Arizona Move In and Move Out Guide for Parents

Before you head to Tucson

Arizona handles most of move in online. Your student completes pre arrival check in through the My UAHome portal, and that is where they pick a move in day and time slot and download the unloading dash pass. Print that pass and put it on the dashboard of whatever car is carrying their things. Housing then emails dorm specific unloading and parking maps, which are also posted on the Housing move in maps page.

For fall 2026, new students move in Aug. 18 to 20 and returning students Aug. 21 to 22. Approved housing and campus groups can arrive early on Aug. 15. Classes start Monday, Aug. 24, and fall rent is due that day.

If you are shipping boxes ahead, note that dorm front desks will not accept mail or packages until Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026.

Move in day

Drive straight to your student's assigned dorm. Housing sets aside 30 minute spaces for unloading and enforces the time limit so every family gets a turn. Streets around the dorms switch to one way traffic during move in, and Housing specifically advises against relying on Google Maps that week; follow parking staff and posted signs instead.

Once the car is empty, move it to a garage. For move in, Housing lists the Cherry, Tyndall, Park and Sixth Street garages as free.

University staff and student volunteers are on hand to answer questions, but Housing says staff cannot provide move in assistance, so bring a strong back or a hand truck. If your student needs a move in accommodation, call Housing at (520) 621-6501 or email housing@arizona.edu ahead of time.

What the room already has

Housing lists a twin XL bed and mattress (most beds are 80 inch extra long twin, with full beds in some dorms), a desk with chair, a closet or wardrobe, a dresser, a trash can and recycling bin, window blinds and a door peephole. Electricity, gas, water, air conditioning and heating are included in rent. Laundry machines cost $2.00 per wash and $1.60 per dry through the WASH app or a card. Students in suites or pods need their own toilet paper, paper towels and shower curtains, and Honors Village has its own kitchen and bathroom checklist. Housing also encourages packing light, because there is no extra storage in the dorms.

Leave these at home

Housing's prohibited list is worth reading before you shop. It includes candles, incense and candle warmers, space heaters, halogen lamps, toasters and other open coil appliances, Instant Pots, air fryers, hot pots and induction burners, full size refrigerators, adhesive LED light strips, nails and thumbtacks, extra mattresses, routers, wireless printers, 3D printers, electric scooters, e bikes and hoverboards. If your student needs an extra refrigerator for a medical or dietary reason, get in touch with Housing at (520) 621-6501.

Move out

Housing's FAQs say dorms close at 12 p.m. on the Friday at the end of each semester. For 2026 to 27 that means:

• Dec. 18, 2026 at noon for winter closure, except students approved for winter break housing
• May 14, 2027 at noon for the end of the year, except students in summer housing

If something makes that deadline impossible, Housing asks students to talk with their Community Director in advance. That conversation matters for graduating seniors, since commencement is the evening of May 14.

Housing's spring 2026 move out page gives a sense of what to expect. It called for mandatory wing meetings and a closing checklist, asked students to update their address in UAccess before the last day of classes because the dorms stopped accepting mail that day, and ran a donation drive called Dodge the Dumpster, with collection boxes in dorm lobbies for electronics, furniture, clothing, toiletries and unopened food. Watch for the spring 2027 version of that page.

Storage and shipping home

Because the dorms have no storage space, everything has to leave the room. That leaves a few routes:

• Store it in Tucson. Self storage facilities around Tucson rent units by the month, which works if your student can arrange a ride.
• Ship it home. USPS, UPS and FedEx all ship boxes from Tucson. Pack early, before finals week fills up.
• Drive it home. If you are coming for commencement or for move out anyway, plan the noon deadline into your hotel checkout and parking.