Oxy Move In and Move Out Guide for Parents

Move in day

Oxy splits fall arrival in two. New students move in Monday, Aug. 17, 2026, and returning students come back Friday, Aug. 21. REHS emails each student their hall and roommate information once assignments are final.

On the day, your student checks in first, meets Orientation and REHS staff, and picks up their Oxy ID, which doubles as the electronic room key. They also get a campus map with directions to their hall. Each hall has its own drop off zone, so plan to unload quickly and then move the car to a designated parking area.

A few rules shape the morning:

• Only one vehicle per student is allowed in the unloading area.
• Unattended cars in unloading zones are towed, because of fire code.
• Families are asked to leave promptly once the car is empty so the next family can pull in.
• Parents and guests may not stay overnight on campus.

The first year halls

First year students live in Bell Young Hall (close to the Hameetman Science Center), Chilcott Hall (near Campus Dining), and Braun, Pauley and Stewart Cleland, better known as Stewie, all next to Anderson Field. Baldwin House and Berkus House also house some first years. Most first year rooms range from 10 by 13 feet to 12 by 14 feet, and Bell Young, Pauley and Stewie also have triples. REHS says all first year halls have air conditioning in student rooms, with Chilcott added as of fall 2025.

Oxy requires students to live on campus for their first three years, and upper class students choose the next year's rooms through Room Draw.

What the room has, and what to bring

Every room comes with a twin extra long bed frame and mattress, a desk, a desk chair, a dresser, and a micro fridge with microwave. Laundry is included in the cost of the room.

The REHS packing list suggests personal ID, a health insurance card, twin extra long linens, shower shoes, a wastebasket, hangers, laundry supplies, headphones, first aid items and over the counter medicine. The move in guide adds a fan or small evaporative cooler for halls without A/C.

Leave these at home, per REHS: appliances with heating elements or over 800 watts, candles, incense or oil burners, extension cords longer than 10 feet, torchiere style halogen lamps, hot plates, furniture, drum sets, speaker systems, barbecues, personal wireless routers, and pets other than fish in a tank of 5 gallons or less. The weapons ban includes Swiss Army knives.

Move out

Winter break. The halls close at 10 am Friday, Dec. 11, 2026. Students in most halls must leave campus but can keep their belongings in their room. Students who need to stay over break are moved to Newcomb Hall, and Newcomb's regular residents either take everything out or lock it in their closet. REHS is clear that retrieving forgotten items over the break is generally not possible, so remind your student to pack passports, laptops, car keys, medication and phones.

End of year. Non graduating students must be out by 10 am Saturday, May 8, 2027, the day after spring finals end. Graduating seniors have until 10 am Monday, May 17, the day after Commencement. REHS notes that leaving a big mess, like trash strewn around a common space, can lead to extra cleaning charges.

Storage and shipping over the summer

REHS does not offer any on campus storage, and students are responsible for their own belongings.

Other routes families use: shipping boxes home through UPS, FedEx or USPS, or renting a self storage unit near campus and moving things in before the halls close. For fall, the Postal Operations Center accepts mail and packages before move in day, so you can ship heavier items ahead to your student's campus mailbox. Oversized boxes go to the Postal Operations Center rather than the Amazon Lockers.