First week for Wildcats: See our favorite moments
Video produced by UK Marketing and Strategic Communication. To view captions for this video, push play and click on the CC icon in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. If using a mobile device, click on the “thought bubble” in the same area.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 31, 2026) — Each August, the University of Kentucky campus comes alive again as students, faculty and staff begin a new academic year.
Photographers and videographers from UK Marketing and Strategic Communication traveled across campus to capture some of these moments from the first full week of the academic year.
View some of our favorite photos from the first week here.
And watch the video above to see highlights from the start of the new academic year.
To experience all the best moments on campus and across the Commonwealth throughout the year, be sure to engage with us on these University of Kentucky social media channels: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, X and TikTok.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and healthcare. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $1.02 billion research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.