Spring Closing 2026
All Residence Halls, including South Hall, will formally close on Friday, May 22, 2026 at 6:00pm. Students who are not approved for Extended Stay or Summer Housing are expected to be fully moved out and departed from campus by this deadline.
Impacts of Commencement
Campus Life anticipates that, with Commencement happening on campus, there will be several impacts on residential students planning to move out on Commencement Ceremony days including, but not limited to: increased foot and driving traffic on and around campus, limited parking, and higher concentration of students and family members at Campus Restaurants.
Due to these anticipated impacts, Campus Life strongly encourage(s) students who live locally, and are able to manage end of semester academic and community commitments, to partially or fully move out prior to Thursday, May 21st to avoid traffic congestion happening on campus and commute to campus as they are able to do so. Moving out prior to commencement ceremonies may allow students to move more quickly and efficiently, with more space and options for loading vehicles and parking on campus.
Campus Life encourage students to make informed decisions for themselves, based on their academic and community commitments, to decide the best way to organize moving belongings out of their residence hall. Campus Life upholds the move out deadline of May 22nd at 6:00PM and will not be enforcing students to move or vacate campus prior to this deadline.
Closing Information Resources
Students are communicated Spring Closing deadlines, procedures, and resources through multiple communication methods including, but not limited to: emails from Campus Life, Community Directors and/or Resident Assistants, posted bulletin boards in each wing, RA led wing meetings, and this website page. Students are shared a variety of resources to be knowledgeable about move-out procedures and expectations when checking out to avoid potential fines; all resources shared with students are listed on this page.
Checkout Guidelines
Important Note: Students should be planning their move out and thinking about what resources they will need, including: loft kit tools, loft kit return, vacuum or broom cleaning checkout, or in-person checkouts.
Resident Assistants will not be available 24/7 during move out and will not be required to act on any move-out related requests outside of prescheduled hours. RA on-call will only respond to move-out procedure requests between 7:00PM-10:00PM daily.
Halls will formally close on Friday, May 22nd, 2026 at 6:00PM. Residence Hall staff will begin checking all rooms that are not approved for Extended Stay or Summer Housing to ensure students have properly moved out. Students found in their room after 6:00PM will be charged a $75.00 Late Checkout Fee; this fee is subject to increase if the student is not moved out by 10:00PM.
Extended Stay will extend a students’ checkout deadline until Saturday, May 23rd at 12:00PM for students who need additional time to move out. This should only be requested if the student is in circumstantial need of an extension beyond May 22nd.
Students should complete the Extended Stay Application by Friday, May 15, 2026 at 11:59PM. Applications received after this deadline will receive a $100.00 late processing fee.
Students needing housing beyond this deadline should reach out to summerhousing@plu.edu
Campus Life expects students to move all belongings out of their room and to clean all surfaces of your room prior to leaving campus. Below is the checkout guidelines list for move out:
- Beds return to move-in formation (unbunked, bolts tight, etc.)
- Floor swept and mopped (water only)
- Closets/medicine cabinets emptied and wiped out
- Bulletin boards cleaned off
- Dresser and desk drawers emptied and wiped out
- Mirrors cleaned (all stickers removed)
- Bookshelves wiped off
- Window sills and ledges wiped off
- Walls spot cleaned
- All nails, tacks, tape, stickers, etc., removed from walls/doors
- Recycling bins emptied and washed
- Wastebaskets emptied and washed
- Window(s) closed
- Turn off heaters
South Hall residents should make sure to clean not only their personal rooms but also all common space areas including kitchen spaces, living room, and bathrooms. Counters, cabinets, and appliances should be clear and wiped down upon moving out.
Students must one of the following checkout methods to notify Campus Life of their official move out
In-Person Checkout (recommended)
- Students will complete a checkout with a residence hall staff member to walk through their room to ensure all checkout procedures/guidelines are met
- Any findings during your checkout can be discussed or fixed during this inspection and will eliminate associated fines
- Checkouts take approximately 7-10 minutes to complete and can save you hundreds of dollars in potential fines
- Students should contact or schedule with an RA at least 24 hours in advance for a checkout appointment or may contact the RA on-call between 7:00PM-10:00PM daily
Express Checkout Envelopes
- Express Checkout Envelopes can be found at your hall’s front desk
- Make sure to SEAL your envelope to ensure your key does not fall out — Campus Life will fine you if the envelope is not sealed and the key is missing
- Return your signed and sealed envelope under the door of the RA office in your building
- Failure to return your express checkout envelope to the appropriate location may result in an improper checkout fee
- A residence hall staff member will complete the room inspection with the student present
- STUDENTS WAIVE THE RIGHT to rectify or dispute any findings the RA reports in the checkout confirmation and will be held to pay for any fines and fees corresponding to those findings on your student account after Spring Closing
Students who fail to utilize either of the above checkout methods will be charged a $75.00 improper checkout fee
Per checkout guidelines, students are required to resent their bed to Move-In Formation when moving out.
Move-In Formation refers to lowering students’ beds to the lowest setting to the ground. This includes:
- Beds that are raised with or without additional loft kit checkouts
- Beds that have been flipped upside down (common for beds requiring tools)
- Instructions and information on lofting beds can be found here on our website.
Beds that are lofted will result in a $50.00 move-in formation fee per bed that is left lofted. Loft kits left in or outside of student rooms will result in a minimum of 2 item removal fees ($75.00 each)
If you leave your bed lofted in your room, you could be charged up to $200.00 in fines for just move-in formation!
Plan Ahead!
If you need tools such as a ratchet or rubber mallet, you can check them out during operating desk hours or by contacting the RA on-call between 7PM-10PM
Any additional loft kit parts must be returned to the loft kit room by contacting the RA on-call between 7PM-10PM daily!
Campus Life does not offer students the ability to store items during the summer for any reason, even if students are returning to the same residence hall room in the Fall. All rooms are used by Conferences and Events throughout the summer and cannot have personal items in the room. Check out of Off Campus Storage Unit Resource page!
International Students should reach out to Heather Jacobson in International Student Services for inquiries about storage options.
Move Out Loading
Campus Life partners with Campus Safety to allow students additional spaces on and around campus to load belongings into vehicles at a closer proximity to residence halls. Please read below for residence hall specific parking allowances.
Students must adhere to the following guidelines if they are planning on driving a vehicle onto campus:
- Vehicles may ONLY be parked in appropriate loading zones designated by Campus Life and Campus Safety
- Vehicles should be parked in a way that does not obstruct walking pathways
- Vehicles should not be on campus unless a student is ACTIVELY moving belongings out of halls
- Vehicles should not be on campus for more than 30-45 minutes
- Vehicles should be moved immediately after loading and parked in an appropriate lot/side street parking
- Vehicles should not be left unlocked or unattended at any time
Please refer to the map below for appropriate parking and loading zone(s) during move out.
Bollard Removal Hours
Hinderlie, Kreidler, Ordal & Stuen Halls will have loading zones closer to their residence hall beginning May 16th accessible via the West Hauge Lot when bollards are removed.
- Thursday, May 14 & Friday, May 15 — 5:00PM – 9:00PM
- Saturday, May 16 & Sunday, May 17 — 7:00AM – 9:00PM
- Monday, May 18 – Wednesday, May 20 — 5:00PM – 9:00PM
Thursday, May 21st — 7:00AM – 1:00PM
- Bollards will be put up at 1:00PM, 2 hours prior to commencement ceremonies beginning and will not be removed later in the evening. All vehicles on campus must depart prior to 1:00PM
Friday, May 22nd — Closed
- On Campus vehicle access will not be available as we prepare for commencement ceremonies.
The West Hauge Lot will be reserved on May 21st-May 22nd for Move Out Loading as an alternative to on campus vehicle access during commencement
Saturday May 23rd — 7:00AM – 12:00PM
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Bollards will be put up at 12:00PM per extended stay extension deadline. All vehicles on campus must depart prior to 12:00PM.
Please refer to the map below for appropriate parking and loading zone(s) during move out.
Reminder for Tingelstad/Pflueger Residents
Students may NOT use the fire lanes outside of Pflueger Hall along Yakima or 124th Street to park or load vehicles. These lanes are reserved for emergency vehicles ONLY.
Additional Loading During Commencement
Campus Life anticipates lower campus parking to be limited and/or full prior to and during commencement ceremonies. Students moving out for Pflueger or Tingelstad Halls may access the temporary loading area at the Emergency Vehicle Access Gate located on 125th Street S.
- Thursday, May 21st between 7:00AM – 9:00PM
- Friday, MAY 22nd between 7:00AM – 6:00PM
for students to TEMPORARILY load vehicles. Please adhere to all signage, cones, and tape marking appropriate loading zones.
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