Move-In Day for Class of 2021

First-year students, and their parents, crowded the DU campus on Monday for move-in day. Approximately 1,500 students, representing 49 states and 36 different countries, will start classes at the University of Denver next week.

A majority of the incoming class is traveling more than 500 miles to come to DU, and 68 percent are coming from out of state. In addition to the first-year students, about 150 transfer students will start this fall.

The class of 2021 will be more diverse than those of recent years. Nearly a quarter of the incoming class identifies as an ethnic minority other than white. First-generation students will make up nearly 20 percent of the class.

All incoming first-year and transfer students have at least one thing in common: they have read J.D. Vance’s “Hillbilly Elegy.” The bestselling book is Vance’s account of his troubled upbringing in Appalachia.

The book was selected for DU’s common reading program known as One Book One DU. Students dedicate a few hours over the summer to reading the book and responding to a prompt. The responses are incorporated into this week’s orientation activities and into first-year seminars.

To learn more about One Book One DU, please click here.