UCSB Move In and Move Out Guide for Parents

Fall move in, hall by hall

UCSB staggers residence hall move in across three days. For fall 2026 it ran Friday to Sunday, Sept 18 to 20:

• Fri, Sept 18: Manzanita Village, Santa Catalina, San Rafael (limited move in elsewhere)
• Sat, Sept 19: Anacapa, Manzanita Village, Santa Catalina, San Nicolas
• Sun, Sept 20: Manzanita Village (Cienega and Tecolote only), Santa Catalina, Santa Cruz, San Miguel, San Rafael

Students get their assignment letter in mid August with a link to choose a move in time, and they can change that time from the same link without calling Housing. Unloading runs from 9am to 5pm on the assigned day.

Check in and unloading

Bring photo ID, a phone to scan the check in QR code, and the printed unloading voucher from the assignment email. Check in spots by building:

• Anacapa and Santa Cruz: corner of Lagoon Road and Channel Islands Road
• San Nicolas and San Miguel: the lawn between the two buildings
• Manzanita Village and San Rafael: Parking Lot 23
• Santa Catalina: Parking Lot 60, 671 Storke Road, Isla Vista

The voucher only works from 9am to 5pm on your assigned day, and Housing allows no return trips, so pack the car with that in mind. Carts are limited and first come, first served; a folding hand truck or dolly saves a lot of waiting. After unloading, families park in Parking Structure 10, with shuttle buses back to the halls (Anacapa, Santa Cruz, San Miguel, San Nicolas), Parking Structure 22 (Manzanita Village, San Rafael), or Lot 16 and Structure 18 with a shuttle (Santa Catalina).

First year students are not eligible for a housing area parking permit, so plan on the car going home with you.

What the room has and what to leave home

Each resident gets an extra large twin bed, desk, chair, dresser, mirror, towel bar, wastebasket and drapes. Housing's packing list adds bedding and a mattress cover, towels, a bathrobe and shower shoes, a toiletries caddy, layers, a laundry hamper and detergent. A bike with a helmet, U lock and light is on the optional list, along with rain gear, a small fan and a refrigerator no bigger than 4.5 cubic feet.

Leave behind cooking appliances such as microwaves, hot plates, coffee pots, toasters and rice cookers, plus halogen, torchiere and incandescent lamps, alcohol, and empty alcohol containers used as decorations. Do not ship boxes ahead: the halls are locked before move in, and packages addressed before move in day are returned as undeliverable.

Move out at the end of spring

Spring 2027 move out details are not posted yet. For reference, the 2026 rule was out by 10am on Saturday, June 13. Housing recommends moving out after your student's last final and before Saturday, to avoid congestion on campus.

Before leaving, students clean and vacuum, put furniture back where it started, complete the Damage/Cleaning Charge Agreement with roommates, and return keys by the deadline; an unreturned bedroom key brings a $50 rekey fee. Graduating seniors and students working commencement can request a late move out through a form in the move out email. Bikes left behind are tagged in late June and impounded in early July, and getting one back costs $24 plus $10 if it was never registered (CSO office, (805) 893-5293).

Parking is easier with a one hour Move Out Parking Permit, $3 from the machines in Lots 4, 5, 6 and 9. At Santa Catalina, curbside loading runs Wednesday to Friday 7am to 7pm and Saturday 7am to noon.

Donating, storing and shipping

Surplus Sales sets out donation containers at the residence halls, the apartments and Embarcadero Hall for clothing, furniture, electronics, household goods, toiletries, books and nonperishable food.

For anything coming back in the fall, families generally choose among three routes: a summer storage service, a self storage unit in the Goleta area, or shipping boxes home through USPS, UPS or FedEx. The UCen Post Office handles USPS only. Students who need a few extra nights in June can apply for June Temporary Housing through Conference & Hospitality Services.