PLNU Move In and Move Out Guide for Parents

Before you leave home

By the beginning of August your student can see an individual check in time in Student Workday, and a color coded check in ticket is mailed about two weeks before Welcome Week. Plan your drive or flight around that slot. The Welcome Week page says families who show up before their time will be asked to wait off campus.

PLNU allows two vehicles per student on move in day. Trailers, rental moving trucks, motorhomes, and RVs are not allowed on campus, and any extra vehicles park off campus. If you want to ship bedding or bulky items ahead, Mail Services asks that nothing be sent to campus until two weeks before the start of school.

Move in day

Check in runs from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Your student checks in at Nicholson Commons first, then heads to the assigned residence hall, where student workers help unload. First year students live in Hendricks, Klassen, or the lower floors of Nease.

Each new student can bring two guests at no charge, and guests must preregister. Parent programming runs Tuesday and Wednesday, including a general session for parents and guests on supporting your student's transition, the Covenant Service, and a residence hall open house Tuesday evening. Guest participation ends Wednesday, Aug 26.

Housing does not allow early move ins, because rooms are cleaned and inspected before residents arrive.

What the room includes

According to Residential Life, every room comes with a built in desk and chair, a trash and recycling bin, an extra long twin bed, mini blinds, a closet, and a dresser. Housing posts a What to Bring list as a PDF on The Housing Process page.

Check one rule before you buy furniture. To protect students from bed bugs, PLNU does not allow upholstered furniture that cannot fit into a university sized dryer, and students should pretreat any upholstered cushions they bring.

Move out

Residence halls close for the year at 3 p.m. on Sunday, May 9, 2027, the day after spring commencement weekend, according to the registrar's academic calendar. Halls also close at noon on Saturday, Dec 19 for Christmas break and at noon on Saturday, March 6 for spring break. The Housing Office emails residents with dates, instructions, and deadlines, so ask your student to forward that message when it lands. Spring 2027 finals run May 3 to 7. Residential Life also publishes a fines list as a PDF on the housing pages, and it is worth reading together before checkout.

Staying for summer is a separate process. Summer residents complete a summer housing application online and must move out of their summer room 24 hours after their classes or work contract ends. Summer housing questions go to housing@pointloma.edu.

Storage and shipping home

For summer storage, many families rent a self storage unit in San Diego or ship boxes home. PLNU Mail Services offers USPS, UPS, and FedEx shipping, and outgoing mail that reaches them by 2 p.m. goes out the same day, so a few boxes can be shipped from campus. For a full room, compare carrier rates and self storage prices well before finals week, when everyone is trying to book at once.