Student Moving Services in Chicago: Dorm, Apartment & College Moving Done Right
Trusted by Chicago students and their parents since 1967
On move-in day at a residence hall in Chicago you are given just one elevator, have a two-hour period in which to complete the move, and have a queue of families behind you all facing the same issue that you are facing. A Plus Chicago Movers has been dealing with that problem for students going to UIC, DePaul, Loyola, Northwestern, the University of Chicago, Columbia College, Roosevelt, and IIT for many decades – and yet we still run it as a family business, not as a call centre.
No matter if you’re a first-year student moving into your first dorm, a junior who is changing apartments in Lincoln Park, or a parent from another state who wants to arrange a move but can’t be there yourself, we take care of the lifting, the logistical arrangements, and the scheduling so that your student’s move-in day isn’t the most stressful day of the semester.
What Student Moving Services Actually Cover
Student moving is a distinct type of move different from a normal apartment relocation. They generally involve small to medium-sized loads, strict scheduling windows determined by the university (not by the student), numerous pickup locations (such as their family home, a storage unit, and a friend’s place), and a firm deadline which stays unchanged even if the weather, the elevator, or Chicago traffic proves to be a problem.
Who needs a student moving company:
- Incoming first-year students moving into a residence hall for the first time
- Returning students switching from dorms to off-campus apartments
- Students relocating between semesters, subletting, or doing a January intersession move
- Graduating seniors moving out of Chicago for good
- Parents coordinating a move from out of state who can’t be on-site
There’s a good reason to hire professionals rather than borrowing a truck from friends: although a rented truck and some strong friends might be enough to move a dorm room, it couldn’t possibly manage getting you through a residence hall’s freight-elevator schedule without using up the entire period allowed for check-in, avoid a ticket when navigating a downtown loading zone, or take apart and put back together a lofted bed and a Twin XL frame without losing some of the hardware. If you throw in finals week, a move-in weekend with rain at 40°F, or have a parent trying to handle everything by phone from another state, then the idea of simply borrowing a truck ceases to be a cost-effective solution and becomes one that’s highly stressful.
Our Student Moving Services in Chicago
Dorm & Residence Hall Move-In / Move-Out
The usual thing that students do when moving into college: they take boxes, a small fridge, a Twin XL mattress, a desk, and have to arrive by a certain time. We work with the rules your building has for check-in—this includes providing insurance certificates if your housing requires them—and arrange everything so that the freight elevator is fully loaded on the very first visit rather than having the boxes carried up one at a time. Beds that are raised and the components for raised beds are disassembled and reassembled inside the room, not left in pieces by the door.
Off-Campus & Student Apartment Moves
After their first year of college most students move from apartment to apartment, choosing among Lincoln Park, Rogers Park, Hyde Park, Wicker Park, Uptown, or the walk-up apartments in Evanston which have narrow stairwells and provide no elevator at all. Moves of this kind take place quickly around exam time and when leases are being renewed, and we consider them to be full small moves—meaning the furniture is wrapped, the electronics are padded, and all items are checked into a list—rather than treating them as a hasty job fitted in between other appointments.
Student Packing Services
The time it takes to pack is greater than that actually spent moving, particularly in the week before the move is complete. We provide either full or partial packing services—you indicate the items that need to be packed and we will box them, label them, and load them. This means that instead of spending a Saturday packing your dorm room you can use that Saturday to study or to see your family. (Full details: Packing Services in Chicago)
Summer & Semester Storage
It isn’t necessary for all items to be taken home in the summer nor does every item have to be retrieved in August. We provide both short-term and long-term storage options so that things like a loft bed, a mini fridge, or a whole season’s worth of textbooks can be kept safely between semesters rather than having to travel home and back for no purpose. (Full details: Storage Solutions)
Long-Distance & Out-of-State Student Moves
If you’re graduating, transferring or going back home to another state when the lease finishes, we provide long-distance student moves out of Chicago, not just help with changing apartments within the city. You’ll have a single point of contact, one fixed quote and no need to deal with a second company.
Last-Minute & Emergency Student Moves
Leases are cancelled and sublets also fail, and on some occasions the move date is changed three days before the move takes place. When the calendar doesn’t allow for it we organise student moves for the same day or the following day. (Full details: Emergency Moving in Chicago)
Move-Out Junk Removal & Donation Pickup
Whenever the move-out at the end of the term results in some items being left behind—such as a broken desk chair, a futon that no one wants to take home, or a heap of things to give away—we could deal with the clearance during the same visit rather than having the next tenant or the landlord have to handle it. (Full details: Junk Removal Services)
Moving Insurance for Student Belongings
Laptops, monitors, gaming systems and musical instruments can add up quickly and the standard insurance coverage rarely corresponds with the actual items in the room. We’ll show you the extra coverage options before your move, not after a piece of equipment has been damaged. (Full details: Moving Insurance Chicago)
Why Chicago Students & Parents Choose A Plus Chicago Movers
We have been operating as a moving company in Chicago since 1967—not since last year. The company (which was at first called A&T Moving and Storage) was founded in 1967 by Al Hogan Sr. Al Hogan Jr., his son, has been in charge of it since 2000. Thus, three generations of Chicago families have placed their trust in the same business—not a franchise covering a particular area, not a marketing brand that generates leads, but a real local business with a name on the door.
We offer free video quotes designed for parents who aren’t able to be present. A large number of student moves are arranged by a parent in a different state, based just on a phone call and some guesswork. That’s why we’ve created a free video quote service: you can send us a short video showing what needs to be moved and one of our moving experts will then provide you with an actual, tailored estimate—there’s no need for an in-person visit and no guessing on move day.
Our knowledge of the move-in days at Chicago’s various campuses tells us that the Lincoln Park site of DePaul, the Near West Side buildings of UIC, the Rogers Park and Water Tower halls at Loyola, and the Evanston campus of Northwestern each have different move-in procedures—different loading zones, different check-in desks, and different elevator rules. When making arrangements we take into account the specific building you are moving into, not a general “college move.”
The pricing is transparent and easy for students to understand, with no additional charges being added on move-in day. The quote we give you takes into account your moving load, your stopping places, and your access to the building from the outset.
We are licensed, insured, and considered to be low risk. We are fully licensed by the Illinois Commerce Commission, are insured, and belong to the American Moving & Storage Association, the Illinois Movers’ and Warehousemen’s Association, and the Chicago Chamber of Commerce. Our claim rate is nearly zero since our teams are trained to protect the items they are moving, not just to move them quickly.
We were there when we promised to be. The move-in weekends are chaotic on purpose since everyone moves on the same Saturday. Our crew schedules are drawn up particularly for Chicago’s peak periods among students (in late August and in mid-May) so that if a slot is booked it remains booked.
How a Student Move Works With A Plus Chicago Movers
- Get a free video quote. Just complete our short form and upload a video showing what you’re moving — whether it’s your dorm room, your apartment, or a storage unit. It only takes a few minutes.
- Obtain a genuine and customized estimate. A moving expert will look at the video and then call or text you with a definite quote — not a rough approximation, but a real figure based on what you showed us.
- We’re confirming your move-in window and the building requirements. Please let us know your residence hall’s check-in time, whether there is a certificate-of-insurance requirement, and where we can load the goods; we will then take care of the coordination.
- It’s move day—our team arrives on time, carefully loads the items from your starting point(s), and goes to campus, where it can move quickly as soon as the elevator or the loading area is ready.
- Unload the items, put them together, and that’s that. The furniture is constructed, the boxes end up in the places where you’re unpacking them, and the packing materials go with us — the room becomes habitable as soon as we leave.
Chicago-Specific Challenges We Plan Around
The real bottleneck is the freight elevator, not the truck. With only one elevator, a two- or three-hour period in which the trucks can arrive, and a dozen other families waiting in line, we arrange the whole load close to the door before the elevator opens so that each journey up is fully loaded rather than only half-full.
The move-in weekends are always the same weekend. In late August, the peak occurs since UIC, DePaul, Loyola, and Columbia all move in within about the same ten days. Mid-May is the corresponding period when the students are leaving. It is most important to book early during these periods when moving in.
Parking and loading areas are specific to each building. On some campuses, there are clearly marked move-in zones with student marshals present during the major weekends, while on some off-campus sections, the roads are narrow one-way streets with no access from alleys. We know which situation applies and look after any parking arrangements that are needed.
The weather in Chicago doesn’t matter when it comes to your move date. Whether that’s in August with the humidity, moving during the January intersession in the cold, or moving out in rainy May—we have our crews move in those conditions, and we look after your furniture and electronics as a result.
There are walk-up apartments without elevators. In Lincoln Park, Rogers Park, and Wicker Park many of the student apartment buildings are three- or four-storey walk-ups. Stairs are taken into account when scheduling, not merely the cost, so moving into a walk-up won’t use up the entire afternoon.
Student Moving Checklist: What to Prepare
- Make sure that you confirm the exact check-in time for your residence hall as well as any building forms that are required (such as your student ID and certificate of insurance, etc.).
- Label the boxes according to the room and the priority (that is, “open first” or “storage”)
- Keep valuables laptops, jewelry, important documents with you, not on the truck
- Empty and defrost mini fridges before moving day
- Disassemble what you can ahead of time (or let us handle it)
- Confirm parking/loading zone rules for your specific building
- If a parent is coordinating remotely, have the student available by phone during move-in
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to hire student movers in Chicago?
It all comes down to the amount of moving you’re doing, the number of stops for pickups during the day, and how easy it is to access your building. The simplest and cheapest option for this kind of job is to rent a single dorm room from one address. All you have to do is send us a short video using our free quote tool and we’ll provide you with an accurate figure, not an estimate.
Are there cheap student movers in Chicago, or is full-service always expensive?
Student moves are usually smaller in scale and quicker than complete household moves, which in turn keeps the costs low when compared with moving the whole home. When your budget is limited, the labor-only option (you rent the truck and we take care of loading, carrying, and assembling the items) is generally the most economical choice. Feel free to ask us about it when you ask for your quote.
When should I book my Chicago college move?
The earlier you have your date, particularly if it’s in late August or mid-May, the better. Since all the major campuses in Chicago generally operate within about the same ten-day period during those times, the best spots are taken first usually, just a few days’ notice is needed outside of the peak weeks.
Do you provide services to students at the University of Illinois at Chicago, DePaul, Loyola, Northwestern, and the University of Chicago?
Certainly, we routinely transfer students among all of the campuses, together with those of Columbia College, Roosevelt University, and IIT, and we know the check-in procedures and loading regulations of each building.
Can you store my things over the summer between semesters?
Certainly, we provide both short-term and long-term storage so that you don’t have to collect all your belongings home and then return them after three months. Just let us know approximately how much you are storing and for how long and we’ll arrange it for you.
Do I need a parking permit for the moving truck?
Very seldom do they do this. Most of the campuses in Chicago manage their own designated loading zones during the move-in weekends, and on off-campus streets you are generally not asked to do anything. In the rare case of a narrow one-way street with no access from an alley, we take care of any parking arrangements that are needed you don’t have to apply for them.
Can you help with a last-minute or same-day student move?
Certainly, leases and subleases sometimes fail and move dates are altered. In the event of sudden changes to your schedule we offer same-day and next-day moves. If you have an urgent move you should call our number directly so that you get the quickest response.
Do you move students long-distance, out of state?
Certainly, whether the person in question is a senior going home after the exams or one who is transferring to another city, we look after long-distance student moves from Chicago, not just those involving a local change of apartment.
Is it necessary for a parent to be present when the student cannot look after the move by themselves?
It doesn’t have to be that way. We are able to deal directly with a parent who is booking the free video quote service remotely; it was designed specifically for this purpose, and we can then confirm the details by phone or text as we go along. When it comes to the building, the student (or another authorized adult) usually has to be there in person to sign in and have their room assignment arranged, as most of the halls will not grant access in any other way.
What is the difference between a full-service student move and a move that only involves labor?
What full-service includes is that we provide the truck, carry the load, drive it, and then unload it as well. With a labor-only arrangement you have the truck either by renting it or using a friend’s and we take care of the loading and unloading; this is often the more cost-effective choice when moving into a single dorm room or making a short move from one apartment to another. When you ask for a quote, please ask us which option suits your situation best.
