiar with your new home and start meeting lifelong friends. Parents and families are welcome to attend the Orientation Welcome event on August 20th!

Learn More

Family Weekend is September 26–28, 2025!

There’s something for everyone, from a Meet-the-President Reception to cheering at the football game, wilderness hikes, performing arts, and much more.

Read about the can’t-miss moments and how to register on our Family Weekend page; don’t miss out on making memories with your Mountaineer!

Family Weekend

Curious about what’s happening with Alumni Relations?

Check out upcoming events, networking opportunities, alumni stories, and ways to stay connected with Western’s proud alumni community.

Visit the Alumni Hub

A one-of-a-kind college experience.

  • Football athletes run onto the field through pink smoke.
  • A skier skis out of a powder slash.
  • A student, looking off into the distance, wears a cap and gown as she stands on a high alpine ridge with a large peak behind her at sunrise.
  • A student walks through sagebrush holding a butterfly net with big mountain views behind.
  • Western Theatre company performs a dance during the dress rehearsal for Tartuffe.
  • A graduate student wearing a cowboy hat smiles as he stands on Verzuh Ranch wetlands with cattle and Whetstone Mountain behind him.
  • A skier slides a rail in front of the library while students cheer for him in the background. A motion blur effect is used in this photo.
  • A professor demonstrates how to inject a water sample to a student as they stand outside in front of a pond.
  • Seen from Van Tuyl Ranch, the collegiate "W" on Tenderfoot Mountain is lit on fire during the first night of Homecoming weekend.
  • A rainbow is seen above Taylor Hall at sunset
  • A skier grabs her skis while jumping in the air on a blue sky day with mountains in the background.
  • A student in the crow section holds his hands up in a W during a football game.
  • An ROE land-based class in single file backpacks up a flat mountain meadow with the Castles and West Elk Peaks in the background.
  • Mechanical Engineering students create a rail for Rail Jam in the Maker Space in the Rady Building.
Life at Western Colorado University is anything but ordinary. Here, you won’t just sit in a lecture hall—you’ll dive into hands-on courses, connect with professors who know your name, and explore big ideas in small classes. Surrounded by a Rocky Mountain backdrop, your education goes far beyond the classroom, blending academic challenge with real-world application.

News

Steven Cole Hughes stands in the middle of the studio theatre and joins the audience in clapping for the cast after their performance of his musical 'Singletrack!'.
News

Western Playwright Debuts ‘Singletrack, the Musical’ in Gunnison

After four years of writing in his spare time, Western Colorado University’s Director of Theater, Steven Cole Hughes, is ready to roll out his latest…
News

Delta Upsilon Brings Fraternity Life Back to Western Colorado University
News

New Study Shows the Impact Trail Recreation Has on Deer, Elk in the Gunnison Basin
Newsroom

Events

Aug 18

New Faculty Report

Monday, August 18, 12:00am
Aug 20

New Student Orientation: First-Year Students (Aug. 20-23)

Wednesday, August 20, 12:00am
Aug 20

Women's Soccer vs Fort Lewis College

Wednesday, August 20, 1:00pm
Aug 20

Orientation: College 101 for Parents and Families

Wednesday, August 20, 3:00pm
Aug 21

Women's Soccer vs Colorado State University Pueblo

Thursday, August 21, 1:00pm
All Events
Mt. Crested Butte peeks through a low layer of clouds in a blue sky day.

A Local's Guide to the Gunnison Valley

Get familiar with the different communities, recreational opportunities, and views our students get to call home.

Explore the Valley