Moving in & out

First-year students will receive a specific window of time to arrive on campus and move in to their room on new student move-in day, Saturday, August 27. Check-in times will be staggered starting at 7 a.m. for Redding, South Academy, and Smyth, with all other buildings starting at 8 a.m.

The check-in window sent to students in their assignment time is the time students should aim to arrive on campus to pick up their key. This check-in window is designed to help ease traffic and congestion in the area and in the buildings.

Upper Division students (rising sophomores, juniors and seniors) will move in to their rooms on Sunday, August 28 between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. There are no assigned check-in time windows that day for returning students, but students must plan to arrive during the timeframe posted here.

What to Expect: 

1. Be sure to use our designated driving directions to get to your check-in location. This is critical to help with the traffic congestion of over 4,000 students arriving on campus.

2. Parking staff and University Police will direct you as you get closer to the building - follow their directions so you are able to get onto sidewalks and fire lanes closest to the building to unload.

3. Arrive at the check-in station at your building during your assigned check-in window. Specific check-in locations will be announced on our website and in the newsletters your in-hall staff will be sending out in August.

4. Students should go to the check-in station for the building while family and friends begin to unload the vehicle. Students should do everything possible to plan to unload vehicles within 20 minutes of arriving at the building.

5. Specific details of the process for picking up your key, ID card and any other applicable building access items are still in development, but we will update you here and via email with all the details you need to know before you arrive! 

6. Finish unloading your vehicle.

7. Once you are finished unloading, park your vehicle in a designated long term parking spot. We recommend that someone stays with your belongings while moving the car.

8. Bring items to your room assignment and unpack your belongings! We recommend that family and friends help with the moving and general set up, but that students take ownership of the unpacking, full set up, and decorating experience. 

9. Resident Assistants and live-in staff will be available at your assigned buildings to welcome you and answer any questions.

Students can report directly to their residence halls for move-in. Resident Assistant staff will distribute room keys in the posted main lounge for that area.

Check-in locations by building: 

• Gilbert: Gilbert Main Lounge

• Redding: Louis Redding Main Lounge

• Harrington: Harrington Commons Lounge

• Russell: Russell D/E Lounge

• Lane and Thompson: Lane/Thompson Yard (Rain Location: Lane Main Lounge)

• Smyth: Smyth Patio (Rain Location: Smyth Main Lounge)

• George Read North & South: Christiana Commons

• South Academy: South Academy Main Lounge

• James Smith: James Smith Main Lounge

• Thomas McKean: Thomas McKean Main Lounge

• Independence East & West: Independence West Main Lounge

• North Central (Brown/Sypherd/Harter/Sharp): The Green near Sypherd Hall (Rain Location: Sypherd Lounge)

• Sussex, Squire, Kent, Cannon, New Castle: Squire First Floor Lounge

• Caesar Rodney: Caesar Rodney Commons Lounge

• Courtyard Apartments: Courtyard Clubhouse

• Ray Street A, B, C: Ray Street A Main Lounge

First year students were sent a 30 minute check-in window of planned arrival. If you know now that you are not able to make the assigned time, please contact your Residence Hall Coordinator to request a different time for Saturday, August 27 during the move in day.   

Returning students do not have a check-in window but should plan to arrive between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Sunday, August 28.

Students are welcomed to purchase and install their own minifridges (less than 4.5 cubic feet) and microwaves (700 watts max). No more than one unit per room is permitted.

Many families enjoy the convenience of a rented microfridge. Campus Specialties Inc. provides MicroFridge rentals for all residence halls. All orders placed by August 1 will be delivered to your room prior to your arrival on campus. You can order even though you won’t receive your final room assignment until August - be sure to update your order with your room assignment once you receive it so you can be sure it arrives to the correct location before you come to campus.

Personal items:

• Twin XL bedding (for suite-style residence halls) or Full-size bedding (apartments), and pillows

• Towels/washcloths

• Clothing & shoes for rain, shine and possible snow!

• Coat hangers

• Shampoo, Soap, deodorant

• Toothbrush/toothpaste

• Bathmat

• Toilet Paper

• Laundry supplies (basket, detergent, etc)

• Personal and OTC medications

Cleaning Supplies:

• Bathroom cleaning supplies if living in a suite or apartment (Students in these spaces are responsible for cleaning their own bathrooms)
• Kitchen cleaning supplies (if in an apartment)

• Vacuums are available to sign out at RA offices, but uyou may also bring your own

• Disinfectant Surface Wipes

Appliances:

• Microwave no larger than 700 watts

• Refrigerator no larger than 4.5 cubic ft

• Or rent from mymicrofridge.com

Electronics:

• Laptop/Computer, charger

• Printer

• Surge Protector

• Desk Lamp

• Headphones with Mic

Consider:

• A few decorative Items

• Foods & snacks

• Bike/bike lock (for added safety, register your bicycle with Parking Services)

• Kitchen items, depending on room type

• Small tool kit

Prohibited Appliances:

Preventing fire and electrical hazards is a very important shared responsibility of each community member necessary to maintain a safe environment.

Residents must not use or possess the appliances/items listed below.

• Appliances containing exposed heating elements

• Space heaters

• Immersion coils for cups and mugs

• Hot plates

• Electric frying pans

• Toasters & Toaster Ovens (only exceptions are University Courtyard Apartments)

• Griddles

• Dishwashers (except those installed by the university)

• Indoor/outdoor grills of any kind including electric, gas or coal

• Microwaves that exceed 700 watts

• Large refrigerators (capacity greater than 4.5 cubic feet) and more than one refrigerator per room are not permitted

• Halogen lamps

• Extension cords without internal circuit breaker

• Portable or free standing air conditioning or dehumidifier units

• 3D Printers (3D printers may only be used in academic spaces)

Additional prohibited items: 

• Candles, electric candle warmers, incense and electric candle warmers.
• The University of Delaware is a Tobacco-Free campus. The use of all tobacco products, tobacco related products, and smoking, including E-cigarettes and vaporizors, is prohibited on University property including residence hall rooms, apartments, University grounds and public areas. Read the full policy here.
• The university does not permit bed lofts be they purchased or self-made. Students are permitted to utilize products frequently referred to as bed risers or furniture lifts which fit under the feet of the bed. These are only permitted under an individual bed, not under bunked beds. Most of these products are under 8 inches tall which provide the extra space desired for storage.

Each student in the room has a bed (XL twin for most of campus, full-sized in Apartment-style), a desk, a desk-chair, a wardrobe or closet/set of drawers, a waste basket and a recycling bin. The windows have built-in adjustable coverings (either blinds in apartments or roll-up shades in traditional and suite style buildings).

Students assigned to the room type “Triple Room (FY)” or “Triple Suite (FY)” should expect that two of the three beds are bunked with 3 full sets of furniture in the room. This is important for planning as underbed storage is less available.

In suite-style and apartment style rooms, residents are responsible for cleaning and supplying their bathrooms, though the shower is equipped with a plastic liner. In traditional-style rooms, the hall bathrooms are stocked with toilet paper and cleaned regularly by custodial services.

All rooms have ethernet access to the internet and secure wifi. University of Delaware does not provide or offer cable television. 

Traditional and suite style residence halls all have laundry facilities and access to a shared kitchen in the building.

There are several types of triple rooms on the campus. In your assignment email, you will find a box with the words “Room Type:”. If the word triple is part of the description, you may be wondering what your type of triple means.

Triple Room or Triple Suite: These are rooms which always house three students in the room or on each side of the suite. There are over 500 of these beds on campus. These rooms can have all beds on the floor. Yes, sometimes the space is tight, but the room is designed to have all of the furniture be placed on the floor. The square footage is large than the other triple room types listed below.

Triple Room (FY) or Triple Suite (FY): The “FY” notation means that these are triples in the newest first year residence halls. When these buildings were designed, they were built with larger student room square footage to be able to increase occupancy in a room depending on need. These buildings were also built with additional spaces in mind for the increased occupancy in the building including floor lounges and large common spaces (kitchens, laundry, etc.). These rooms are only located in buildings with air conditioning.

Early check-in for Fall 2022 is available for a fee to all students on Wednesday, August 24 between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.

The fee for early check-in is $50/night until the start of the standard check-in date for the student (Saturday, August 27 for first year students and Sunday, August 28 for returning/transfer students). Students affiliated with a university sponsored group may be eligible for a discounted rate and should contact their coordinator for information about fee payment.

First year students should keep in mind that Blue Hen Helper assistance will not be available during early check-in, and their dining plans will not be activated until August 27. For returning students, dining plans will not be activated until August 28.

To request an early check-in, please complete the Early Arrival Fall 2022 application within the Breaks & Early/Late Stays section of the My Housing portal by August 15.

Students who check in on Wednesday, August 24 can get their early check-in fee waived entirely by serving as a Blue Hen Helper during new student move-in on Saturday, August 27. Sign up to be a Blue Hen Helper under Forms within the My Housing portal now through mid-August.