Every year, a significant number of students, particularly international students, arrive on campus after standard orientation activities have concluded. In doing so, they miss their first real opportunity to access university services, meet their peers, and find their footing in a new city and university. And so, SUPRA Welcome Fair was built around the question: for students who missed O-Week, what more can we do?
We spent six months planning this one-stop late welcome event, free and open to all University of Sydney students. On the day, more than 1,000 students from across undergraduate, postgraduate, and HDR cohorts came through the doors! Vice-Chancellor Professor Mark Scott also attended in person to engage with students directly.
Participating stalls
The event brought together 28 stalls spanning student representative bodies, university service providers, and student clubs and societies.
In the student associations area, SUPRA and the Students’ Representative Council (SRC) jointly staffed a stall offering free casework and legal advice, which drew a steady stream of students throughout the day. SUPRA’s Equity Networks showcased SUPRA’s ongoing advocacy across equity, inclusion, and student welfare. The University of Sydney Union (USU), Sydney Uni Sport & Fitness (SUSF), and student newspaper Honi Soit also participated.
Among university services, the University of Sydney Library, Student Life and Wellbeing, and the Graduate Research School each had their own stalls. The National Student Ombudsman (NSO) and the NSW Department of Education were also present – a recognition by external government and regulatory bodies of Welcome Fair as a formal student services platform.
Twelve student clubs and societies also brought their energy to the event, representing a wide range of cultural, professional, and wellbeing communities: the Sydney University Chinese Students Association (SUCSA), Vietnamese International Students at Usyd (ViSUS), WASABI Japanese Cultural Society, Engineering International Students Association (EISA), Sydney Arts Students’ Society (SASS), Queer Revue, SoulXPress Hip Hop Society, USYD Women in Finance, USYD Robotics Club, Sydney University United Nations Society (SUUNS), USYD RunClub, and Sydney Uni Health Society (HealthSoc). For many new students, this was their first encounter with the breadth of student life on campus.
There was also a dedicated HDR area in the hall. The SUPRA HDR Network helped new HDR students build peer connections, while Graduate Research School staff answered questions on scholarship applications, supervision and enrolment. This kind of targeted support for research students is rarely seen at big welcome events at Usyd, and reflects SUPRA’s commitment to the distinct needs of the HDR community.
SUPRA also ran an International Student Employability Survey in partnership with professors from the Business School, collecting over 100 responses on the day. The SUPRA Volunteer Program and Social Impact Grants also attracted plenty of interest, with a number of students signing up on the spot.
On the day, SUPRA recorded more than 200 new member registrations, a single-day record, on top of already strong sign-ups across three consecutive days at O-Week.
A day of fun activity
The end of the Great Hall housed the entertainment and photo zones, which were two of the busiest spots of the day. There were four retro gaming consoles with consistent queues, and the ‘USYD 2026’ stage light installation and the photo booth both provided fun backdrops for photos throughout the day.
A passport stamp activity ran across the whole event, encouraging students to explore every ‘zone’ before joining the prize draw at the end of the day. The three major prizes – a Nintendo gaming console, an e-reader, and a film camera – drew real excitement, with winners receiving their prizes within two weeks of the event.
The afternoon closed with a genuine buzz, and students were quick to share their experience across social media platforms in the days that followed.
Feedback on the event
The day after the event, Vice-Chancellor Professor Mark Scott wrote to SUPRA to express his appreciation. He praised the enthusiasm, care, and professionalism on display at the event, and reflected that the atmosphere SUPRA had created left students feeling genuinely welcomed, supported, and excited about the road ahead. He attributed the success of the event to careful planning, strong teamwork, and a deep commitment to the student community.
Thank you!
We’re grateful for the help of our volunteers on the day – easy to spot in their bright green uniforms, they guided students through the layout of the hall, answered questions, and kept the energy warm and welcoming.
Thank you as well to every SUPRA team member who made this event possible, and to every department and society that joined us on the day.
Lastly, thank you all for coming along to SUPRA Welcome Fair 2026!
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