Welcome from the Residential Communities team- Transfer Student
This message was sent Chris Ossont for our new transfer students on July 11, 2025
Hello and welcome from the Residential Communities team in the Office of Student Engagement!
My name is Chris, and I serve as the Director of Residential Communities. My role at Swarthmore is to help you navigate the residential experience and serve as a resource. Our focus in Residential Communities is to provide residents with an experience that fosters relationships, encourages personal growth, and provides platforms for students to be their authentic selves. The Area Coordinators, Resident Assistants, and I are excited to have you join us this fall for what we know will be an engaging and transformative year for our students!
As you prepare for Orientation and settle in on campus, we would like to share with you all the important information you will need to be successful during your first few weeks, along with some helpful tips and tricks for a smooth transition. We ask that you read through this email and share it with people who will accompany you on your trip to Swarthmore.
Let’s start with the important updates: Housing and Move-In:
Fall 2025 Housing Assignments: Around the last week of July, you will receive a message from housing@swarthmore.edu with your Fall 2025/Spring 2026 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. 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.
The where and what of your dorm/room: You will be assigned a room that is appropriate to your class year. Each residence hall room will include, for each student, a XL twin bed, dresser, closet or wardrobe, and a desk and chair. For shared use, residents will have either corridor style or single user bathrooms, air conditioned common lounges, study spaces, and a kitchen.
It is important to note that not every hall has the same general/room amenities such as Air Conditioning in each room or an elevator. For buildings without AC in individual rooms, there is at least one common space that has air conditioning during the College’s cooling season. More information about residence hall bathrooms and other amenities can be found here. .
Your Housing Portal and Access: At the moment, you are not able to log into the housing portal and see housing information. This is because we are in the middle of the billing process and remove viewing access while bills are generated. Once you are able to log in again you will likely see “TEMP ###” listed as your housing assignment. This is a temporary designation put in place for billing purposes; your Fall 2025 housing assignment will be visible in the next few weeks. Please note that the room that is listed as your temp room is not the room that you are assigned to.
In some cases you may be assigned to a room and then administratively moved by our staff to a different housing assignment. This can happen for a number of reasons including adjustments made for housing accommodations, college initiatives, or unforeseen circumstances like maintenance or changes to the size of the Class of 2029. We do not do this lightly as we know students get excited about their rooms and begin planning early on what the space will look like. Additionally we try to give as much notice as possible via the housing portal when a change is made. If you’re housing assignment changes after you receive it, we will be in contact with this information.
Disability Housing Accommodations: Student Disability Services and the Office of Student Engagement are happy to work with students with documented disabilities to identify appropriate accommodations in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (amended 2008), Section 504 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Fair Housing Act The process for requesting accommodations can be found on the Student Disabilities Services website.
For individuals with housing accommodations already approved by Student Disability Services, your accommodations will be met in your placement and you will receive a room assignment that meets your approved accommodations. If you request and receive an accommodation approval AFTER your assignment has been issued, housing will work with you to the best of our ability to place you in a room/dorm that meets your accommodations. Accommodations are always subject to availability of housing stock at the time of approval, and may not be available before move-in.
Let’s Talk about Move-In Day: Most new students will arrive on Tuesday, August 26, 2025, between 8:00am and 12:00pm. After you receive your housing assignment in late-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 25th and stay in off-campus lodging. Some general travel information and local accommodation links can be found here.
On Tuesday, August 26, 2025, 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. We will also have a team of Swarthmore volunteers and student leaders to get you squared away for your first few days.
What if I need to be at Swarthmore Early for a Pre-Orientation Obligation: Students who are participating in certain pre-orientation programs will be allowed to come to campus prior to new student orientation. Students participating in pre-orientation programs will receive information directly from their ‘sponsor’ (person coordinating their pre-orientation program) about move-in.
If you are part of any of the programs listed below, please do not make travel plans until you receive confirmation about your arrival date.
Fall Sports (M/W Cross Country, M/W Soccer, Golf, Field Hockey, Tennis)
Evan’s Scholars
FLI Pop
International Student Orientation
Summer Social Justice Institute
Orientation Week: Our Orientation Steering Committee is busy working to prepare a robust and engaging in-person Orientation program for the Class of 2029 and new transfer students! In mid-July they will update the online schedule to include some detailed information about Day 1 (August 26, 2025), and more general information about Wednesday-Sunday 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 '29
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 18th, 2025. 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. And, of course, if you participate in any early return programs your dates will vary. 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. Please be on the lookout for your housing information in the next few weeks and the updated Orientation schedule shortly thereafter.
