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Cornell University

Housing & Residential Life

What to Pack & What Not to Bring

What’s included in your room? 

To see more specifics about your residence hall, furniture, and room layout, refer to the individual Housing and Residential Life building page for your community. Fixtures in each building may vary but all rooms include:

  • Twin XL bed frame
  • Twin XL mattress
  • Closet or wardrobe
  • High-speed internet
  • Desk and chair
  • Dresser or drawers
  • Drapes or blinds
  • Carpeting or floor tile

Packing essentials and items to leave behind 

Visit Housing Amenities for details about furnishings, laundry facilities, Internet service, phone service, and other important information. Make sure you have the basics when you arrive on campus! It's a good idea to check with your roommate(s) (if you have one), so you don't duplicate items that could instead be shared. Below is a list of suggested items to consider for the upcoming year. Please make sure you refer to the Housing and Residential Life Community Living Standards (CLS) to learn which items are better left at home. 

For your room:

  • Sheets and Bedding that fit an extra-long twin bed, sized 8" deep by 36" wide by 80" long
  • A pillow
  • Personal care items  
  • First-aid kit
  • Prescription medications
  • Essential documents
  • Laundry bag
  • Clothing for a New York summer and early fall weather
  • Floor or bedside lamp (please refer to the Prohibited Items List below under Electronics and Appliances to view lamps that are not permitted)
  • Stackable storage crates
  • Organizers that fit under a bed
  • Clothes hangers
  • A mirror (some buildings do not have mirrors provided)
  • A UL-approved outlet strip with breaker switch (extension cords and multiplug adaptors are prohibited)
  • An alarm clock
  • Vacuum (shared community vacuums are available to borrow)
  • Cleaning supplies
  • A fan (most buildings are not temperature-controlled and window/portable air conditioners are prohibited)
  • Decorations (ensure that you are following the Community Living Standards under “Residence and Room Environment)
  • Snacks
  • A minifridge that draws no more than 7.3 amps [840 watts] to start and 1.4 amps [160 watts] while running. Students may not bring microfridges (microwave-refrigerator combinations), but microfridges may be rented and placed in your room. Microfridges may be ordered from My MicroFridge. Order early to have the unit placed in your room before you arrive.  

Campus, classes, and studying:

  • Cellphone and charger
  • Laptop and charger
  • Calculator
  • Office supplies
  • Umbrella and rain coat
  • Winter boots, hats, and gloves
  • A bike! Most buildings on campus have designated bicycle racks or storage areas (please keep in mind that some racks are outside, and remember to bring a lock and helmet). You must register your bike with Transportation Services when you get to campus or you will not receive access to a bike room. Learn more about Bike Room Access online.

Bathroom:  

  • Towels
  • Personal care items
  • A shower caddy or container to carry toiletries back and forth to the bathroom
  • A bathrobe
  • Flip-flops to wear in the shower

Kitchen:

For students who want to use the kitchens in their residential buildings, here are a few items to consider bringing.

  • Plates and bowls
  • Cups and utensils
  • Pots and pans 

Extra items to bring if you’re living in an apartment style unit: 

  • Hand soap
  • Coffee maker
  • Tea kettle
  • Groceries
  • Paper towels
  • Tissues
  • Toilet paper
  • Bathmats or kitchenmats  

Prohibited items 

In order to ensure safety in our residential spaces, there are several items that are not permitted to have in your room. Please also refer to the Community Living Standards and your Housing License Terms and Conditions for more details and regulations. To uphold these policies, rooms are inspected regularly by the Fire Marshal. Violations are noted and fines are issued when violations are not resolved.

Mobility Devices  

  • Self-balancing scooters, commonly known as hover boards (for fire safety reasons related to the battery).
  • E-bikes, e-scooters, and e-skateboards are allowed on campus, but they are not allowed in student rooms or anywhere in the residential buildings other than the bike rooms. They must be stored and charged in the bike rooms. First-year students are provided a bus pass to help them get around on campus and off.  

Electronics and Appliances  

  • Extension cords and multiplug adapters.
  • Small kitchen appliances are not allowed — for example, appliances with exposed immersion coils, traditional coffee pots, toasters/toaster ovens, rice cookers, hot pots, slow cookers, air fryers.
  • Freestanding microwave ovens (except in the Townhouse apartments, where microwaves are permitted in the apartment kitchen).
  • A minifridge that draws more than 7.3 amps (800 watts) to start and 1.4 amps while running.
  • A microfridge (microwave-refrigerator combination). See above. They may be rented from My MicroFridge.
  • Large appliances — including portable washing machines, dish washers, full-size refrigerators.
  • "Spider" lamps, and any lamp (particularly a halogen lamp) that requires a bulb greater than 150 watts. LED lights are permitted.
spider lamp

Certain Decor Items 

  • Candles, candle/wax warmers, and incense burners
  • Headboards with outlets built in
  • Curtains, fabric room dividers, sound proofing panels
  • Peel and stick wallpaper
  • Artificial plants
  • Wall tapestries 

Air Conditioning

  • Air conditioning units of any kind. Instead, you can bring a fan to help cool down during warmer days.  

Animals

  • Pets, except for a fish in a 10 gallon or smaller tank.
  • Emotional support animals must be approved by Student Disability Services before they are brought to campus.

Weapons 

  • Weapons and firearms (these must be registered and kept with Cornell University Police).

Duplicative Items

  • Cinder blocks, and extra furniture, for space reasons and to avoid duplication with items that will already be provided in your room.

Other resources you may need for Move-In 

Whether you want to lighten your load by shipping bigger items to campus, find more ways to set your space up in style, or just make sure you have everything you need for an amazing housing experience,  we have the resources for you!

Utilize Big Red Shipping and Storage  

Big Red Shipping and Storage (BRSS) is Student and Campus Life’s preferred shipping and storage vendor, and they offer paid pre-arrival services to ease the busy trip to Ithaca. They receive your items, place them in storage, and put them into your room before you arrive on campus! Typically, Big Red Shipping and Storage will not accept packages before mid-July and cannot ensure on-time delivery for packages arriving after the beginning of August. BRSS Packages can be delivered to on-campus rooms before the Move-in date. Big Red Shipping and Storage offers move-in, move-out and summer storage services to Cornell University students. Learn more about storage and shipping options, or contact Big Red Shipping and Storage to sign up and review important shipping dates and deadlines.  

Mail items to the Student Service Centers  

You may also send mail and packages to the Student Service Centers for you to pick up when you arrive to campus. Be sure to visit the Student Service Center webpage for best practices for mail and packages, including appropriate shipping dates (if you ship things too early in advance of the semester, your packages may be returned to sender), how to address packages (must include your NetID), and additional information. To make the pickup process smoother, please ship items to campus in as few boxes as possible (each under 50 lbs.) rather than sending many small boxes with individual items, include the student NetID in the name field, and do not ship emergency or time‑sensitive items such as medication.

When you arrive on campus, you can pick up your mail and packages at your designated Student Service Center. Be sure to allow extra time for packages to be sorted upon receipt at the Service Centers at the beginning of the semester.

Order Room Essentials from DormCo 

The Cornell Store and Housing & Residential Life collaborate with DormCo to provide a convenient solution for ordering room essentials. DormCo offers high-quality bedding and over 5,000 budget-friendly products to help make your room or apartment one of a kind. On-campus students, let us do the heavy lifting! Orders placed before the delivery due date can be sent directly to residence hall rooms and will be waiting for students inside their room when they arrive to campus. View details and order.  

Dump & Run 

Dump & Run is an annual sale where students can purchase gently-used items that were donated by outgoing students the year before. Items include a wide range of clothing and linens, as well as useful items like shelving, storage containers, lamps, fans, sporting equipment, and so much more! Check out the Dump and Run page to learn more!  

Shopping in Ithaca  

Many families, particularly those traveling from a distance or flying, wait until they get to Ithaca before buying items like bedding, towels, organizational units, school supplies, and toiletries. Many items can be bought at The Cornell Store; others can be found at the nearby mall or in stores in downtown Ithaca. 

Insurance  

All students should consider insurance coverage for their personal property. You will want to make certain that your cell phone, laptop, clothing, and other personal property items are covered for incidents that result in damage or loss of your belongings. If you are not currently covered under a policy with your family, consider Cornell University's preferred personal property insurance provider, GradGuard. Participation in this plan is optional, but strongly encouraged. Find out more here.

Bringing a Car to Campus  

We strongly discourage new students from bringing their cars. Traffic and parking are restricted on campus; mostly you'll be walking or using public transit. First-year students receive a free TCAT bus pass with access to routes all across campus and the local community. If you do plan to bring a car, you must register it with Transportation Services and pay a parking fee.