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Hello everyone! Hope you all are enjoying your summer break! I’ve been getting a lot of messages asking questions regarding move in information for undergraduate students. So here is a very long Q&A that should answer most questions and tell you everything you need to know about move in and Week 0. If you have any more information that might be helpful please feel free to add it below! This post is separated into sections so that it may be easier to find information. I recommend at least skimming through everything, but you do you.
- Section 1: Move In
- Section 2: Roommates
- Section 3: Furniture
- Section 4: Fridge and Microwave
- Section 5: Meal Plan
- Section 6: Bruin Bill & Housing Payments
- Section 7: Parking
- Section 8: Fees
- Section 9: Welcome Week
- Section 10: Tips & Recommendations
MOVE IN:
When is move in? - Move in will begin for the University Apartments on Saturday, September 14, while on-campus move in will begin Wednesday, September 18.
When and where will I get my move in time? - UCLA will send you an email with a link to a portal where you will get your specific room information. In the email, you will be assigned a specific date and time in mid-August to early September (depending on what building you are in).
Do I absolutely have to move in at the exact time I am given? - No, you do not! You can move in whenever as long as it’s the same day or anytime after.
How do I change my move in time? - You can make a change in the StarRez housing portal to request a new move in time when it opens. Keep in mind that for every day earlier than your assigned move in time that you request to stay, you will have to pay a fee, which covers the stay and a meal plan.
We pulled up to the campus! Now what do we do? - You will pull up to the parking lot closest to your residential building and go to the front desk. At the front desk, make sure to activate your Bruin card and check out a cart. If the front desk is too busy, you can also activate your card at one of the booths/stands nearest to your residential building. Once that’s done, you can find a move in assistant to help you with your cart. You are welcome to do it all by yourself as well, but just know that there will be move in assistants everywhere to help you out! When you're done moving in your stuff, return the cart and wave your family goodbye! You are all checked in. That’s all there is to the process.
What is a move in assistant? - Move in assistants are students who volunteer to help with moving people in. Move in assistants are not technically allowed to touch your stuff. They are there to assist you in moving your cart and help you find where you need to go.
Important Date Reminder! * Move in Email: Mid-August to Early September * On-Campus Move in Starts: Wednesday, September 18 * Off-Campus Move in Starts: Saturday, September 14 * Last “Official” Move in Day: Saturday, September 21 * Quarter Begins: Monday, September 23 * Instruction Begins: Thursday, September 26
ROOMMATES:
When and where will I receive my official roommate information? - You will receive your official roommate information at the same time and place as your move in information. UCLA always sends out an email with a portal containing your room information, roommates, and move in day. You should receive this email sometime between mid-August and the very beginning of September.
Will my roommates and I be moving in at the same time? - Most likely not! Everyone is assigned a time at random, so while there is a slight chance you might get the same date and time as your roommate(s), it is highly unlikely. To be safe, make sure to get in contact with your roommates and inform them of when you are moving in to avoid overlapping and confusion.
Do I have an assigned bed, dresser, closet, etc.? - No, nothing is assigned in the rooms! It’s first come, first served, unless you all agree upon assignments beforehand!
What happens if one of my roommates never shows up? - It’s best to follow up with that roommate about the situation. This way, you can understand if they will be absent for just the quarter or the whole school year. Further steps can then be taken either to replace that roommate or to arrange for furniture removal so that your room can be changed to a single or double if offered by housing.
FURNITURE:
When you move in, can I remove furniture and replace it with my own? - You are not allowed to remove the furniture at all this includes desks, beds, chairs, etc.
How will they even know if I removed it? - If you remove something small like a chair or the shelf on the desk, it probably won’t be a big deal. But do note that the front desk conducts an inventory check a couple of times a year, mostly during breaks.
What happens if I want something removed? - Assuming all designated people assigned to that room have moved in, they will not remove anything unless you have an extra piece of furniture in the room. This is due to storage issues, they will say.
What happens if I’m missing pieces of my room starter pack furniture? - You can put in a maintenance request through the portal if you need something added to the room, like if you are missing a shelf, desk, chair, etc.
What happens if I have damaged furniture, etc.? - Please put in a maintenance request through the portal and report it so they can make note of it or replace it, so that you will not have to pay and be responsible for something you didn’t do.
Can I move around the furniture in the room? - Unsure if there is an official rule against it, but everyone does it. Nobody complains about it, and you won’t get in trouble for it, even when the front desk/RA does their room check.
Is there an option to have my bed raised? - Yes! You can request it through the StarRez portal and place an order to have it raised. Be mindful there is a fee.
Am I allowed to raise the bed myself? - No, you are not allowed to. I’d say just don’t do it yourself because if something happens to you or the bed while you raise it, you are liable. If something happens when maintenance does it, then the school is liable. It just makes more sense to make the request.
How long after my request will maintenance come and raise my bed? - You are looking at around 1 day to 2 weeks. It will be harder at the beginning of the school year to get your request done quickly it’s very busy.
FRIDGE & MICROWAVE:
When will I be able to request a fridge and microwave? - Fridge and microwave requests will open sometime in mid-August and end sometime in early September.
Where do I request a microfridge? - When it opens, just log in to your UCLA Housing StarRez Portal. Select the Manage Your Housing menu option. Select the Request to rent a MicroFridge option.
It says microfridge in the portal; does that mean there is no microwave? - No! The microfridge is actually attached to the microwave it is two in one.
When will we get the fridges? - Sometime during move in, someone will bring it to the room.
What determines who gets a fridge or not? Is it first come, first served? - It is not first come, first served; it is completely random a lottery.
Who needs to request the fridge? - Only one person needs to request the fridge, as it would be for the whole room.
Do we have a higher chance of getting the fridge if multiple people put in a request?
- Unfortunately, you do not. The lottery is per room not per student.
Can I return or cancel the fridge? - Last year, the deadline to cancel the fridge was the 15th of September, so most likely the deadline will be around that time.
Why do we have to cancel so early? - Apparently housing does not have the storage space to keep the fridges.
Will I get to keep the microfridge if I want to? - No! It’s only a rental for the entire school year and has to be returned at the end of the year.
Important Date Reminder! * Request Microfridge: Early-Mid August * Request Microfridge Deadline: Early-Mid September * Microfridge Lottery Reveal: Mid September * Cancel Microfridge Request: Mid September
MEAL PLAN:
When does the contracted meal plan start (the one I paid for)? - The official meal plan will start when move in week ends, which is Sunday night, September 22.
What am I supposed to do during move in week if my meal plan doesn’t start until Sunday? - Great news! Once you move in, you get 3 gratis meal swipes daily available to use from the start of your move in date.
What will I eat if I had requested to move in before my start date? - If the request was approved, that means you will pay the fee. The early move in costs includes a meal plan. So even if you move in early, you will have the earlier move in meal plan that you paid for.
Will off-campus students get a move in meal plan? - There is no mention of off-campus students getting a move in meal plan, so it is most likely just for on-campus residents.
Important Date Reminder! * Contract Meal Plan Start Day: Sunday, September 22 (Dinner)
BRUIN BILL & HOUSING PAYMENTS:
When will I have to pay for my housing and meal plan? - You pay for them with the tuition and fees in quarterly installments.
When is the first quarterly installment due for the housing payment? - The first housing payment deadline is Friday, September 20.
Where do I pay it? - In your Bruin Bill! On the Bruin Bill website!
Is that the only way to pay? - No, you can also pay in person with a check or cash at the Payment Solutions Office at Murphy Hall.
Can I do auto pay for the housing? - Yes, you can. There is an auto pay plan option on your Bruin Bill!
Is there a payment plan so I don’t have to pay my quarterly installments all at once? - Yes, it’s called the Bruin Pay Plan. Please check the website to see if you are eligible. - Link: Bruin Pay Plan (https://www.finance.ucla.edu/student-finance-solutions/student-accounts/bruinpayplan)
What is the Bruin Pay Plan? - It’s a plan that allows you to pay your quarterly fees in monthly installments instead.
When is the first enrollment window for the Bruin Pay Plan? - You must enroll between Sunday, September 1 and Friday, September 20
When will I have to make my first installment if I am enrolled in the Bruin Pay Plan? - It varies from person to person, but you will know because it will be stated in your contract for the pay plan.
What happens if I miss my pay plan installments or quarterly installments? - Quarterly installments aren’t a big deal unless you haven’t paid anything for a long time; then you could lose your housing. Bruin Pay Plan installments are more strict because you are under a specific contract, and you could lose the contract if you make the payments late. You won’t be able to continue with the pay plan anymore.
Important Date Reminder! * Enrollment For Bruin Pay Plan Begins: Sunday, September 1 * Enrollment For Bruin Pay Plan Ends: Friday, September 20 * First Quarterly Installment Deadline: Friday, September 20
PARKING:
- On Campus: Where do I park for on-campus parking?
- Nearest parking lot to your residential building.
Can I park in a loading and unloading space? - Yes, as long as someone is at the vehicle at all times.
Do I have to get a parking ticket? - If you are parked in a lot with metered parking, you may or may not have to purchase a ticket, depending on the parking lot and how long you’re there. But technically, the answer would be yes.
Where do I get a ticket? - You can get them online at the Bruin ePermit portal, or you can get them at the self service ticket stations in person. - Link: Bruin ePermit Portal (https://bruinepermit.t2hosted.com/Account/Portal)
- Off Campus: Where do I park for off-campus parking?
- At the apartment building or the nearest parking lot.
Can I park in a loading and unloading space? - Yes, but someone must be at the vehicle at all times.
Do I have to get a parking ticket? - Yes, for off-campus apartments, you need to get a Bruin ePermit.
Where do I get the online ticket? - Link: Bruin ePermit Portal (https://bruinepermit.t2hosted.com/Account/Portal)
FEES:
- List of Fees For Move In (According to last year):
- Early Stay: $65.00 (per day)
- Microfridge: $258
- Bed Raised: $40
- Parking Lot Rates: UCLA Transportation Parking Rates (https://transportation.ucla.edu/campus-parking/visitors)
- E-Permit Rates: UCLA E-Permit Rates (https://bruinepermit.t2hosted.com/Account/Portal)
WELCOME WEEK:
What is Welcome Week? - The first week of school when many True Bruin welcome events happen.
When is Welcome Week? - It’s the week following move in week, also known as Week 0. It will be from Sunday, September 22 to Sunday, September 29.
How many Welcome Week events are there? - There are 14 different Welcome Week events! There are too many to go through, so you can find all the info here: - Link: True Bruin Welcome Events (https://community.ucla.edu/truebruinwelcome)
Important Date Reminder! * Welcome Week Starts: Sunday, September 22 * Welcome Week Ends: Sunday, September 29 * Commenter Student Welcome: Sunday, September • 12PM - 3PM * Chancellor's Welcome: Sunday, September • 3PM - 4PM * Block Party: Sunday, September 22 • 4PM - 9PM * Bruin Bash Rec Fest: Monday, September 23 • 12PM - 4PM * Bruin Bash: Monday, September 23 • 8PM - 11:30PM * Enormous Activities Fair: Tuesday, September 24 • 11AM - 3PM * Champed Up: Tuesday, September 24 • 3:30PM - 5PM * Transfer Palooza: Tuesday, September 24 • 4PM - 6PM * Academic Open Houses: Wednesday, September 25 * Meet The Hill: Wednesday, September 25 • 4PM - 7PM * First Day of Classes: Thursday, September 26 * UCLA Spirit Day: Friday, September 27 * Volunteer Day: Saturday, September 28 * Common Experience: Sunday, September 29 • 3PM - 6PM
TIPS & RECOMMENDATIONS:
- When everyone gets the move in email, the website will most likely crash it always does, so don’t freak out.
- You should be getting your mailing information in your move in email as well.
- The Amazon Lockers are always full during move in.
- Parking will make you lose your mind, so be prepared to deal with that.
- Don’t forget to put money on your Bruin card for laundry it’s easy, just do it online with Easy Pay.
- Don’t do your laundry on the weekend there will be no machines open.
- For room types without a communal bathroom, don’t forget to bring hand soap to wash your hands.
- The Target in Westwood will be out of everything you need I can promise you that.
- Watch YouTube videos of your dorm/room type so you can see how much space you will have.
- Take your roommate contract very seriously; so much goes wrong because the contract has too many loose ends.
- Skip the Chancellor’s Welcome; it’s always painfully hot, boring, and takes forever to get out.
- Make sure to submit your CAE accommodations for housing well before school starts so you can have your accommodations during move in.
- Make sure to sign up for your free metro card online or at the booth at the school.
- Taking the metro everywhere is so convenient, and it's free go explore!
This was meant to help you through the move in and Welcome Week. That’s all for now! I will continually make updates on this list as far as the dates go. Let me know if you have any more questions! I really hope this helps someone. Remember I will be adding a move in checklist and tips and tricks as well in a separate post. Sorry this was long! I tried to make it as detailed as possible without going overboard. Feel free to leave questions and comments! I’ll try my best to answer them to the best of my knowledge!
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