Arrivals and moving in

Moving into halls will be an exciting step towards a rewarding student experience. Find out more here about when you can arrive and what to expect.

Pre-arrival

All students will be required to book an arrival date and time unless you are an international student booked on the meet and greet service. This can be done after you have completed your Essential Life in Halls induction on the accommodation portal which will go live in August/September 2026 (full details to be confirmed later this year).

New international students living in University of Southampton halls, or who have a booking via the University in our private partner hall Orion Point, can book onto our Meet and Greet service . 2026 meet and greet bookings will open in August 2026.

In the week commencing Monday 31 August 2026, all new arrivals will receive an arrival instructions email outlining details related to arriving and moving into halls, with halls specific guidance.

Returners

Current Residences on 51-week contracts who also have a contract for the next academic year will be offered accommodation for the period between contracts. This may require a room move, if so you will need to make sure you are available to move at this time. Current residents moving internally to another room within halls will need to be available to move on Monday 7 September.

When should I arrive?

The main arrival period for 2026 will run from 10 to 13 September 2026. These are the earliest dates new students moving into university halls will be able to move in.

Thursday 10 September

Arrivals day/arrival slots available for:

Glen Eyre Halls and Mayflower Halls

Friday 11 September

Arrivals day/arrival slots available for:

City Gateway, Glen Eyre Halls, Mayflower Halls and Wessex Lane

Saturday 12 September

Arrivals day/arrival slots available for:

Archers Road (Romero Hall), City Gateway, Erasmus Park, Glen Eyre Halls, Mayflower Halls and Wessex Lane

Sunday 13 September

Archers Road (Gateley Hall), City Gateway, Highfield Hall, Glen Eyre Halls, Mayflower Halls and Wessex Lane

What is meet and greet and how does it work?

Our free meet and greet service is for students arriving to study in the UK for the first time and staying in University halls of residence or in our private partner hall. Further details can be found on University meet and Greet website (Meet and greet bookings for September will open in summer 2026).

What if my plans change

We understand that plans change, so if you are no longer able to arrive on the date you originally selected, you can log back into your account on our accommodation portal and select a different available timeslot. If your arrival is delayed by more than two weeks, please contact accommodation@soton.ac.uk to discuss your options.

ARRIVALS