Moving In
Welcome to Caltech's residential community! Before you move into your new room or suite, please take note of important deadlines and policies below.
Move-in Information
- Sept. 17, 2025: Early arrival for international students
- Sept. 19-20, 2025: Early arrival for student leaders
- Sept. 21, 2025: First-year student (frosh & transfers) move-in day
- Sept. 24, 2025: Start of Fall Contract for returning students
If you are eligible to arrive before your designated move-in day, you must submit an early arrival request form. This form will be sent out to eligible residents.
Fall Season Athletes - Early arrival housing will be available for fall season athletes. The Athletics Department will cover early housing fees for athletes starting on the day that their particular sport begins. For more information on the dates that the Athletics Department will cover housing fees for you, please contact them directly.
International Students - Early arrival housing will be available for new students participating in International Orientation. You may arrive one day before orientation begins.
If you need to send some items in advance of your arrival, you should make all of the following necessary arrangements (do not send it collect) and ship them to the address below.
Your Name
Incoming Student
1200 E. California Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91126
Please Note: Mail Services will hold packages for up to 3 days, so do not send packages too far in advance. You may pick up your items at Mail Services located at the Keith Spalding lobby. Hours of operation 8:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., Monday through Friday. When you arrive and wish to retrieve your items, you may contact contact Alice Edel at (626) 395-3703, aedel@caltech.edu, or Darrell Goudeau at (626) 395-6359, darrell.goudeau@caltech.edu.
Documents and Forms
Submit the Remote Housing Check In form to confirm your arrival on campus.
Within 7 days of checking in to your new residence, or immediately after completing Rotation or a room change, complete:
On-Campus Housing Room Condition Form
By completing the form on time, you protect yourself from being charged for missing items or damages that you have not caused. As you fill out the form, look for dust, grease, holes, stains, burns, damages, and wear. Not all items listed are standard for every room.
New Student Resources and Other Housing Information
The undergraduate Houses and residences are on a proximity card system. To access your building, you will need to hold your Caltech ID card up to the door reader (black pad near entrance).
Appliances with heating coils (toasters, popcorn poppers, and hot plates) are not allowed in student rooms for safety reasons. You are permitted to have a small refrigerator (not to exceed 5.8 cubic feet) and a small microwave in the room.
Bicycles are a good means of getting around campus and Pasadena. Cyclists will enjoy the pleasant surroundings of Caltech and the nearby community. For storage, bike racks have been installed around each building. You may also choose to store your bicycle in your room. For safety reasons, bikes cannot be stored in corridors, stairways, or other public areas inside the houses and residences and any bikes in violation may be removed by Security without notice. We recommend a U-Lock to secure your bike.
Link to Caltech Campus Map
There are combination locks on most room doors in the North and South Houses. Please do not change your combination. If you would like to have the combination to your room changed for some reason, please submit a request through Facilities Services Request through your access.caltech.edu account or contact the Housing Office at x6176. Please understand charges may apply to change the combination of your room.
When dialing any 4-digit campus extension from an outside line, the area code is 626 and the prefix is 395 (for example, the Housing Office extension 6176 is 1 (626) 395-6176 from an outside line.) References to Caltech extensions will be made throughout this and other Institute documents – if a number is referenced in the form "x6176", it refers to extension 6176.
Housing Office - Email or Phone
Maintenance & Custodial Requests - Email or Phone
For any emergencies requiring immediate assistance from the police, a medical professional or Caltech Security, dial x5000 from one of the campus extension telephones or 626-395-5000 from a non-extension telephone. Calls to 9-1-1 from a campus extension will be automatically transferred to x 5000.
Inform operator:
1) Type of emergency (fire, medical, suspicious/criminal activity, etc.)
2) Location of emergency
3) Your name and the location and extension (or phone number) from which you are calling
The operator will inform the proper Caltech personnel and needed outside agency in order to secure required action. If an emergency occurs while on-campus but outside of buildings, please look for a blue emergency call box. For more information on emergency procedures or services offered by the Security Office, visit their website.
DON'T GET SUED – READ THIS NOW
With the excitement of a new academic year filled with new classes and activities, we can understand that this page about downloading music, movies, TV shows or software may not seem important, but it could avoid your having to pay a lot for entertainment.
Having a file sharing program such as BitTorrent, eDonkey, Gnutella, or KaZaA on your computer can have a legitimate purpose, but use of these programs to download and distribute copyright protected material for which the user does not have permission is not legal, and the distribution or sharing of such material may constitute a violation of federal copyright laws. Such programs can often be active without your knowledge.
The use of file sharing programs for copyright protected material can have major consequences for you. Essentially, the law stipulates that you cannot have anything on your computer that you do not own. More importantly, you cannot share any file for which you do not have distribution rights. Currently, copyright violations can result in civil penalties of up to $150,000 per violation. Theoretically, if you send 10 people a copy of a song you ripped, you might be facing statutory damages of $1,500,000. In addition to civil liability, there is potential criminal liability in copyright cases-- with penalties depending on the number and value of products exchanged. Suits brought by copyright owners against students usually settle for much less, but still have involved settlement amounts of as much as $17,000, plus attorney fees.
The Digital Millennium Copyright Act can be interpreted to require an internet service provider like Caltech to act expeditiously to remove or block access to material upon receipt of a notice from a copyright holder that their material is being illegally distributed on its network. We implement that obligation by blocking internet access to the allegedly infringing material upon receipt of a complaint. We then send an e-mail to the user explaining why their internet connection has been blocked. The student will then be referred to the Dean of Students who will authorize the Internet connection to be unblocked. Please note that in accordance with the DMCA, repeat offenders may have their accounts terminated.
How can you protect yourself from this kind of legal and/or Institute policy action? Simple: don't download or distribute music, games, software, TV shows or videos for which you do not own the copyright or have permission to do so. Also, learn about the functionality of file share programs. For example, some file share programs will automatically share files from your hard drive and distribute them to others anytime your computer is on, without your knowledge, and many will not allow the outbound function to be disabled. You could thus be responsible (and liable) for the distribution of that material to hundreds or even thousands of individuals.
If you have any questions, please contact the Caltech Intellectual Property Office at x3066 or email IPQuestions@caltech.edu.
There are smoke detectors and alarm pull boxes in all the houses, which signal the Pasadena Fire Department and ring the building's evacuation bells. After an alarm has been reported, alert anyone in immediate danger. If the fire is small, fight it. Know the locations of the fire extinguishers in your area before a fire emergency happens. It is important to understand that tampering with the alarms and extinguishers is not only illegal but also foolish. This equipment has been provided for your protection. California Penal Code allows for a large fine or 12-month imprisonment for tampering with fire safety equipment.
The Maintenance Office will not remove, store or swap furniture nor provide additional furniture. If you are missing any standard furniture to your room, you may request it by submitting an on-line form through your access.caltech.edu account under "Facilities Service Request." Students will be charged for any missing or damaged furniture upon check-out. Please note that couches are not standard, and are not to be left in rooms by other students.
Bechtel thermostats are pre-set to operate between 72-80°F ONLY. System turns off when windows are opened. To adjust Setpoint, press center button until Heat or Cool symbol flashes. Adjust using arrows to desired Cool or Heat Setpoint. Heat Setpoint must be 2° below Cool Setpoint. System takes several hours to reach desired Setpoint.
Please review these helpful tips regarding the South Houses' HVAC system. Any questions or concerns may be addressed to the Housing Maintenance Office.
- The thermostats are extremely sensitive, please touch only the dial. Touching any other part will damage the thermostat.
- Please keep the cover on your thermostat at all times.
- The replacement fee for any damaged thermostat is $125.
- Hearing a slight hiss when changing temperature is normal; if there is a constant whistling sound, please contact the Housing Maintenance Office.
- Air is constantly blowing at 55˚F and cannot be turned off. When the thermostat is adjusted to a higher temperature, coils inside the vent are heated, warming the air.
- Do not cover the vents.
- Temperature is slow to change in the room, as the coils take time to heat or cool.
- It is recommended that you set the dial to 55˚F to cool and 85˚F to warm your room. Once the desired temperature is achieved, set your dial to a moderate temperature.
- Fire alarms shut off all air to the houses. The air should restart within the hour. If the air remains off after this time, please contact the Housing Maintenance Office at x6175.
- When reporting an issue with your HVAC, please be as specific as possible. (Examples: A/C is always cooling/heating and cannot control the temperature with the thermostat, thermostat makes a continuous whistle sound, air is blowing too hard/no air at all, etc).
Communal kitchen and cooking facilities are available in each house for snack and occasional meal preparation. Kitchen facilities include refrigerator, stove and microwave. You may store your food in the refrigerator and/or cupboards, but please label your personal items. Kitchen utensils, tableware, cookware and small appliances that are stored in unmarked shelves are communal property. You may use these items, but they must be washed and returned after use. Persons using kitchens are expected to leave them in a clean and orderly condition for use by others. Cooking is not allowed in student rooms. If you have any questions, please ask the RA or RLC.
Laundry machines are available in the basement of the North and South Houses, and in designated laundry rooms in Avery and Bechtel.
If there are problems with washers or dryers, please submit a maintenance service request (through your access.caltech.edu account), indicating washer or dryer number AND the location of the machine requiring repair.
Access to the North Laundry Room (under Lloyd, Page and Venerable) is available through staircases from the first floor of each house. The combination to the North Laundry Room is 13-2.
Access to the South Laundry Room (under Blacker, Dabney, Fleming and Ricketts) is available through staircases from the first floor of each house. The combination to the South Laundry Room is 12-3.
Payment Instructions are located by machines:
General Instructions
International Student Instructions
Coin Operated Machines
Avery
- Laundry Room by 115
- Washer #7 - WGX286
- Dryer #8 - WBU305
- Laundry Room by 134
- Washer #7 - WGX292
- Dryer #9 - WBU299
Bechtel
- Laundry Room 234
- Washer #11 & Dryer #12 - WG874
North UG
- Washer #1 - WGX272
- Dryer #10 - WBV691
South UG/SAC B169
- Washer #30 - WGX376
- Dryers #5 & #6 - WBU257
Students with a medical need for housing accommodations should reach out to Caltech Accessibility Services for Students (CASS) to register any needs, including Service Animals or Emotional Support Animals (ESAs).
Residents are not allowed to smoke in or around Caltech Housing Facilities (including the use of e-cigarettes). The facilities must be kept smoke free at all times. (Ord. 8.78.085 - Reduction of drifting tobacco smoke in multi-unit housing)
It would be impossible to provide a comprehensive list of everything that you should bring to Caltech. Here are some suggestions from Caltech students:
Wardrobe/Linen
- Bed sheets (twin extra-long)
- Blanket
- Pillow/pillowcase
- Comforter
- Mattress pad
- Towel set
- Bath robe/pajamas
- Bathing suit
- Clothes for special occasions
- Clothes for inclement weather
Desk Supplies
- Calculator
- Pens/pencils
- Computer
- Lamp
- Scissors, staplers, etc
- Notebooks/paper
- Surge protectors
Health and Grooming Supplies
- Blow dryer
- Detergent
- Iron
- Personal care items (soap, deodorant, etc.)
- Plastic carrying case (for shower)
- Shower shoes
Kitchen Equipment
- Few dishes (bowl, mug, plate)
- Few pots and pans
- One or two sets of silverware
Miscellaneous
- Flashlight
- Camera
- Storage containers
- Pictures of family and friends
- Posters or framed pictures
- Small portable musical instrument
- Clothes hangers
- Laundry bag or basket
- First aid kit
Students are permitted to park on campus. Parking and Commuter Services manages parking regulations and passes.
PESTICIDES THAT HAVE BEEN OR MAY BE USED ON THE PROPERTY DURING THE COURSE OF OUR WORK: UNLESS THE PRODUCT IS MARKED WITH AN * EFFECTS OF OVER EXPOSURE ARE SIMILAR TO COMMON SEASONAL ILLNESS COMPARABLE TO THE FLU.
Material EPA Registration #
AVERT COCKROACH BAIT* 499-410
GENTROL IGR CONC. 2724-351
BORID 9444-129-ZA
MAXFORCE ANT GRANULAR 64248-6
CONTRAC BLOX* 12455-79
MAXFORCE ANT KILL G BAIT 64248-6-AA
DELTA DUST 432-772
MAXFORCE FINE ANT GRANULAR 64248-19
DEMAND CS 100-1066
MAXFORCE FC ROACH BAIT GEL 64248-14
DRAX ANT KILL GEL 9444-4A-1
MAXFORCE ROACH GEL BAIT 64348-5
KICKER 432-1145
METALDEHYDE 7.5 G 5481-103-AA
FLY GEL N/A PT 515
WASP FREEZE 499-362
PT565 PLUS XLO 499-374
SUSPEND 432-763
CY KICK 499-304
TALSTAR CA GRANULAR 279-3168
TERRO ANT BAIT 149-8-64405
TEMPO 20WP 3125-377-AA
PRECOR 2724352
TERMIDOR 7969-210
Pets are not permitted in Caltech housing.
Rooms in Avery, Marks, Braun and the Bechtel Residence utilize a personal PIN code and ID card entry for student suites and rooms. PINs are unique to individual students and should not be shared. ID cards can also be used to access your unit by holding your card up to the PIN pad.
Caltech does not insure the personal property of students. You may wish to check your parents' homeowners insurance to see if your belongings are covered under their policy or you may secure your own personal coverage.
If you have a needed repair, you may submit an on-line service request through your access.caltech.edu account (click on "Facilities Service Request" and select "Student Housing".) Please do not handle repairs yourself.
From time to time, you may have a problem or concern that you would like to discuss with someone. You should feel free at such times to contact the Resident Associate (RA) who lives in an apartment in your house. The RAs are Caltech graduate students who are available for guidance and consultation and are familiar with the resources on campus. They have been trained to handle day-to-day challenges as well as emergency situations that may arise. They are also close, convenient and great people to talk to! More information about the RAs can be found on the Office of Student & Family Engagement website.
More detailed information about housing policies and procedures can be found in the Resident Guide.
The RLCs are professional live-in staff who are familiar with the resources on campus. They work closely with the RAs, Housing Office and Residential Life to provide guidance and consultation. Here is the list of RLCs and their contact information:
Avery/Marks/Braun : Steven Metzmaker - X6963
Bechtel: Emily Sanger - X6223
North Houses: Luciano Lemus - X6963
South Houses: Mahlet Tesfaye - X3402
Authorized housing staff may use a master key to open a room in an emergency. The room shall be locked upon the completion of the visit. Housing Office personnel may enter student rooms during normal working hours for cleaning, maintenance and repair or for purposes of maintaining compliance with health and safety regulations.
Campus telephones are located in each of the North and South Houses. The campus telephones allow calls to another campus station and to calls within local and toll free area codes. You must dial "9" to access an outside line. Calls outside the 626 area code require the caller to dial "9", "1", then the area code and the 7 digit number. If you would like to call outside local and toll free area codes, a long distance authorization code is required. Arrangements for personal campus extensions and authorization codes must be made directly with the Telecommunications Office.