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 2026 semester.
Early move-in begins Aug. 7 and the full move-in day is slated for Aug. 15. As the campus community prepares for a massive week, here’s everything students, faculty and staff need to know as thousands of first-year students arrive to USC.
Move-in logistics
Move-in at USC will look a little different this year. Construction projects are in progress now on along Sumter Street —McBryde residence hall, Honors College residence Hall, Thomas Cooper Library and more.
Walking paths that were available in previous years won’t be for early move-in or for regular move-in on Aug. 15. Sumter Street is officially closed to vehicle traffic until at least 2028.
New this year, signage to direct students to residence halls will feature the residence hall names instead of zones like in previous years.
For students who are having packages delivered to campus ahead of move-in, they can pick up packages any time during the Blatt PE post office operational hours (10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on non-move-in days).
Parking, transportation and traffic patterns
ParkUSC Plus, a revamped version of the ParkUSC app, will take students and their families from the starting point to the assigned residence hall and then from there to a parking destination after cars have been unloaded.
Similar to previous years, A select number of campus parking lots and portions of garages will be closed during early move-in (Aug. 7) and during regular move in (Aug. 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.
What’s open, dining options
For Early Move-in on Friday (Aug. 7) and regular move-in (Aug. 15), most campus operations will be open while students are moving in to their residence halls.
- The campus store at Russell House and Byrnes will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both early and regular move-in. The Russell House itself will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. for early move-in and from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Aug. 15.
- The post office at Blatt PE Center will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both move-in days. The Carolina Card Office will be open 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both move-in days.
- The Wellness and Fitness Center will be open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Aug. 7 and open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Aug. 15.
- Two offices — the Center for Health and Well-Being and the financial aid office — will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Aug. 7 and closed Aug. 15.
For students moving in on Aug. 7, early move-in meal plans will be active. Open dining facilities include: The Pavillion (Campus Village), Garnet Station (Russell House), Gamecock General (Russell House), Chick-Fil-A, Hampton Street (1600 Hampton) and the Starbucks at the Humanities Classroom Building.
All fall meal plans will activate by Aug. 15 with all dining locations open for fall hours. Hours of operation can be found on the Carolina Food Co. website.
Here to Help Hub and volunteers
USC’s Parent and Family Programs will host from various on-campus resources at the Russell House Ballroom from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both Aug. 7 and Aug. 15 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:
- Carolina Card Office.
- Carolina Food Co.
- Center for Health and Well-being.
- Information Technology.
- New Student Orientation.
- Parking & Transportation Services.
- Postal Services.
- Student Advocacy (Ask USC).
- Student Disability Resource Center.
- University Advising Center.
- Parent and Family Programs.
It’s important to help welcome returning students and the Class of 2030 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 and help welcome Gamecocks to campus. There also are volunteer opportunities for First Night Carolina and other Carolina Welcome events.