Navigating living at Scripps

New students are required to complete the application to receive a housing assignment for the 2024-2025 academic year.

Students can expect to receive an email from NSPO in their student email prompting them to go to the Student Housing Portal to fill out the application in early June.

Students will need to complete and submit the application before 11:59 pm PST on June 20, 2025, in order to be placed in Scripps Sponsored Housing.

The information provided will allow our staff to place you in a room with someone that aligns with the responses you shared. Our questionnaire can be found on the housing portal (Scripps network credentials required). Students will be notified of their housing placement in mid-July.

Students who have additional needs that require support in the form of formally approve accommodations, must ensure that they review the Academic Resources & Services website for more information about how to request accommodations including how to find the AIM accommodations portal (which is separate from the StarRez Housing Portal).

Note that Residential Life does not oversee anything relating to accommodations beyond assignment of rooms. All submissions for requests, reviews, and decisions are managed by ARS directly. Students must ensure that they fill out both the housing application and the request for accommodation form separately – only filling out one of these forms will result in a variety of complications around accommodations and assignments.

Students are able to submit their request and upload required documentation through the AIM portal (which requires Scripps credentials) once they have access to their Scripps email. The priority deadline for immediate consideration for accommodations is to have both the request and all documentation along with the housing application submitted by 11:55pm on Friday, June 13, 2025.

We understand that coming to college is a time of excitement and growth, but can also be a time for some anxiety relating to sharing a space with others. The vast majority of our first-year population lives in triples on the main Scripps campus. This means that incoming students should be expecting to share a lived space with up to two other incoming Scripps students. Listed below are some tips and tricks to help manage some of the unknown while preparing to arrive to campus!:

• Students will submit some lifestyle questions when they submit their housing application. It is strongly recommended that students fill out this portion as honestly as possible, in order to make for the best possible roommate match.
• Consider consulting social media and building a roommate group of your own! Students are able to request other incoming Scripps students to be in their roommate group, and as long as the roommate group is verified in the application and has no more than 3 people total then the system will automatically assign those students together.
• Students who would like to reside in an environment that is wellness-focused are encouraged to consider applying for our WellNest Living-Learning Community! WellNest is our substance-free community in which participating students will have additional opportunities to engage with programming initiatives that focus on holistic wellness in a substance-free environment with like-minded peers. Students interested in WellNest should consider attending an information session which will be held on May 29, 2025 and June 9, 2025.
• Begin talking with your roommate(s) early. Once assignment information is available, students will see the names of their roommates and can reach out at their leisure. This allows students the chance to plan logistical items for the space and it allows them time to have intentional conversations about the type of environment they want to keep for the year. A roommate agreement is required after move-in, and by breaching these topics early this will help students feel like their wants and needs are heard and gives them an idea of what to expect from others once they move in.
• Be prepared to compromise! Sharing a space with other people means asking for the necessary space you need to thrive, while also allowing others in that space to ask the same thing for themselves. Being open-minded and willing to try new things and adapt your lifestyle can be a gateway to learning something new and exciting about yourself and others around you. While compromise may not always be fun, talking about it and adapting will provide students with a critical skill they will need throughout their lives.
• Embrace the unknown that comes with living in a new environment with new people! While this may be a time of nervousness, it is also a fantastic opportunity to get engaged with the Scripps community early on! Ask your roommates questions about themselves and what they like to do, consider attending one of the many lively and active events on campus during NSPO and the first week of classes. Students may find that one of these opening activities is the glue that bonds them and their roommate(s) for their entire duration at Scripps.
• Remember that the other incoming students are also new! It can be easy to feel out of place and nervous when embarking on a new adventure, but take comfort in knowing that this is largely true for everyone else participating in NSPO and everyone is likely feeling something similar. It’s okay to be nervous, a little overwhelmed, and somehow also excited – we’re positive that the vast majority of you feel this same way.

Students can expect to see their assignment in their Housing Portal in mid-July 2025 as staff make assignments throughout the summer. Once assignments go out, they are locked until our room freeze lifts in mid-September. Meal plans are also locked until the meal plan change form opens on August 25, 2025. We kindly ask that students and their families refrain from inquiring about how to make adjustments to these items, as additional information about how to change a meal plan and request a room change will be shared after move-in.

To assist you with this transition we have created a list of what to bring and what not to bring to campus to help you with packing. You can find the list by clicking here.

As you prepare to pack up, please be mindful that you are sharing space with others. If you plan to shop for things before you arrive, consider ordering online and have them picked up at store near Scripps College or shipped to your campus address. You can also forgo shopping at home and pick up what you need once you arrive.

We want you to feel comfortable and “at home” in your room at Scripps. To help you plan what to bring, here is a list of what is included in the residential halls and all Scripps sponsored housing for each student:

Rooms (each student will have the following):

• Bed Frame
• Mattress (twin extra-long)
• Two drawer dresser
• Desk and chair
• Floor lamp
• Closet or armoire

It is important to note that the above items cannot be removed from their spaces. These items have been approved by the state as fitting the guidelines of the space.

All traditional residential halls will have a kitchen with the following:

• Stove (electric)
• Refrigerator
• Microwave

Scripps does not offer storage units/pods for students over the summer. Students will have to arrange their own storage units/pods for Spring Closing.

Guidelines for having a Storage Pod delivered to Campus:

· Storage pods can only stay for a maximum of 72 hours on campus.

· Pods can only be placed on Platt Blvd in a Scripps parking space and cannot block street traffic.

• Students will need to communicate these guidelines to the storage company they choose.

Here are some storage options for students:

It is important to note that we are providing a list of local storage facilities for your convenience, however, we cannot endorse the quality or level of security at each facility as Scripps College is not affiliated with any of these storage facilities.

Storage Pod services:

Box-N-Go : 855-991-6676

Storage Valet : 877-798-2538

PODS Moving & Storage : 877-770-7637

Supreme Storage Containers : 909-764-3522

Here are some helpful storage facility search sites:

https://www.storagecafe.com/

https://www.neighbor.com/self-storage-near-me

Each residence hall has a with a laundry room, equipped with washers and dryers. Laundry services is $1.00 for washers and $0.50 cents for dryers.

Our machines are not coin operated. All students should add money (i.e. Claremont Cash) to their student ID to access in-hall laundry services.

Claremont Cash can be used to purchase both food and non-food items throughout The Claremont Colleges, as well as local merchants in and around Claremont. All students, faculty and staff of The Claremont Colleges have a Claremont Cash account established as soon as their ID card is created. To access your Claremont Cash account, please click here.

First year students are not allowed to have cars on campus, unless approved by the Dean of Students Office for accommodations or special circumstances. The first year is a time for students to be on campus and within the consortium connecting and engaging across campus. Students requesting an exception will need to reach out to the Office of Residential Life to initiate their request.

You can reach out to the Office of Residential Life via email at: reslife@scrippscollege.edu.  Please note that due to construction and the proximity of the other colleges parking is very limited. Students approved to bring a car to campus are required to register their vehicle with Campus Safety. Visit the Campus Safety website to learn more about the process.

Scripps does not offer Winter Break or Summer Break Housing.

Students should plan accordingly for both of these breaks as all Scripps housing closes for both of these breaks.