A person exits the Upper Quadrangle with a suitcase on Jan. 11, the second day of the move-in period.

Credit: MAX MESTER

For the first time since March 2020, thousands of Penn students are living in on-campus housing. The University welcomed students back for the spring semester on Jan. 10, and the move-in period continued until Jan. 17. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, new restrictions and guidelines resulted in a move-in week unlike any other. Here's what it looked like.

Credit: Ana Glassman

A student pushed his move-in cart past the DuBois/Rodin/High Rise Field COVID-19 testing site, one of eight sites throughout Penn's campus, on Jan. 14. 

Credit: Max Mester


Two members of the Student Move-In Team sat behind a map of the Quad, welcoming and guiding new students to their dorms.

Credit: Andrea Mendoza

A welcome letter and a tote bag filled with Penn masks awaited incoming students in their rooms.

Credit: Sukhmani Kaur


The safety risks and accessibility barriers of COVID-19 added additional pressures to move-in this year.

Credit: Max Mester

Penn President Amy Gutmann (right) walked around campus on Jan. 14, greeting students and their families.

Credit: Ana Glassman


Students were permitted to bring a single guest and a maximum of two suitcases to move in.

Credit: Max Mester

With dining halls closed for indoor seating until further notice, many students chose to sit outside of Hill College House to eat lunch.

Credit: Max Mester

A family helped move their student into the Quad.

Credit: Melanie Hilman

Students were able to take a cart for two hours to transport their belongings to their dorms.

Credit: Kylie Cooper Penn community members getting tested at the Annenberg Center testing site on Jan. 19.

Upon arrival, students were required to participate in gateway COVID-19 testing and quarantine in their dorms until they received their results. Pictured are students getting tested at the Annenberg Center testing site.

Credit: Sukhmani Kaur

Students living on Penn's campus must abide by the Campus Compact, which requires social distancing for interactions. They also must follow the rules of the Quiet Period, which is in place until Feb. 1 and mandates that graduate and undergraduate students only leave their residences for essential activities.