When you check-in
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.
If you cannot move in during your designated time
If you move-in outside of your designated move-in assignment time, 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.
What you will receive
Keys: You will be given your room and mailbox keys when you arrive to your building. The keys are assigned to you uniquely; avoid switching keys with a roommate. Report lost or stolen keys to your front desk immediately.
Red emergency backpack: New residents are provided with a red emergency backpack when they first check into their residential community. You will receive this at check-in if applicable. This comprehensive kit includes water, food rations and other emergency supplies. The contents will remain viable for several years. Please keep your red emergency backpack for as long as you live with us.
What to bring, what not to bring
To help you get started, please review our checklist on what to bring and what not to bring. We also suggest that you revisit the web page for your building. There you can take a virtual tour, view a floor plan, and find out about included furnishings.
You should bring
- Sheets, blankets, comforter
- Pillows and pillowcases
- Towels
- Surge protector and extension cord
- Toilet paper
- Cleaning supplies
- 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.
- 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 to use the UW streaming service)
What not to bring
To 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
How to avoid tripped breakers
When too many items are plugged into an outlet the breaker will trip. Power strips only add additional outlets they do not increase the amount of power from the outlet.
Please avoid this issue. Residents will be charged for repeated tripped breakers.
Order online to support resident programs
HFS has partnered with online vendors to make it easy to purchase or rent items for your room—and it directly benefits residents! Our Residential Life student leadership teams receive money from each purchase made and it is used for resident events and programs.
Connecting to the internet
We want to help you get connected to all the computing resources that the University provides to you. This guide is designed to help you connect your computer to the UW network.
Things to consider
Email communication: You are responsible for reading the information sent to your mailbox, posted on your room door, and/or sent by electronic communication to your UW email account by HFS. HFS will send most correspondence to applicants and residents via their UW email accounts. Please note that if you forward your UW email 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 senders
Obtain personal property insurance: You are encouraged to insure your personal belongings. Check with your family’s insurance policy to see if your possessions are covered under that policy or if you can get renters insurance added. If not, you may wish to purchase insurance offered by an independent company.
Authorize release of your information (FERPA): The Family Education Right and Privacy Act (FERPA) prevents us from releasing your information, including how much you owe on your housing account, to anyone other than yourself without your authorization. You may authorize HFS to release information about your housing account (e.g., to your parents/guardians) by supplying their names on your HFS student profile.
Note: HFS will not release room numbers to any unauthorized person including friends, parents and relatives.
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 residence halls 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.