Housing Information for the Class of 2026

This housing email came from Rachel Head, Associate Dean of Students & Director of Student Engagement on July 12, 2022

Welcome to Swarthmore and the Class of 2026!!

You are receiving this email as you are registered to arrive on campus for new student orientation in August and we are eager to meet you and help get you settled on campus! We are looking forward to your arrival and have been working hard the past several months to get campus ready for a fully residential experience in the Fall 2022.  We are sending this email to students but please feel free to forward this message to those who may be helping you plan for your arrival and/or those who might be accompanying you on your trip to Swarthmore.

A few important updates about housing and move-in:

Fall 2022 Housing Assignments: In the next 1-2 weeks, you will receive a message from housing@swarthmore.edu with your Fall 2022/Spring 2023 housing assignment.  In that email, you will also receive information about how to connect with your Area Coordinator (AC), a professional staff member assigned to each residence hall, who can assist you with dorm specific questions and move-in inquiries. All first-year students should expect to live in a double room, triple room or quad room, unless otherwise approved by Student Disability Services.  During your time at Swarthmore, you will likely live in doubles/triples during your first 2-3 years, and a single your senior year.  Some juniors will have singles.   We will assign your roommate(s) based on the information provided in your housing questionnaire submitted earlier this term.

As of July 11, we are still missing about 10 new student housing questionnaires! We cannot finalize housing assignments until all new students submit their application. If you do not remember completing a questionnaire please be in contact asap so we can check your status.

If you log into the housing portal you will likely see “TEMP ###” listed as your housing assignment. This is a temporary designation put in place for billing purposes; your Fall 2022 housing assignment will be visible in the next few weeks. 

Move-In Day:  Most new students will arrive on Tuesday, August 23, 2022, between 8:00am and 12:00pm.   After you receive your housing assignment in mid-July you will be able to select the move-in time that works best for you and your family.   

If you will need to travel more than just a few hours to get to campus, you may wish to arrive on the 22nd and stay in off-campus lodging. Some general travel information and local accommodation links can be found here. 

On Tuesday, August 23, 2022, you will be able to move-in directly to your residence hall and we will have volunteers who can help assist you with moving your items into your room.  Students are allowed to bring guests to assist them with move-in; please note that all guests will be expected to abide by the College's COVID policies at the time of arrival.  As we continue to monitor the trajectory of the COVID-19 virus, guidance on masking and entering residential buildings is subject to change.  We ask for your patience and understanding as we prepare for your arrival, and understand that we may need to limit guests physically going into the residence halls if local or state guidance requires that.

Women’s Soccer (sponsor: Athletics)

Field Hockey (sponsor: Athletics)

Volleyball (sponsor: Athletics)

Cross Country (sponsor: Athletics)

Swarthmore Social Justice Institute (sponsor: Dean Imaani El-Burki)

S3P Scholars (sponsor: S3P faculty and Dean Karen Henry)

If you are part of any of the above programs please do not make travel plans until you receive confirmation about your arrival date. 

Orientation Schedule: Our Orientation Steering Committee is busy working to prepare a robust and engaging in-person Orientation program for the Class of 2026!!   In mid-July they will update the online schedule to include some detailed information about Day 1 (August 23, 2022), and more general information about Wednesday-Saturday Orientation week.    

Packing Tips: A note about packing: we encourage you to pack light and bring less than you think you may need.  We often find that students overpack and bring items that they don't end up using once they get here, which can then present storage problems at the end of the Spring term.  Some general guidance on what to bring can be found here.  Information on what not to bring can be found here. If in doubt, please ask and we will be happy to let you know whether certain items are not ideal to bring. Please note that the College runs regular weekly shuttles to local shopping and grocery centers, and that you may want to plan for shopping trips once you get settled and meet your roommate(s).

Mailing Address: As a reminder, you will have the same mailing address all four years at Swarthmore.  All mail and packages are delivered to a central location (Parrish Hall) and students may pick items up from the mailroom during regular business hours. To receive mail or packages please use the following address:

Your Name '26

500 College Avenue

Swarthmore, PA 19081

The College post office can begin accepting mail and packages for students ONE WEEK ahead of your move-in date. Please plan on packages arriving no earlier than Monday, August 15th, 2022  Please note: packages are centrally delivered to Parrish Hall and not delivered directly to residence halls. Students are responsible for transporting packages from Parrish to their assigned residence hall room. 

Future Move-In and Move-Out Dates: for your convenience, we have pulled together the likely move-in and move-out dates for your four years at Swarthmore. These dates are subject to change if the operations of the College change and/or we have changing facilities needs.  Please review this page for more information.   As a reminder, all residence halls remain OPEN during Fall and Spring Breaks but all residence halls CLOSE during the winter and summer breaks.  All students, including international students, are expected to depart campus during the winter and summer break periods. 

We're excited to welcome you in just six weeks!! We know that this is a busy time for many families, and we hope that you are looking forward to coming to Swarthmore next month. We are busy preparing campus and the residence halls for your arrival.   I know that the pandemic has thrown many hurdles into all of our lives, and I am truly thankful and excited that we will get to meet you in-person in the Fall and welcome you to your new home at Swarthmore.  Please be on the lookout for your housing information in the next few weeks and the updated Orientation schedule shortly thereafter. 

take care and see you soon,

Rachel