It's August at the University of South Carolina, so that means campus will be bustling again with new and returning Gamecocks for the start of the fall 2025 semester.
Early move-in begins Aug. 8 and the full move-in day is slated for Aug. 16. As the campus community prepares for a massive week, here’s everything students, faculty and staff need to know.
Parking and traffic patterns
A select number of campus parking lots and portions of garages will be closed during early move-in (Aug. 7 and 8) and during regular move in (Aug. 15 and 16) as Gamecocks move into their residence halls.
The FS7 lot (231 Pickens St.) next to Benson, E1 (1401 Wheat St.) beside Booker T. Washington and S4 (1846 Pendelton St.) behind Columbia Hall will all be closed. The meters next to Capstone will also be closed.
Parts of Bull Street and Blossom Street garages will be closed for move-in. Those who have valid permits will still be able to park in their respective garages and will be directed to available parking.
Traffic will be congested around campus and rerouted during move-in around Pickens, Greene and Bull streets around Russell House and Bull Street Garage as well as Sumter Street between Greene and College streets.
Parking and Transportation’s app, ParkUSC, will help students and families arriving for move-in navigate traffic and get to their unloading area and parking lot. The app will also help faculty and staff find available surface lot parking.
What’s open, dining options
There will be a handful of campus resources open on the Fridays of move-in (Aug. 8 and 15) for students and families to access.
- The campus store (located in the Byrnes building on Sumter Street) will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- The Wellness and Fitness Center will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- The Carolina Card, Financial Aid and Student Advocacy offices will be open 8:30 am. to 5 p.m.
- The Center for Health and Well-Being and Parking and Transportation will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- USC’s post office at the Blatt PE Center will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Russell House will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
On the full move-in Aug. 16, a few resources will be open for students, faculty and staff to use.
- The campus store will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- The Wellness and Fitness Center will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Russell House will be open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Student's dining plans will be available when they arrive on campus. A full list of the dining options open during move-in and the week of Aug. 11 can be found on the Carolina Food Co. website. Families in town ahead of or after move-in can also make time to go to USC's Golden Spur restaurant.
Hydration stations and package pickup
As you're packing to come to USC, remember to bring your items in plastic bins or reusable containers to avoid any potential trash or waste. If you do need to throw away items or put things into a recycling container, there will be clearly marked dumpsters around outside your residence hall.
If you’ve ordered packages to arrive on campus ahead of move-in, they will be available at the Blatt PE Center on Aug. 16 from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Students can pick up their packages before, during or after their move-in time slot.
The post office will reopen Aug. 18 in the Russell House.
There will be water bottle filling stations set up around campus at the following locations: Longstreet Theatre, the Horseshoe, Melton Observatory, McKissick, Capstone and two at the Blatt PE Center.
Here to Help Hub, volunteers
Representatives from various on-campus resources will be at the Russell House Ballroom from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the Saturday of move-in weekend (Aug. 16) to assist students and their families with any last-minute questions before classes start.
Since the hub at the Russell House is centrally located, it is highly recommended students and families walk to the resource hub. The current list of offices that will be represented at the Russell House include:
- Ask USC and the Student Advocacy Center.
- Bursar Office.
- Carolina Food Co.
- Campus Store.
- Carolina Card Concierge.
- Center for Health and Well-being.
- Division of Information Technology.
- Financial aid.
- New student orientation.
- Parent and Family Programs.
- Parking and Transportation.
- Postal Services.
- Student Disability Resource Center.
- Student Health and Well-being.
- University Advising.
It’s important to help welcome returning students and the Class of 2029 to campus and kickstart the academic year. To help create a welcoming culture at USC, there are plenty of ways for the campus community to volunteer and help.
Sign up to be a greeter during move-in Aug. 16 and help welcome Gamecocks to campus. There also are volunteer opportunities for First Night Carolina and other Carolina Welcome events.