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Housing & Food Services

Move-in for 12-month

Excited student jumping for joy during move-in

Apartment move-in process

12-month apartments move-in day is Sunday, September 10.

Get ready for an unforgettable adventure in your new Husky Home! We're thrilled to welcome you to campus and provide an environment where learning and growth know no bounds.

Are you unsure of what to pack? Review our checklist of items to pack for reference.

Apartment check-in

Please note: Directions to each apartment building are below on this website.

  • You will receive an email with your assignment information and a move-in appointment email from the HFS Student Services Office.
  • On your move-in day, make sure to check-in at the community you are moving into. You will be asked to present your Husky Card or another form of photo ID.
  • If you arrive to campus on Sunday, September 10 between 9:00am – 3:00pm, you can proceed directly to your building to pick up your keys. 
  • Once you receive your room and mailbox keys (where applicable), you may begin moving into your space right away. 

If you cannot move in during your designated time

If you move-in outside of your designated move-in assignment time between 9:00am – 3:00pm, please check in and pick up your keys at your front desk:

  • Residents in Cedar Apartments and Mercer Court check in at the Lander Desk
  • Residents in Nordheim Court check in at the Nordheim Desk.

Apartment Tips

Don’t let those must-have shopping lists distract you, only bring the basics that you’ll need. It’s easier to scale up than get rid of items you never used. We suggest that you revisit the webpage for your building. There you can take a virtual tour, view a floor plan, and find out about the included furnishings.

What to bring

  • Sheets, blankets, comforter
  • Pillows and pillowcases
  • Towels
  • Surge protector and extension cord
  • Toilet paper (except Hansee and McMahon)
  • Cleaning supplies
  • McMahon Hall residents: Wi-Fi router and Ethernet cable
  • Apartment residents: kitchen supplies, (pots, pans, utensils)

Coordinate larger items with your roommates

Coordinate larger items with your roommates so you don’t bring duplicates. The less you bring, the more space you’ll have in your room and the less items you will need to figure out how to dispose of when you move out! Remember, everything you bring with you, you’ll need to take out at the end of the year.

  • Refrigerator (4.4 cubic feet or less)
  • Microwave (700 watt maximum)
  • Television (Residents in McCarty Hall, Madrona Hall, Willow Hall, or Oak Hall will need a smart TV or internet-ready streaming device)

What not to bring

To help keep you and your fellow Huskies safe, the following items are prohibited:

  • Halogen lamps
  • Space heaters
  • Air conditioners
  • All open-flame appliances (e.g., fondue pots)
  • Open-coil appliances (e.g., toasters, toaster ovens)
  • Full-size appliances
  • Dishwashers
  • Bidets or water spray hoses
  • Wait until you move in to decide if you need a mattress topper. These items cannot be recycled or donated when you are done with them, so they end up in the landfill. 

Shipping items prior to move-in 

  • Packages can be sent to your residential community up to seven days prior to your scheduled move-in. You can find your mailing address on your building's webpage. Please consider that the residential buildings will receive thousands of packages around move-in. Bringing items with you when you move in will help you avoid the lines and waiting associated with package pickup.
  • You will receive a notification to your UW email from HFS Desk Services when your front desk receives your package. Please make sure to add deskservices@hfs.washington.edu as an accepted sender in your email. Upon move-in, any packages that were not previously delivered to your room will be available for pickup at your residence hall’s front desk. Check the contact us page for your desk's contacts and location.
  • When you arrive at your designated check-in area, you will be directed to the check-in location for your building. You will be asked for your Husky Card or another form of photo ID to receive your room and mailbox keys. 
  • The Husky Card is your key card for access to your building. If you don’t receive your card before you move in, you will need to obtain one from the Husky Card Account & ID Center (Husky Card Office), located on the ground floor of Odegaard Undergraduate Library. Please check their current operating hours.

Order online to support resident programs  

Gear up for an effortless Move-in with HFS exclusive online vendor partnerships—score awesome items for your room before you even set foot on campus! And here's the cherry on top: when you shop through these vendors, you're not only benefiting yourself but also fueling the excitement of our Residential Life student leadership teams, who use the proceeds to create epic resident events and programs. So, shop smart, and let's elevate your college experience together.

Connecting to the internet

Unleash the full potential of your tech-savvy self with our exclusive computing resources at the UW. Check out the ultimate guide on connecting to the UW network.

Guests and vehicles

Let's make Move-in day a breeze! We encourage residents moving in to limit themselves to one vehicle while moving in belongings. Please remember to secure your belongings when packing up your vehicle for the big move! For more information on securing your load, read these tips.

To guarantee a smooth and efficient experience, bring along a maximum of two awesome guests when you arrive at your new Husky Home. Let’s rock this Move-in together.

Directions to your check-in area

  • Drive to your check-in area using the directions below
  • Retrieve keys and a cart to assist with your move-in from the designated check-in area below:

    • Mercer Court D/E—Mercer Great Room 

    • Cedar—Cedar East Lobby 

  • Once you unload, if you wish to stay on campus you must move your vehicle to the available on-campus self-serve parking lots.
  • Lander Desk will be open from 7 am to 10 pm.
  • The Nordheim Desk will be open from 8 am to 5 pm.
Building Directions

Cedar Apartments

  1. Take exit 169.
  2. Take the NE 45th Street exit and proceed east on NE 45th Street towards the University of Washington.
  3. Move to the right lane as soon as possible and turn right onto 12th Ave NE
  4. Proceed straight for a couple blocks, then turn right onto NE 41st Street. Cedar Apartments will be on your right.

Mercer Court Buildings D & E

  1. Take exit 169.
  2. Take the NE 45th Street exit and proceed east on NE 45th Street toward the University of Washington.
  3. Move to the right lane, then turn right onto 15th Ave NE.
  4. Proceed straight for 5 blocks then turn right onto NE Pacific Street.
  5. Proceed straight past Brooklyn Ave NE and then turn right into the Mercer Court parking garage W39.
Nordheim Court
  1. Take exit 169.
  2. Take the NE 45th Street exit and proceed east on NE 45th Street toward the University of Washington.
  3. After a couple of blocks, move to the right lane.
  4. Continue on NE 45th Street past the main campus entrance and down the hill toward University Village. 
  5. Stay in the right lane. At the Y at the bottom of the hill, keep right and turn right on to Montlake Boulevard.
  6. Almost immediately, turn right on to NE 44th Street.
  7. At the first light, take a right on to 25th Avenue NE.
  8. Just past University Village you will arrive to Nordheim Court (on your right).

Privacy and safety

Resident safety is one of the UW’s highest priorities. Our safety policy was developed in conjunction with UW regulations and Washington State statutes regarding student privacy. HFS will not, under any circumstances, release room numbers or telephone numbers to any unauthorized person including friends, parents, and relatives. Although this policy may seem inconvenient at times, it provides residents protection and a secure living environment within the UW. We encourage students to make sure their families and friends have their address, as well as their room and telephone numbers.

Communications from HFS

Stay in the loop and never miss out on important updates. Be sure to keep an eye on your mailbox, room door, and UW email account for essential information! It is your responsibility to read the important information HFS provides to you. 

  • HFS will send most correspondence to applicants and residents via their UW email accounts. Be aware that if your email is forwarded to a different account, it may be filtered, refused or treated as spam.
  • HFS is not responsible for emails not received. To ensure delivery of emails from HFS to your email inbox, add hfsinfo@uw.edu, deskservices@uw.edu and wrproc@uw.edu to your email address book or list of approved contacts.
  • You may also receive emails from Residential Life staff members, such as your Resident Adviser or Community Manager.

Your personal information

The Family Education Right and Privacy Act (FERPA) prevents us from releasing your information to anyone other than yourself without your authorization. This includes how much you owe on your housing account.

You may authorize HFS to release information about your housing account (e.g., to your parents/guardians) by supplying their names on your Student Personal Services page.

Consider renters insurance

You can protect your belongings and ease your worries by ensuring you have insurance coverage for your property. Check with your family's insurance policy or explore the option of adding renters’ insurance for extra protection. If needed, consider independent insurance plans tailored to suit your needs.