Student Life

With a focus on students' holistic development, the Division of Student Life partners with students, staff, and faculty to cultivate diverse and thriving communities. We provide support, mentorship, educational initiatives, and opportunities for identity exploration and leadership development to foster students' academic success, well-being, and capacity to become life-long learners who contribute to an equitable society.

Attending Orientation is the best way to acclimate yourself to life at RWU, become familiar with campus and learn about academic and student life. Our program has sessions for students and families that will be the start of your experience. All incoming students are required to attend an Orientation session.

Explore more than 80 student clubs and organizations, ranging from academic honor societies to ballroom dance to reporting for The Hawks' Herald and putting on fun events with the Campus Entertainment Network. Want to create change in local and global communities? Try Engineers Without Borders, Colleges Against Cancer or Habitat for Humanity.

At RWU, we are committed to diversity in all aspects of university life. As an open, accepting and affirming campus community, we welcome and value all expressions of diversity, identity and faith. With the Intercultural Center located in the heart of campus, and a wide array of cultural and spiritual programming, as well as comprehensive support services, we are citizen scholars actively promoting inclusion and raising the collective social conscience.

We know that heading off to college is a big leap, and at RWU we work hard to make you feel at home. By starting out within one of our Living Learning Communities (LLCs) — residential communities organized around academic programs or common interests like Environmental Sustainability and Pop Culture — students quickly discover a sense of family here. And between our residence halls — the 6 on-campus ones boast spectacular views of Mount Hope Bay and Mount Hope Bridge — and our nationally top-rated dining halls, you'll never want to leave campus.

From your first days to Commencement, there's plenty of events rich in RWU history to make you feel like a Hawk! Discover new friends while exploring campus with the 30+ events mounted for all incoming students during Weeks of Welcome, then keep up the spirit all year with RWU traditions like Late Night Breakfast and Spring Weekend featuring a sell-out concert with performances by artists like Andy Grammer and Big Sean. And that's just a small sampling of the many ways we bring together the RWU family.