What to Bring & Frequently Asked Questions

Listed here are some items that you will need and might want to bring with you to make your life in university housing more comfortable. Bring only what can fit in your room—the residential communities have no storage space for your personal belongings.

• Alarm clock
• Bathrobe, bath towels, shower shoes
• Beach towels
• Bedding: blankets, pillows, pillow cases, sheets
  • University Inn has double/full size beds
  • All other residences have extra long twin beds
• Decorations
• Desk lamp/light bulbs (no halogen, consider energy efficient compact fluorescent bulbs)
• Ear plugs, headphones
• Emergency kit
• Ethernet cable
• Landline phone
• Laundry items (basket, detergent, hangers, iron, quarters)
• Lock (for your bike and/or computer)
• Power strips (UL approved, with surge protector)
• Rain gear, umbrella
• Sleeping bag
• TV and necessary cables

Students in Apartments
(coordinate with housemates to avoid duplications)

• Coffee maker
• Dishes, flatware, dish towels
• Microwave oven
• Pots, cooking utensils
• Toaster oven
• Toilet tissue

What NOT to Bring

• Alcohol or other drugs and paraphernalia
• Amplified instruments of any type
• BBQ grills, charcoal, lighter fluid, propane
• Candles, lanterns smoking devices, or other fire hazardous items
• Extension cords (without an internal circuit breaker)
• Firearms, knives or other weapons
• Fireworks
• Halogen lamps
• Paintball guns, airguns, BB guns
• Pets (except fish, in up to 10-gallon tank)
• Portable heater
• Skateboards, roller skates, in-line skates

Frequently Asked Questions:

When will I hear about my room assignment?
Your room assignment including roommate information will be mailed to your permanent address by your residential facility by the end of August.

How can I change my meal plan?
During the summer, and during specified filing periods in fall and winter quarters you may upgrade or downgrade your meal plan for the following quarter. Outside of these filing periods, you may only upgrade your meal plan. Log in to Student Housing Online (studenthousing.ucsc.edu) to submit your request. Meal plan change requests made during a filing period will become effective on the first day of the following quarter. Upgrade requests made outside of the filing period will be approved within 24 hours (upgrade requests submitted after 3pm on Friday may not be reviewed until the next business day).

What if my plans change and I am unable to live in university housing?
Prior to taking residence, if your plans change and you are unable to live in university housing, you must return to Student Housing Online and cancel your application/contract.

• If a wait list application is cancelled prior to a space being assigned, student will not be billed for any portion of the advance housing fee.
• If a confirmed contract/reserved housing space is cancelled prior to move-in, student will be billed for the $150.00 advanced housing fee. Additional late cancellation fees may also apply.

After taking residence, requests for housing contract cancellation will only be considered according to the Terms and Conditions of residence. Simply moving out or turning in keys without official approval won't release you from your contractual obligation, and you will continue to be billed accordingly.

When will I get my bill?
Each student has a university billing account with UC Santa Cruz. The Office of Student Business Services posts an invoice on your student portal (my.ucsc.edu) each month there is activity. Billing statements are generated at the end of each month and managed through SallieMae E-Billing.

Can my parents view the bill online?
If your parent/guardian will be paying your housing charges, you can grant them access to your billing statements and give them the ability to make payments through SallieMae E-Billing. More information can be found online at your student portal (my.ucsc.edu) .

What happens if I can’t pay on time?
Our preference is to work with students and their families before late fees are assessed. If you’re having difficulty making full payment please contact our office prior to the payment deadline to arrange for a deferment to avoid housing late fees. Housing late fees will be assessed if full payment is not posted to university account by the due date of each month. These are not postmark deadlines, so please allow sufficient time for mailing. Each housing late fee is $25.

Why can’t you talk to my family without my permission?
It’s the law. Once your housing contract is confirmed by the university, you are the responsible party. All financial activity on your account or printed on billing statements is considered confidential. The university is governed by state and federal laws that prevent us from disclosing information regarding financial activity with a third party (i.e. parent/guardian) without the written consent of the student. If you wish to give someone else permission to discuss this information, please complete the “Release of Information” at studenthousing.ucsc.edu.


More Questions? Contact us at:
Campus Housing Office
104 Hahn Student Services Building
University of California, Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, CA 95064
phone: (831) 459-2394
fax: (831) 459-3665
email: housing@ucsc.edu
web: housing.ucsc.edu

Printable Flyer of What to Bring and Frequently Asked Questions (PDF)

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