Hello, Ram Fam! The countdown to the Fall 2026 semester is on, and we’re excited to welcome new students to campus on Thursday, August 20, 2026, and returning Rams on Friday, August 21, 2026, and Saturday, August 22, 2026. Move-in day marks the start of your 'Week of Welcome' experience and the beginning of an unforgettable chapter at Thomas Jefferson University.
For returning University students, please navigate directly to Move-In Checklist below.
Thomas Jefferson University's 'Week of Welcome' will kickoff on Thursday, August 20, 2026, at 3:00pm where new TJU students will report to the Gallagher Athletic and Recreation Center for the Welcome Walk & Convocation. New Student Convocation is a ceremony where students are officially welcomed into the Thomas Jefferson community and celebrate the beginning of their academic journey.
August New Student Orientation (NSO) | Wednesday, August 19, 2026. This session is only for students and their guests who did not attend the NSO in July. Check-in for August NSO will begin at 9:30am in Kanbar Campus Center and the Welcome will begin at 10:30am. Students will be able to get their ID picture taken and receive it at the end of the program.
If you have any additional questions, please email tju_ef_studentengagement@jefferson.edu.
Students may review their housing assignment and roommate information by logging into the Housing Portal and clicking the "East Falls Housing" button, and then the “View My Roommate and Housing Information” button on the top left.
Note: Student's housing assignments are for the entire 2026-2027 academic year, but in the Housing Portal, it only reflects the Fall 2026 semester until we reach the Spring 2027 semester.
We recommend that students contact their roommate(s) to begin discussions around maximizing room space and to help avoid bringing multiple bulky items, like televisions and MicroFridges (microwave and refrigerator combination - see more information below under 'Residence Hall Room Details').
We recommend students reach out to their roommate(s) by first contacting them via their TJU email address found on the Housing Portal.
In order for students to pick up their residence hall room key, each resident must be in compliance with Student Health and Student Accounts. Students are only permitted to receive their residence hall room key when they are in compliance with both Student Health and Student Accounts.
To Double-Check Student Health Compliance:
In order for students to pick up their residence hall room key, each resident must be in compliance with Student Health and Student Accounts. Students are only permitted to receive their residence hall room key when they are in compliance with both Student Health and Student Accounts.
To Double-Check Student Accounts Compliance:
All students follow the correct path to view their statements, view daily transactions, or submit their payment in TouchNet, via BannerWeb:
New First-Year Residential Student & Transfer Student Move-In
Returning Student/Upper-Class Student Move-In: Day 1 of 2
Returning Student/Upper-Class Student Move-In: Day 2 of 2
Thursday, August 20, 2026
For Ronson, Mott, Partridge, and Fortess Residents:
For Scholler, Townhouse, and Independence Plaza Residents:
Please note: If students have their personal vehicle, we ask that they move their car to the Downs Parking Lot between 5:00pm-12:00am midnight on August 20, 2026.
Friday, August 21, 2026, & Saturday, August 22, 2026
For Scholler Residents:
For Townhouse Residents:
For Independence Plaza Residents:
If you are moving in on Friday, August 21, 2026, please move your vehicle to the Ravenhill Parking Lot to ensure the lots on Main Campus are clear for Saturday's move-in day. Any vehicle remaining in Townhouse, Scholler, or IP parking lots on Friday, August 21, after 9:00pm may be subject to fines and/or parking tickets.
As a reminder, all Residential First-Year and Sophomore students are not allowed to have vehicles on campus unless an appeal through Public Safety was approved.
In order to ensure a smooth move-in experience for all, the Office of Residential Life utilizes move-in time slots for all students. Each time slot is a designated window of time during which students should arrive, obtain their residence hall key, and begin unloading their vehicle.
To view their move-in time slot, students should visit the Housing Portal. Depending on availability, students may request to change their move-in time slot if they wish. In order to change their time slot, students must do the following:
The deadline for students to switch their time slot is August 3, 2026.
Please note that each day has a limited number of time slots available, and additional time slots will not be opened. Also, if students need to cancel their time slot, they must make sure to select a new one before August 3, or they will be assigned a new time slot automatically.
Thursday, 8/20, Dining Hours:
Thursday, 8/20, During Move-In:
Friday 8/21, Dining Hours:
Saturday, 8/22, Dining Hours:
Sunday, 8/23, Dining Hours:
Monday, 8/24, Dining Hours:
All Dining Locations open normal hours. Please visit the Dining webpage for more information. Follow TJU Dining on Instagram
Here is a suggested list of items to pack for your residence hall room:
The list below is not exhaustive; please refer to Residential Life Facilities Policies for more details. The following items are prohibited within on-campus housing:
Due to a limited amount of parking spaces on campus, first and second-year students - beginning Fall 2026 - are not permitted to have cars on campus. Any exceptions are at the discretion of the Department of Public Safety.
Need Public Safety?
Residential Life is not able to provide bins or dollies for move-in; we encourage families to bring them. However, there will be plenty of enthusiastic move-in volunteers ready to assist students with their belongings!
For move-in days (August 20-22), there will be extra dumpsters around campus that can accommodate students' discarded items. Those dumpster locations are as follows:
Every new student will receive their Jefferson Photo ID on their move-in day along with their residence hall room key.
Early Arrival students who are new to TJU will also receive their Jefferson Photo ID on their designated move-in day (see more information in the next section below).
Returning TJU students should remember to bring back their IDs from home for the Fall 2026 semester. More information can be found on this website about Jefferson Photo IDs.
All students who arrive to campus prior to move-in days (August 20-22, 2026), are considered Early Arrival students. Early Arrival groups may consist of student leaders, athletes, and other groups of students on campus.
Early Arrival groups must be approved by the Office of Residential Life and will receive confirmation emails. See more information below.
All Early Arrival groups (RAs, Building Managers, athletic teams, etc.) already have a set date/time of when they are allowed to move onto campus. Early Arrival Group Leaders (coaches, supervisors, etc.) have provided the Office of Residential Life with a list of all students who are a part of their group.
The Office of Residential Life will email each Early Arrival Group with move-in instructions around mid-July with the date and time that correspond to their group.
The Office of Residential Life is unfortunately not equipped to process any early arrival requests from students not a part of an Early Arrival Group. We appreciate everyone's understanding as there are a lot of moving parts this time of year.
Yes! In order for any Early Arrival students to pick up their residence hall room key, each resident must be in compliance with Student Health and Student Accounts. Students are only permitted to receive their residence hall room key when they are in compliance with both Student Health and Student Accounts.
All mattress dimensions are as follows: 38" x 80" extra-long twin bed.
Please note that bed lofting requests cannot be honored on move-in day due to the volume of activity in the halls. Requests will be scheduled after the start of classes and will continue to be accepted until October 1. After October 1, all requests must be approved by the Office of Residence Life before submission to the Facilities department.
Students in Fortess, Mott, Partridge, Ronson, and Scholler Halls can request to have their bed lofted to Level 2 after arriving on campus. Lofts are not permitted in the Townhouses or Independence Plaza, as all beds in Townhouses and Independence Plaza are set to the 3-foot height to allow for maximum storage.
All requests for bed lofting appointments must be submitted through a work order. Most beds are currently set at Level 1 as a default; work orders should only be submitted to request bed lofting at Level 2. At least one resident must be present at the time of the lofting appointment, and personal items should be cleared from the area in advance. Once the bed is lofted, it can only be de-lofted under extenuating circumstances.
To prevent making multiple service trips for bed adjustments, Facilities will accept one request per person unless there are extenuating circumstances.
Yes - all traditional residence halls have blinds that are pre-hung on the windows.
During the summer months, students receive rental information for refrigerators and refrigerator/microwave combination units through a non-University vendor, mymicrofridge.com. Refrigerators are available in a small refrigerator unit or a combination unit containing a refrigerator, freezer, and microwave.
Residents also have the option to bring their own refrigerator unit up to 4.3 cubic feet in size, but may only have microwaves offered through mymicrofridge.com. Residents in single and double rooms are only permitted one refrigerator per room. Residents in triple and quad rooms may have up to two 4.3 cubic feet refrigerators.
The deadline to have your MicoFridge delivered before move-in is August 1, 2026. Please order your MicroFridge before August 1 to ensure it is delivered before your arrival.
Residents of the Townhouses and Independence Plaza may bring their own microwave up to .6 cubic feet in size with a maximum of 700W cook and 300W defrost capability. Each Townhouse or apartment in Independence Plaza may only have one microwave, and it must be placed in the kitchen.
The only residence hall rooms with carpeting are in the Townhouses.
All other residence hall rooms (Fortess, Ronson, Mott, Partridge, Scholler, and Independence Plaza) have tile flooring.
Students are permitted to request to change their room assignment once our Open Room Change Process opens during the first week of September. No room changes will be processed over the summer months.
A major part of the undergraduate experience is to learn about and meet new people both inside and outside of the classroom. While this might be uncomfortable at first, we highly encourage students to be open to new experiences and to have the opportunity to get to know their new roommate(s) with curiosity and an open mind. Our residence life paraprofessional and professional staff will be there to support throughout the academic year if students ever need assistance navigating living on campus.
The Office of Residential Life will send information to students about our Open Room Change Process each semester. Residential Life reserves the right to approve or deny any room change request.
A Room Condition Report (RCR) is a document that records pre-existing conditions of each residents' space.
Residential Life staff will complete a Room Condition Report (RCR) prior to everyone's move-in date. Students are instructed to update their Room Condition Report upon moving in to include any damage not listed.
More information about RCRs will be sent to each student's email after move-in and will be communicated during students' first floor meetings.
No; students may begin receiving packages after being checked in. A notification will be sent to the student's Thomas Jefferson University email from the East Falls Mail Services when their package has arrived. The mailroom is located on the second floor of the Kanbar Campus Center as there are no student mailboxes in the residence halls.
Any mail or packages received outside of the academic year may be subject to being 'returned to sender.'
Once the academic year begins, students must use this format to receive mail and packages:
Student First and Last Name
Thomas Jefferson University/Mail Services
4201 Henry Avenue
Philadelphia, PA, 19144
This year, TJU is partnering with Storage Scholars to give students the option to ship everything directly to their residence hall room before they arrive on campus. Storage Scholars allows students to ship from home and to order directly from online stores and sent to campus. Communication regarding ordering Storage Scholars has been sent to the students' emails.
The East Falls Campus is conveniently located in East Falls, a neighborhood within the city of Philadelphia. Our campus is a short train or bus ride away from Center City and many other neighborhoods. We are close to many restaurants, stores, transportation centers, and city landmarks. We look forward to having you on campus!