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UChicago O-Week 2026 schedule and dates

O-Week 2026 ran Tuesday, September 22 to Sunday, September 27, and classes started Monday the 28th. The schedule below has the times, plus the deadlines that shape your first quarter.

O-Week 2026 ran September 22 to 27. First-year move-in was Tuesday, September 22, and classes started Monday, September 28. The schedule for every day in between is below, plus the deadlines around it.

Before you arrive

  • First-year move-in was Tuesday, September 22. Returning students moved in Friday, September 25 to Sunday, September 27.
  • Meal plans started on move-in day, Tuesday, September 22, so first-years ate in the dining halls from the first night.
  • Your CTA U-Pass runs September 23 to December 17, and first-years picked it up at Orientation Check-In.
  • Immunization records and tuition are both due October 2. The health insurance waiver closes October 16.
  • Add/drop closes Friday, October 16.

Tuesday, September 22

You move in at your assigned time, somewhere between 8 am and 7 pm, at your residence hall. Orientation check-in runs 10 am to 5 pm at the Reynolds Club, and parents check in separately in Hutchinson Courtyard. Your first peer mentor small group meets at an assigned time between 3 and 6:45 pm. Movie night is 7 to 11 pm at Ida Noyes.

Wednesday, September 23

The Orientation Resource Fair is 10 am to 1 pm at Ida Noyes. Opening Convocation and the class procession run 3:30 to 5 pm at Rockefeller Chapel and on the main quad. The Parent and Family Reception is 4:30 to 6:30 pm in Hutchinson Courtyard. House meetings are 7:30 to 9 pm in the residence halls, and the Glow Party is 9:30 to 11:30 pm on the North Campus quad.

If you pick one thing, pick the house meeting. Housing says each house has its own table in its home dining hall, and the people at that meeting are the people at that table.

Thursday, September 24

Academic advising drop-in is 10 am to noon, and academic sessions run at assigned times through the day. The Aims of Education address is 6:30 to 7:30 pm at Rockefeller, and the house colloquia follow from 7:45 to 8:45. The Logan Center party is 9:30 to 11:30 pm.

2-for-1 12 oz açaí bowls at Deep Purpl (from October 8) and 2-for-1 subs at Subway 53rd Street, plus deals at 12 more Hyde Park restaurants (one from September 29, one from September 30, four from October 1 and one from October 8). Free for verified UChicago students, live Monday, September 28.

Get Pool

Friday, September 25

Engage Chicago runs at assigned times from 9:30 am to noon, with off-campus service projects from 1 to 3:30 pm. Phoenix Phest is 11 am to 1 pm in the Ratner auxiliary gym, and the international student social is 4 to 6 pm at Ida Noyes. Off-Off Campus performs 8:30 to 10 pm at Mandel Hall. The Reynolds Club party is 9:30 to 11:30 pm.

Saturday, September 26

The UCMP scavenger hunt is at an assigned time between 2 and 6 pm. College Night at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry, east of campus, is 7 to 11 pm. The Hyde Park Jazz Festival runs Saturday and Sunday on the Midway and at venues around the neighborhood. It's free, and it isn't on the orientation schedule.

Sunday, September 27

House Activities Day and house meetings happen at times your house sets. It's the last day before classes, and the last day the dining halls are the only plan.

The fairs

There are two fairs, and both are built around tables. The Orientation Resource Fair is Wednesday, 10 am to 1 pm at Ida Noyes. Phoenix Phest is Friday, 11 am to 1 pm in the Ratner auxiliary gym.

Tables may ask for your email. Sign up for the lists you want. I signed a few at Phoenix Phest and it was worth it.

Some free things need no sign-up at all. The Hyde Park Jazz Festival is on the Midway that Saturday and Sunday. Your UCID already gets you into the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry and the DuSable. The College says Parent and Family Check-In hands out giveaway items too.

What the people who went say

In a September 2026 r/uchicago thread, one first-year's advice was to go to all of it and not mind looking awkward. Most of what's scheduled is worth going to.

O-Week is only the start. Classes and RSOs begin right after it, and your house table from the first house meeting is the easiest place to begin, and it costs you nothing.

Where the food is

53rd has the biggest cluster of restaurants near campus. 57th has the bookstores and a few places near them, and the Thai and Mediterranean spots are around 55th and 57th. Plenty of places close early and Sunday hours are short, so check before you walk over. The cheap eats guide covers the streets and the habits.

Food during O-Week

Pool is a food deals app for UChicago students, with 2-for-1 12 oz açaí bowls at Deep Purpl and 2-for-1 subs at Subway. The app is free right now. The first deals went live Monday, September 28, the first day of classes, and the Deep Purpl deal starts October 1.

On Pool this quarter. The app is free right now.

  • 2-for-1 12 oz açaí bowls at Deep Purpl
  • 2-for-1 subs at Subway 53rd Street
  • 2-for-1 half chicken plates at Nando's PERi-PERi
  • 2-for-1 Philly sandwiches at B'Gabs Comfort Cafe
  • 2-for-1 jerk or honey wings at Ja' Grill
  • 2-for-1 Wagyu Steak Frites at Chemistry
  • 2-for-1 wraps, salads and bowls at Litehouse Whole Food Grill
  • 2-for-1 chicken shawarma wraps at Cedars
  • a free refresher with any treat at StruggleBeard Bakery
  • a free third taco or a free drink with a Taco Dinner at 5 Rabanitos
  • 2-for-1 Indian combo meals at Rajun Cajun
  • 2-for-1 chicken and waffle bites at Dawn A.M. Eatery
  • 2-for-1 lattes at Sweet Drip
  • 2-for-1 sushi, pizza and more at The Sit Down Café & Sushi Bar

Live Monday, September 28. StruggleBeard Bakery starts Tuesday, September 29. B'Gabs Comfort Cafe starts Wednesday, September 30. Rajun Cajun, Dawn A.M. Eatery, Sweet Drip and The Sit Down Café & Sushi Bar start Thursday, October 1. Deep Purpl and Nando's PERi-PERi start Thursday, October 8.

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Questions people ask

What is O-Week at UChicago?
Orientation Week, the six days between first-year move-in on Tuesday, September 22 and the first day of classes on Monday, September 28. It covers check-in, Convocation, house meetings, advising and evening events, most of it at assigned times.
When is UChicago move-in day in 2026?
First-years moved in Tuesday, September 22, at an assigned time between 8 am and 7 pm. Returning students moved in Friday, September 25 to Sunday, September 27.
When do classes start at UChicago in autumn 2026?
Monday, September 28. Add/drop closes Friday, October 16, the Friday of third week.
Are the dining halls open during O-Week?
Yes. Meal plans started Tuesday, September 22, move-in day, per the dining calendar. The halls are the plan for the first nights, and many places on 53rd close early.
Which O-Week events are worth going to?
In my view, most of the scheduled programming is worth going to. Put your first house meeting first, because each house has its own table in its home dining hall.
Where do you get free merch during O-Week?
At the two table events. The Orientation Resource Fair is Wednesday 10 am to 1 pm at Ida Noyes, and Phoenix Phest is Friday 11 am to 1 pm in the Ratner auxiliary gym. The College says Parent and Family Check-In hands out giveaway items. Tables may ask for your email.
How do you make friends during O-Week?
Sit at your house table at the first house meeting and keep sitting there for a few weeks. Classes and RSOs start right after O-Week, so a quiet O-Week does not cost you the quarter.

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