Just an FYI that I read on here from last year that I thought was helpful…
Make your hotel reservations NOW! I’m already booked for summer move in (getting there night before), fall move in and parent’s weekend (Oct 16-18). Penn State hotels within walking distance to the campus fill up SUPER fast. Closest hotels are The Atherton, Nittany Lion Inn and the Days Inn. You can walk all through town and campus from those hotels.
Maybe I’ll run into some of you fine folks there 
Back in Nov I looked for rooms for home football games and most were gone! I did book for Parents weekend…but never thought about move in day! I know when Fall 2015 classes start…but not when Freshman start to move in…is it on the PSU website?
Great idea @jlhpsu! Done.
By the way - for those of you who want to think far enough ahead - make reservations for graduation!!! All the hotels in Centre County get booked up for the spring grad weekend. The closest hotel I could get for this year’s (2015) ceremony was in Raystown (~40 minutes away) and I made those reservations exactly one year earlier!
Parents weekend gets filled very fast. Okay, well any important event.
We drove up on move in day. We were up there by 10 and I swear he (my son) kicked us out before 11:00am. Moving in is a breeze. They have rolling carts and you are done in less than 15 mins getting stuff to your room. PSU does have their act together for move in day. Very well organized. BTW, they want parents out by a certain time. Maybe by 3:00 ish?
We didn’t hit any traffic, but if you came in a half hour to an hour later it was bumper to bumper. It still moved fast due to how quickly they are organized with move in day.
That’s why we are coming up the night before. It will give us time to go to dinner and spend a night with our daughter, then be at the dorms bright and early in the morning. We will drive home after we get her moved in.
@jlhpsu Do you know what the fall move-in dates are? Tried to find on the website but didn’t see it.
@fallschurchmom For which session? Summer session moves in June 28th. Fall session moves in August 21-22. I need to e mail housing tomorrow and ask which one…21st or 22nd!
We moved in on a Saturday, 22 nd 2014. We were given this day as our move in day. We are in state.
Found this :
Fall 2015 August 21 Fall Arrival: first-year students (students from Centre County and their roommates, and out-of-state students and their roommates)
Fall 2015 August 22 Fall Arrival: first-year students (remaining in-state students)
Fall 2015 August 22-23 Fall Arrival: upper-class students
Ahhh not so fast about move in dates. Consider if your kid is going to a special pre-orientation like WEPO ( Women in Engineering Orientation) You can also pay a minimal fee, I think its $25 per night and move in earlier and beat the rush. Official move in date is a mad house! Go a day or two early and save yourself a lot of grief.
First, @jlhpsu Thank you, Thank you for being there right with me over the last four months. Your grace under extraordinary circumstances was just what I needed to keep me sane. My family celebrated your daughter’s admission like it was our own. My son was admitted days before, Fall UP College of Earth and Mineral Science, EBF major. I currently have a sophomore Nursing Student and my husband is an alum. Now I’d like to pay all your kindness forward with what I have learned over the past two years…
The fun stuff. Parents will be offered discounted rates for New Student Orientation (NSO) at several hotels. Stay at the Nittany Lion Inn. It is always booked solid and will likely be the only chance you get to stay right there on campus.
Most important. Accept your admission ASAP. Housing is determined in order of admission acceptance and this way your child will have the best chance at the dorm they want and avoid the chance of supplemental housing (think 7 kids one room, ugh).
The big surprise. I was not aware that tuition rates increase when your student reaches 59.1 credits. So, for those of you attending summer or transferring a bunch of dual enrollment credits, be aware. Most students reach the threshold their junior year anyway, but those extra credits could cause you to hit it sooner. Also, the increased rates depend on major. My daughter’s tuition will increase by $5k per year, as an OOS student, ouch! However, it’s a delicate game because your student will schedule their classes (except first semester, which is done at NSO) based on the number of credits they have. As you might imagine with a large university, it’s tough to get the classes you want so the earlier the better. As an example, my daughter and her roommate scheduled a week apart.
Moving in. Agree with other posters, book hotel now. It is crazy but pretty efficient with the carts they provide. My best advice is to consider moving them in on Friday, if not sooner. As someone posted you can pay a fee to move in earlier. It is so overwhelming for them and my daughter enjoyed having two days before classes to find the buildings, get her books and get acclimated.
Lastly, parents weekend. We did it her first year, and while the university offered things for parents to do and attend, nothing really interested us. We have found that we enjoy visiting on an early football weekend when the campus is electric and we can spend time hosting a tailgate and meeting our daughter’s new friends, etc. Hotels are usually more available for the early games and if you hold out and roll the dice, about a week or so before, the hotels will drop the two night minimum. HOWEVER, there is value in Parents weekend with regard to housing. Yes, housing. Decisions and apartment searching have to be made mid-fall of their freshman year for the following year. I know that the university provides info on the apt process and search over parent’s weekend.
I could go on and on…but there’s a start. Hope it helps!
Hey does anybody know about campus housing? I know you are required to live on campus the first year but the other years does the school provide campus housing?
@huhu1234 Yes they do but it is very limited and most students will not be offered housing beyond their freshman year. Essentially it is a lottery system and the luck of the draw. I don’t know about other organizations and how they work but as for sororities, if you qualify within your sorority to gain a spot on the sorority floor, that is one way to be guaranteed housing and stay on campus a second year. Sororities each have a designated floor in the buildings in South, which were renovated and opened this year. They are FABULOUS!
@psumomx2 Thanks for all of that great information!! I have heard of some kids who’ve lived on campus all 4 years, though some were in supplementary housing and it was complete luck of the draw. Others, not so lucky! They only guarantee housing freshman year.
For us, we own a rental house in State College so our D will move there sophomore year. One less thing to worry about!!
Hi All,
First of all I want to say congratulations to all!! It’s very exciting.
I have a question. My son was admitted to the College of Liberal Arts. We have not yet visited University Park and I’m wondering if we should go to the College of Liberal Arts accepted students day or a general accepted students day. Does it matter much? The general accepted student days are on the weekend which makes it much easier for us. But we are willing take a day off if the college specific day is more informative. Any opinions?
@JJHS2014 I think if you’ve never been there then an accepted students day would be a great way to see the campus. Probably also good to go to the college specific day, but if not possible, nto the end of the world either. Maybe someone from that college can reply better to that part.
Consider Special Interest Housing. You must submit a request for the House in which you are interested, e.g. EASI House in Pollock, Engineering House in West, etc. where you will dorm on a floor with students from similar majors or interests. Once admitted to Special Interest housing, you are guaranteed campus housing on that floor if you want to stay. Another great option for upperclassmen who want to stay on campus is Eastview Terrace, all single rooms with their own bathrooms (not available to Freshmen) . Quieter, larger, beautiful green space,good location close to downtown but, alas, expensive. Once in Eastview, you can stay. If you are in standard dorm housing and want to stay on campus, be sure to get your request in on time. It is a lottery system, lots of kids miss the deadline to request campus housing
Can someone provide the link with the Fall 2015 freshmen move-in dates? I’m just one of those kind of people who need to see it in writing…
Thank you so much!