Queen’s will soon be the site of an annual feat of coordination: the safe and well-organized move-in of 4,500 students into university residences. Move-in Day this year will be on Saturday, Aug. 31.  

While Move-In Day brings an influx of traffic to the campus each year, Queen’s works very closely with its community partners in the City of Kingston and the Kingston Police to ensure that there is minimal disturbance to nearby residents and businesses.

“Move-in Day is an exciting time of year at Queen’s. In the space of just a few hours, we welcome thousands of new students to our campus community. Thanks to our wonderful community partners, the whole process works smoothly and efficiently,” says Ann Tierney, Vice Provost and Dean of Student Affairs. “Queen’s is fully prepared to make the Class of 2023 feel at home, and we are excited for the start of the new academic year.”

In the months leading up to Move-in Day, representatives from Queen’s,  including Community Housing and Student Community Relations, and partners worked together to coordinate their efforts to ensure that all the details of the operation have been considered and planned for.

Queen’s Housing and Ancillary Services has gathered volunteers to manage the flow of traffic and direct students and families to their appropriate drop-off locations. They have also communicated extensively with the incoming students as well as their families and supports to try to keep everyone informed about the processes of the day.

The Kingston Police have arranged for road closures and parking restrictions in the area around the university while the City of Kingston has communicated with residents through a variety of channels to inform them of the increased volume of traffic.

Move-in Day is much more than an example of effective organization and collaboration. It also marks the exciting beginning of a new academic year.

Students in the Queen’s Class of 2023 will come to Kingston from across Canada and around the world. For this year’s incoming class, Queen’s received 47,236 applications for 4,644 spaces. This number of applications represents an 11 per cent increase from 2018.

After students settle in, Move-in Day quickly transitions to orientation. Last year, a number of changes were instituted for orientation to help make the experience safer and more inclusive for everyone.

When families and guests are finished helping students move in, they can attend information sessions on either main campus or west campus to learn how to support their student’s transition to university life.

For more information about Move-in Day hours of operation and driving directions please visit our move-in page.

Move-in Day Logistics

As in previous years, there will be road closures, parking restrictions, and other traffic changes around campus leading up to and during Move-in Day.

Overnight Parking Restrictions beginning at 6 pm on Friday, Aug. 30:

• Albert Street between Union and King
• Stuart Street between University and Albert
• Collingwood Street between Union and King

Roads scheduled for closure* at 7 am on Saturday, Aug. 31 include:

*Access will be available for residents. Street parking will not be permitted.

• Arch Street at Union Street
• George Street at Stuart Street
• O’Kill Street at George Street
• Queen’s Crescent between Beverley Street and Collingwood Street
• Beverley Street between Union Street and King Street

Streets designated one-way for the day on Saturday, Aug. 31:

• Albert Street, southbound between Queen’s Crescent and King Street
• Queen’s Crescent, westbound from Albert Street to Collingwood Street
• Bader Lane, westbound
• Stuart Street, westbound between University Avenue and Albert Street
• St. Lawrence Avenue, southbound from Stuart Street to King Street
• Collingwood Street, southbound from Union Street to King Street
• University Avenue, southbound from Union Street to Stuart Street