The University of Tulsa is kicking off a new semester by welcoming freshman students onto campus for move-in day.

TU is buzzing with excitement as hundreds of freshmen move in to start the year. Right off the bat, incoming freshmen and their families are bombarded with high energy as upperclassmen escort them onto campus.

"We're just trying to give them a warm welcome and welcome them home," says TU Senior Lynsey Mendenhall.

TU's President Brad Carson says around 600 students are moving in today.

"We're really a big family at TU, so we're trying to make sure the new students appreciate that," says Carson.

He says the school has the highest number of national Merit Scholars per capita this year.

"More than any university in the country, more than Harvard, MIT, Stanford, so we have a great student body," Carson says.

One of those scholars is psychology major Kelsey Kelly, who comes all the way from Maryland.

"I'm just really excited to start a new chapter in my life ya know, to do something new because I've never been to Oklahoma before this really," says Kelly.

Kelsey and her mom joined the flurry of students hauling in all the dorm room essentials.

"We brought a lot of things for my dorm room, we probably brought too many things," Kelsey says.

Her mom Jennifer is proud of her daughter and hopes she enjoys every moment of college life.

"I'm just excited to get Kelsey moved in, to meet her roommate, just experience college life and be on her own really for the first time," Jennifer says.

It's her first child to leave home, but she's more happy than anything.

"I think it's definitely gonna be different, we're excited for the opportunity that TU brings," she says.

All these new students will start class on August 22nd.