Spring 2026 New Resident Move-In
Arrival Dates
The spring academic semester starts on Monday, January 26. You will select an arrival
date between January 5 and January 25 in your housing application. Your move-in time
will be between 1 PM - 4 PM on the date you select. If you experience a travel delay,
you can contact your area office to schedule a late 8 PM - 9 PM arrival.
- New international undergraduate students should select an arrival no later than Wednesday,
January 21.
- New domestic undergraduate students should select an arrival no later than Thursday,
January 22.
- Undergraduate housing is billed by the spring housing term. There is no additional
charge or credit to your account based on the arrival date you select.
- Graduate housing is billed monthly and charged based on the date of the first arrival and no later than Sunday, January 25 even if the student arrives late.
Any arrival dates requested earlier than the original arrival date are subject to
approval and possible reassignment due to room readiness needs. Contact your area office to check availability.
If you are arriving later than January 25, request a late arrival. Late check-ins may be requested through the “Late Arrival Request Form” found in the Housing Portal. Please click on the “Assignment Confirmation” page
to find the link to the form. Failure to request a late check-in will result in the
forfeiture of your assignment. Late check-in requests cannot be held longer than the
weekend after the end of Late Registration. Students needing to arrive later than
the end of Late Registration must use the Housing Waitlist to obtain on-campus housing
if it is still available.
Packing Tips
Special Tips for Out-of-State and Out-of-Area Students
Residents have the ability to receive mail on campus. During the start of the semester, the mailroom operation experiences peak utilization, therefore, it is strongly encouraged that students wait to ship large items so that the item arrives after the student reaches campus. Please note that we are unable to receive packages for individuals not currently residing on campus. The delivery of extremely large items requiring freight or other carrier delivery services, such as auto parts or furniture, will be refused.
For more information, please visit our Mail Services webpage.
Finding Your New Home
All buildings at Stony Brook University can be searched for on services such as Google and Apple Maps in order to find walking and driving directions.
Finding Your Check-In Location
Most spring new student arrivals will check in at the area office between 1 PM - 4 PM. On weekends or a scheduled late arrival between 8 PM - 9 PM will be with the RA on duty. Area Office and RA on duty information can be found on our Contact Us website.
Arriving on weekends and holidays 1 PM - 4 PM, or area office approved 8 PM - 9 PM late check-in:
For apartment areas, you will continue to check in at your area office. For all residence halls, check-in will typically be at your building through the RA on duty. Contact your RA on duty upon arrival. The phone number for the RA on duty can be found by clicking the More Info! button underneath your community’s area information:
Offices are closed on Monday, January 19, 2026, for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
Move-In Process
Upon arrival on campus, you should report to your check-in tent located in your residential community. At the location, you will be required to:
-
Have two copies of your check-in pass, one to bring to check-in and one to place on your vehicle's dashboard. You can print your pass in the Housing Portal "Assignment Confirmation" page for your most current move-in date and time.
-
Bring photo ID (Stony Brook ID, driver's license, passport, etc.)
Guest Assistance:
- You are limited to two additional people (in addition to yourself) to assist you during move-in.
- The maximum occupancy per room during move-in is three people total—yourself plus two others.
- For this reason, the University strongly recommends not traveling to campus with multiple family members, as they will not be permitted to enter the building.
- Unauthorized animals or pets are not permitted in the residence halls at any time, including during move-in.
Vehicle at Move-in:
- Arrive with only one vehicle and do not leave it unattended in non-designated areas.
- You may park near a residential building for up to 15 minutes to unload.
- Once your items are unloaded, immediately move your vehicle to an appropriate parking lot.
- All residents bringing a vehicle must print two copies of their check-in pass. One copy must be displayed on the dashboard to assist staff in locating you if needed.
- Trailers are not permitted during move-in.
- Do not park in handicapped spaces (unless authorized), metered spots, or faculty/staff lots.
Important Move-In Note:
- Please note that our residential communities remain open during winter break, and your assigned room, suite, or apartment may already be partially occupied by current residents.
- Our top priority is ensuring that your personal space is ready for your arrival at move-in.
- We appreciate your patience if staff need to return to your unit to address any common area issues, especially if a situation arises after our initial inspection and cleaning.
- For any urgent concerns, please contact your area office or speak with a building staff member, we’ll do our best to support you.
Roommate Agreement
This agreement will be created by your RA, who will work with you and your roommates and/or suitemates to set agreed-upon common rules. Please reach out to your RA if you have any questions.
Other Services
Reporting a Problem
If, for any reason, you should experience issues requiring maintenance, use FIXIT to submit work requests for maintenance, repairs involving pre-existing infrastructure, sign requests, or special events set up. Once you submit a request, you will receive email updates with the status of the request. If you have any questions, please contact your area office. For any problems with washers and dryers, please contact your RA or residential staff member to report the problem.