--- title: What We’re Learning From This Fall’s Incoming College Students description: "Fall 2026 Campus Ministry Snapshot | Newman Connection\nExplore early Fall 2026 findings and what they teach us about connecting the Class of 2027.”" image: https://blog.newmanconnection.org/hubfs/utampacatholic-Instagram-4188-ig-18093303041431380.jpg --- [![Horizontal-2](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Horizontal-2.png?width=1679&height=428&name=Horizontal-2.png "Horizontal-2")](https://connection.newmanministry.com/) ![Students2.Blog.Header](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/hubfs/Students2.Blog.Header.png "Students2.Blog.Header") # The Newman Blog #### Helping College Students Grow Their Faith. ## What's Happening - Filter By Topic - [All](https://blog.newmanconnection.org) - [Campus Ministry](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/tag/campus-ministry) - [Faith Forward Stories](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/tag/faith-forward-stories) - [Catholic](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/tag/catholic) - [Faith Forward Movement](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/tag/faith-forward-movement) - [Evangelization](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/tag/evangelization) - [Student Stories](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/tag/student-stories) - [Catholic Blog](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/tag/catholic-blog) - [Lent](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/tag/lent) - [Student Story](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/tag/student-story) - [Faith Journey](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/tag/faith-journey) - [Spirituality](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/tag/spirituality) - [Prayer](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/tag/prayer) - [Leadership](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/tag/leadership) - [Saint](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/tag/saint) - [Called+](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/tag/called) - [Catholic Lifecycle](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/tag/catholic-lifecycle) - [community](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/tag/community) - [ministry](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/tag/ministry) [Campus Ministry](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/topic/campus-ministry) [Faith Forward Movement](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/topic/faith-forward-movement) # What We’re Learning From This Fall’s Incoming College Students ![](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/hubfs/utampacatholic-Instagram-4188-ig-18093303041431380.jpg) #### Share [mailto:?body=https://blog.newmanconnection.org/what-were-learning-from-this-falls](mailto:?body=https://blog.newmanconnection.org/what-were-learning-from-this-falls) ![Newman Connection](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/hubfs/%E2%80%A2%20LOGOS%20%E2%80%A2/Newman%20Connect%20App/Screenshot%202025-06-30%20at%208.28.46%20AM.png) Written By [Newman Connection](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/author/newman-connection) On Oct, 6 2026 12 minute read ##### ![utampacatholic-Instagram-4188-ig-18093303041431380](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/hs-fs/hubfs/utampacatholic-Instagram-4188-ig-18093303041431380.jpg?width=435&height=326&name=utampacatholic-Instagram-4188-ig-18093303041431380.jpg) An early look from our campus ministry partners shows what helps a student move from being reached to becoming connected and what we are carrying forward to connect the high school Class of 2027. For a college freshman, the first few weeks on campus can change almost everything. New classes. New friends. A new routine. For many students, it is also the first time they have had to decide for themselves how faith will fit into their everyday lives. That is why the transition after high school matters so much. Across the country, Catholic high schools, parishes, dioceses, families, campus ministries, donors, and supporters are working together through the Faith Forward movement so that young Catholics do not have to make that transition alone. The goal is simple: help high school seniors connect and be personally invited to join a Catholic community wherever they are going next.  This fall, our Campus Ministry Partners gave us an early look at what is happening in their ministries. --- ![Wash U Barn Dance](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Wash%20U%20Barn%20Dance.jpg?width=6000&height=4000&name=Wash%20U%20Barn%20Dance.jpg)For incoming students, connection often begins with something simple: an invitation, a familiar face, and a Catholic community ready to welcome them. --- ##### Nearly 1 in 4 Students Reached Were Already Connected As part of our Fall 2026 Snapshot, 103 Campus Ministry Partners shared what they were seeing among the incoming students they received and contacted. Together, they reported: - 5,529 incoming students reached - 1,285 students connected and active in their campus ministry - 23.2% of the students are still active with their Catholic community - And among the ministries that conducted outreach, 77% reported connecting with at least one incoming student. These numbers are an early snapshot, not a final measure of the school year. They represent 103 of the 491 Campus Ministry Partners that were invited to participate, and each campus has a different student population, ministry structure, and outreach capacity. But they give all of us who care about the future of young Catholics something valuable: a clearer picture of what helps keep young people connected to their faith during these transitional years.  ##### The Personal Invitation Still Matters Again and again, campus ministers pointed to personal outreach. *A text from a campus minister. A phone call. A student leader reaching out. An invitation to Mass. Meeting someone during orientation. A conversation at a welcome table. An invitation to dinner or a social event.* Those moments can sound small. But for a freshman walking onto an unfamiliar campus, the Catholic community can feel much closer. The student is no longer simply a name that was sent from one organization to another. Someone knows they are coming. Someone reaches out. That personal invitation is at the heart of the Faith Forward movement. --- ![1-2](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/hs-fs/hubfs/1-2.jpg?width=1200&height=630&name=1-2.jpg) Campus Ministry Partners tell us that one-to-one outreach—from ministry staff, missionaries, and student leaders—can help turn a contact into a real connection. ##### What Our Campus Ministry Partners Are Teaching Us The Fall Snapshot is helping us better understand both what is working and where we can expand and strengthen the Faith Forward movement for the next class of high school graduates. ##### Reach students earlier Several ministries emphasized the value of making contact before students arrive on campus and then continuing the invitation during move-in, orientation, and the first weeks of school. That matters for the Class of 2027. The earlier a graduating senior can be identified and connected, the more opportunity the receiving Catholic community has to welcome that student before everything else begins competing for their attention. ##### Good contact information makes a personal connection possible Campus ministries can only personally invite a student if they can reach them. Partners reported challenges with missing phone numbers, incomplete records, outdated email addresses, and school accounts that students were no longer checking. That may sound like a data problem, but the impact is personal. Accurate contact information gives a campus minister the opportunity to make the call, send the text, or extend the invitation that can help a student find Catholic community. That is why secure technology is an important part of the Faith Forward movement. Newman Connection uses Called to help keep student information safe and secure, make it easier for students to sign up, connect students to their Catholic ministry, and help campus ministries receive the information they need to make a personal connection. ##### Peer-to-peer invitations can open the door Campus ministers also pointed to the importance of student leaders, missionaries, classmates, and peers. Sometimes the most powerful invitation does not come from an office. It comes from another student saying, "Come with me." ---   ![aces\_catholic-Instagram-4188-ig-18072550532274140 (1)-1](https://4720238.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/4720238/hubfs/aces_catholic-Instagram-4188-ig-18072550532274140%20(1)-1.jpg?width=1200&length=1200&name=aces_catholic-Instagram-4188-ig-18072550532274140%20(1)-1.jpg) Peer-to-peer connection can make a new community feel personal. A student leader or classmate may be the first bridge between an incoming freshman and campus ministry.   ![umbc\_catholics-Instagram-4188-ig-18065883911453487-1](https://4720238.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/4720238/hubfs/umbc_catholics-Instagram-4188-ig-18065883911453487-1.jpg?width=1200&length=1200&name=umbc_catholics-Instagram-4188-ig-18065883911453487-1.jpg) Peer-to-peer connection can make a new community feel personal. A student leader or classmate may be the first bridge between an incoming freshman and campus ministry.   ![phoenixcatholic-Instagram-4188-ig-18005872334870916-1](https://4720238.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/4720238/hubfs/phoenixcatholic-Instagram-4188-ig-18005872334870916-1.jpg?width=1200&length=1200&name=phoenixcatholic-Instagram-4188-ig-18005872334870916-1.jpg) Peer-to-peer connection can make a new community feel personal. A student leader or classmate may be the first bridge between an incoming freshman and campus ministry.   ![catholicfalcons-Instagram-4188-ig-17897899266570196-1](https://4720238.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/4720238/hubfs/catholicfalcons-Instagram-4188-ig-17897899266570196-1.jpg?width=1200&length=1200&name=catholicfalcons-Instagram-4188-ig-17897899266570196-1.jpg) Peer-to-peer connection can make a new community feel personal. A student leader or classmate may be the first bridge between an incoming freshman and campus ministry.   ![lindenwoodcatholic-Instagram-4188-ig-18112036382095171-1](https://4720238.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/4720238/hubfs/lindenwoodcatholic-Instagram-4188-ig-18112036382095171-1.jpg?width=1200&length=1200&name=lindenwoodcatholic-Instagram-4188-ig-18112036382095171-1.jpg) Peer-to-peer connection can make a new community feel personal. A student leader or classmate may be the first bridge between an incoming freshman and campus ministry.   --- ##### Face-to-Face Community Still Matters Campus ministers mentioned Welcome Week events, orientation, tabling, Mass, social gatherings, and other in-person opportunities as important parts of their outreach. Digital communication helps make the introduction. But ultimately, the goal is not another email opened or text delivered. It is a student finding people. A community. A place to pray. A person who notices whether they come back. That distinction matters to everyone supporting this work.  --- ![Wash U Mass](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Wash%20U%20Mass.jpg?width=4000&height=3000&name=Wash%20U%20Mass.jpg) The goal is to help a young person find a Catholic community where faith, friendship, and a sense of belonging can continue to grow. --- ##### One Invitation Is Not Always Enough The snapshot also showed us something important: **reaching a student does not always mean the student will respond right away.** Campus ministries reported students who did not answer texts, emails, or calls—even when the contact information was correct. That does not mean the outreach failed. It reminds us that connection often takes more than one invitation. A freshman may overlook an August email and respond to an October text. They may walk past a campus ministry table during orientation and attend Mass with a friend a few weeks later. They may first learn about campus ministry through a social post, a student story, a peer invitation, or a Faith Forward message that reaches them at just the right moment. That is why Faith Forward begins before a student arrives on campus. By following the high school calendar, Newman Connection can introduce students to the idea of campus ministry throughout their senior year—through parish and school partners, diocesan youth events, Steubenville Conferences, social media, student stories, and other Faith Forward outreach. The goal is to make Catholic campus ministry familiar before the transition so that when an invitation comes from a campus minister or student leader, the student already understands what awaits them. In April 2027, that awareness will grow through the **first-ever Faith Forward Rally**, bringing together high school juniors and seniors, ministry leaders, partners, and supporters around a shared commitment to help young Catholics stay connected as they leave home. Faith Forward is not simply about passing along a name. It is about building a bridge between the Catholic community a student knows today and the community ready to welcome them next—and making sure the invitation does not disappear after the first attempt. ##### What We’re Carrying Forward for the Class of 2027 The Fall 2026 Snapshot is already helping inform the work ahead. This is how a national movement becomes personal. One school knows the senior. One parish has helped form them. A parent or grandparent wants to know someone will be there for them. A diocese helps bring communities together. A campus minister receives their name. A student leader sends the invitation. And donors and supporters make the outreach, resources, relationships, and systems behind that connection possible. Newman Connection works behind the scenes to help those communities connect.  --- ### ![Wash U Awakening](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Wash%20U%20Awakening.jpg?width=6000&height=4000&name=Wash%20U%20Awakening.jpg) This is what connection can become: students who arrive on campus knowing there is a Catholic community ready to receive them—and a community that continues to know them after the first invitation. --- ##### Our Work Begins for the Next Class Right now, members of the Class of 2027 are beginning their senior year. Graduation may still feel far away. But the relationships that can help carry their faith forward can begin now. What our Campus Ministry Partners are showing us this fall is that connection works best when it is early, personal, persistent, and rooted in real community. That is what thousands of Catholic partners, supporters, families, and ministry leaders are building together through Faith Forward. And it is what we will keep learning how to do better for the next student. Never let a student walk alone. ##### Help Move Faith Forward Whether you are a campus minister, diocesan leader, parish or school partner, parent, donor, or supporter, you are part of the network helping young Catholics stay connected during one of the most important transitions of their lives. ### Recommended Articles: [Campus Ministry](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/topic/campus-ministry) ##### [Creating Community and Faith: Catholic Campus Ministry at WashU](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/creating-community-and-faith-catholic-campus-ministry-at-washu) 22 Sep, 2026 ![Picture of Newman Connection](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/hubfs/%E2%80%A2%20LOGOS%20%E2%80%A2/Newman%20Connect%20App/Screenshot%202025-06-30%20at%208.28.46%20AM.png) [Newman Connection](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/author/newman-connection) [0 Comments](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/what-were-learning-from-this-falls#comments-listing) [Campus Ministry](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/topic/campus-ministry) ##### [Helping Catholic Students Stay Connected From High School to College](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/helping-catholic-students-stay-connected-from-high-school-to-college) 10 Sep, 2026 ![Picture of Mary Briganti](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/hubfs/e679026e-0d65-4c2f-b2ab-1db1d86c438d.jpeg) [Mary Briganti](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/author/mary-briganti) [0 Comments](https://blog.newmanconnection.org/what-were-learning-from-this-falls#comments-listing) ### Subscribe to our newsletter We hate spam. 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