Terp Life 101
Living, Dining, and Getting Around On-Campus
Dining Service: Will my student have healthy food to eat?
- Anytime Dining = unlimited access to three dining halls. Any time they’re open, any amount of anything they’re serving, any number of times a day.
- The limit is no carryout.
- Students living on campus without a kitchen dedicated to their room must have a Resident Dining Plan.
- You can make plan changes during the first two weeks of the semester after that, you can purchase bundles of Dining Dollars.
- For students not living on-campus
- Purchase at any time during the Fall semester and until week 12 of the Spring semester.
- Connector Meals and Connector Dining Dollars roll over Fall to Spring and expire on graduation day in May.
- To purchase a Connector Plan or Connector Dining Dollars, go to dining.umd.edu and select “Dining Plan.”
There are 25+ dining options on campus
UMD has an award-winning program for catering to allergies and food intolerance. Email nutrition@umd.edu to make an appointment for consultation with the nutrition and culinary team.
(Note: Terrapin Express is usable at a broader range of campus locations, including food courts, bookstores, and cafes, as well as outside of Dining Services.)
Resident Life: What do students need in residence halls? When do they find out about roommates?
Living on campus allows you to live, learn, and engage with a diverse community of Terps, be within steps of everything you need, and have support from our caring staff.
Find tips for roommate success, decorating your room, and more:
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| January 14 | Spring Housing Released for New Residents |
| January 24 at 10 a.m. | Residence Halls Re-open and Move-In begins for New Housing Residents |
| February 23 at 4 p.m. | Deadline to Submit your 2026-2027 Residence Hall Housing & Dining Agreement |
| March 2 - 9 | Room Selection begins for Returning Students to select their Housing Assignment for next Academic Year |
| May 18 at 7 p.m. | Residence Halls close at 7 p.m. |
Transportation: How do students get around campus?
DOTS manages parking, campus shuttles, bike and scooter programs, and sustainable commuting options at UMD.
Shuttle-UM - DOTS provides routes that circulate around campus, commuter routes to neighboring communities that can be tracked on the Transit app. (NITE Ride evening service is available when shuttle routes are not operating.)
BikeUMD - Students can bring their own bike to campus or rent one from the RecWell Bike Shop. (Please register your bike!)
Parking - Students must register for parking. Parking assignments are based on credits earned and spaces available.
Privately-owned E-scooters and e-bikes are prohibited for resident students living in resident halls, university owned fraternity and sorority chapter houses, and South Campus Commons. Non-resident students may bring privately owned e-scooter/e-bikes, but they must pass training and register them.
Additional transportation options include: Paratransit | NITE-
Holiday Travel
Shuttle-UM provides break transportation services to New York City, New Jersey, and BWI Airport & Rail Station for Thanksgiving, Winter, and Spring Breaks.
Academics: Where can students get academic help?
Learn more at Academic Overview
Follow the UMD's Calendar for important dates including breaks, final exams, and more
Campus Life: When can families and supporters visit and be part of the fun on campus?
In addition to family weekend, there are many public events on campus from athletics to theater performances. UMD Athletics offers discounted guest tickets to students (and some are free). UMD students receive complimentary tickets to productions at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center and may request additional tickets for $10.
–> Learn more about how students can get involved on campus
