Fall 2026 Arrival Information

This page will share important housing and arrival information for Fall 2026. While not exhaustive, we hope this page will answer some of your housing and arrival questions.

Looking for items to leave at home, suggested items to bring, and other room information? Check the Room and Services Information!

Need specific information about your building? You can find that by selecting your building from the appropriate Housing Tour using the menus above.

The arrival day for the new students including the class of 2030 will be on Thursday, August 27th between 8:00 AM and 12:00 PM.

What is the schedule for my parents/guardians on Arrival Day?

  • The arrival window for students is 8am to 12pm. Once your parents/guardians drop you at Commons to pick up your ID, they will drive directly to your residence hall. You will meet them at your residence hall after picking up your ID and other check-in items. Once at your residence hall, you and your family will have plenty of help unloading. 
  • Please see this page for the full First-Year Orientation schedule.

After Move-in and Orientation

Please refer to the Orientation website for information on the schedule and activities on August 27th and beyond. If you have questions on orientation please email fye@bates.edu.

The arrival days for returning students will be on Sunday, August 30 to Tuesday, September 1at, between 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM each day.

When you arrive, head to Commons for check-in. All students will have their ID cards activated, receive their room key, and then may proceed to their residence hall or house to move in. If you lost your Bates ID over the summer, be sure to request a new one by September 1st to ensure a smooth arrival.

Thursday, August 20 — Monday, August 24Orientation week leaders including JA/CA staff, OWLs, and AESOP leaders
*please connect with your program lead for specific arrival dates
Monday, August 24 — Tuesday, August 25Fall pre-season athletes
– Volleyball, Men’s Soccer, Women’s Soccer, Men’s and Women’s Cross Country, Field Hockey, Football
 *please check with your coach for exact dates.
Monday, August 24 — Wednesday, August 26Kessler Scholars and International Circle pre-orientations
August 27First-Year student arrival day

This list is not exhaustive and instead represents larger groups arriving early.

Overall, all First-Year students should plan on arriving on August 27th and all upper-class students should plan to arrive on August 30-September 1st. There are some groups that will arrive on different dates, including orientation week student leaders, fall athletes, and certain groups of First-Year students.

In general, students who are not involved in a leadership position for orientation or on a fall athletic team are not allowed to arrive on campus ahead of their designated arrival date. If you have an extenuating circumstance for arriving outside of the designated date(s) and time(s), please see the “Frequently Asked Questions” section of this page.

  • All students arriving to campus should head to Commons for check-in. Students will have their ID cards activated, receive their room key, and then may proceed to their residence hall or house to move in.
    • If you are a returning student and you lost your Bates ID over the summer, be sure to request a new one by August 29 to ensure a smooth arrival.
    • PIN Access: If you are moving into Chu Hall, Kalperis Hall, 96 Campus Ave, or 10 Frye St., you will not need a key. Instead, your room door will be unlocked using your ID, in tandem with a 4-digit PIN. To set-up your PIN, please follow these instructions:
      • Visit Garnet Gateway and log in.
      • On the Main Page, navigate to “Account & Access”, then “Security”, then click on “Bates ID Card”.
      • Follow the onscreen prompts to change your PIN for your Bates ID Card.
      • At your room door, tap your ID at the door, type in your 4-digit PIN, then press pound.
  • Meal plans will begin on the following dates:
    • First-Year students: August 27, 2026
    • Returning students: Dinner on  August 31, 2026
    • If you are arriving early, please check with your program lead for info about meals

Frequently Asked Questions

  • If you belong to an approved early arrival group or team, please check the ‘Early Arrival Dates and Times’ tab above.
  • If you do not belong to an approved early arrival group but have a need to arrive early, please fill out the following form: Fall 2026 Early Arrival Petition. This form must be submitted no later than Wednesday, August 19, 2026. Any submissions after 8/19 may take longer to review.
  • Some examples include: travel restrictions for students with longer journeys, family-related travel challenges, and students facing other extenuating circumstances.
  • Once approved, all early arrival dates will be reflected in your HouseCat Housing Information. We ask that you do not make any early travel arrangements until you receive approval.

If at all possible, students should make every effort to arrive during check-in hours on designated arrival days. We understand that for some students, flight times or other travel restrictions may cause a challenge. If you arrive after designated check-in hours, please go directly to the Campus Safety Building (245 College St) to request to be let into your room. You will then retrieve your room key the next business day at Access Control inside the Campus Safety Building.

  • If you arrive after designated arrival days, please go directly to the Campus Safety Building (245 College St):
    • After-hours: Request to be let into your room.
    • Business hours: Retrieve your room key.

Please visit this webpage for information about travelling to campus.

Family members and support members are welcome to enter their student’s residence hall during the move-in process! We ask that parents and support members be mindful of the time that they are spending in the residence halls, in an effort to de-densify the indoor space for others to move in. Additionally, although we understand pets are family, they are not allowed inside of residence halls.