Austin Community College District’s (ACC) campuses were buzzing with activity as students returned for the first week of the fall 2025 semester. Nearly 44,000 students were enrolled this fall on the first day of classes — up about 10% from last fall.
Our students were greeted with smiles and assistance from our Welcome Riverbats employee volunteers. More than 900 employees signed up to fill volunteer shifts across all our campuses on the first two days of the semester. That’s up from 402 volunteers in the spring semester and 379 from last fall.
The increase in volunteers corresponds to the start of a new tradition for employees — Calendar Blackout Days. During this two-day calendar blackout period at the beginning of every academic semester, internal meetings, trainings, and non-essential College-hosted events are paused so employees can focus entirely on welcoming and supporting our students.
This semester also brought about new and expanded initiatives and resources to help all students succeed. This includes:
- Improvements in wayfinding, including new signage and digital maps to make navigating campuses easier.
- New Riverbat Bites Food Pantries on every campus to help students facing food insecurity.
- The inaugural Community Assistance, Resources & Empowerment (C.A.R.E.) Network Center at Round Rock Campus, which co-locates student advocates, mental health counselors, a food pantry, and community resource navigation in one accessible space.
Read more about ACC’s enhanced resources to support students this fall here.
View a slideshow of photos from the first week of the fall 2025 semester below.
