When do Wake Forest residence halls close in spring 2027?

Wake Forest's housing office lists move-out as starting Monday, April 26, 2027. Halls close at 2 p.m. on Thursday, May 6 for non-seniors and at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, May 18 for seniors and anyone without interim housing. The university says the dates can change, so check its housing site before booking anything.

What happens to things left behind in a Wake Forest dorm room?

The housing office says abandoned personal property will be thrown out and the student charged for anything other than university furniture left in the room. Trash has to go to the dumpsters staged outside. Usable tables, desks, chairs, couches and shelves can go to the Deacs Donate areas for Goodwill instead.

Can I leave move-out furniture at the curb of my apartment?

Not for City pickup. Winston-Salem's bulky item collection serves single-family homes only, during each neighborhood's one scheduled week, and items put out late are left. For an apartment, your options are a charity pickup for clean pieces, your own trip to the landfill, or a paid hauler.

Move-Out Junk Removal in Winston-Salem, NC

Typical cost: $75 to $200 nationally for an eighth to a quarter of a truck.
Time on site: about an hour or two to clear one room; a lone futon is usually out in under an hour.
City curbside option for apartments: 0. The City's bulky pickup serves single-family homes only, once a year.
Donation bar: charities want pieces with no stains, tears, pet hair or missing hardware.

Winston-Salem Junk Co. sets up a call back from a local hauler when the lease ends and the futon, the desk and the bags of whatever-this-is still need to go. One call covers it. Send photos of what's staying behind and ask for the price before move-out day, so you aren't hunting for help while the landlord waits on the keys.

Move-Out Junk Removal for Students and Renters

Student apartment living room at move-out with a worn futon, a particleboard bookshelf, a lamp and full trash bags by the door

Student apartment move-outs

Plenty of students rent off campus. Winston-Salem State says all of its on-campus halls filled for fall 2026, and it has expanded its off-campus housing to more than 300 beds. When those leases end, whatever didn't fit in the car stays in the unit, and the landlord's turnover crew may charge for clearing it. Ask the hauler for a photo-based price about a week out, and check with the leasing office about loading-zone and elevator access.

Folded black futon frame, a mini fridge with its door open, a desk lamp and a laundry basket in a carpeted bedroom

Futons, mini fridges and dorm leftovers

Inside the residence halls, the schools run their own move-out. Wake Forest's Deacs Donate program sets up bins and lawn areas for Goodwill, taking tables, desks, office chairs, couches and shelves, but not headboards, mattress toppers, bedding or broken items; it has sent more than 230 tons to charity since 2010. A hauler earns its fee at the off-campus house or apartment. A mini fridge counts as a refrigerator under the state's appliance rules (appliance removal explains), and old mattresses have their own route on mattress disposal.

Front porch of an older frame rental house with a sagging plaid couch, a broken desk chair and a stack of flattened boxes

Shared rental houses

Four roommates leave four people's worth of stuff, and nobody owns the porch couch. A single-family rental does qualify for the City's once-a-year bulky collection, but only during that street's scheduled week; the rules are on the homepage. Outside that week, split the hauler's bill before the last roommate leaves town, and walk the basement, attic and shed so the price covers everything. Leave anything the landlord owns, such as blinds or a stove, where it is, and photograph the empty rooms once the truck pulls away. Those photos are your answer if a deposit deduction shows up later.

Gloved worker carrying an old wooden kitchen chair down brick porch steps toward a white pickup with another chair in the bed

Why Winston-Salem homeowners call Winston-Salem Junk Co.

Your request goes to a single independent hauler
Hear the all-in figure before anything is carried out
Calling is free; the hauler bills only the job you OK
Mention stairs, a gate code or a hot tub when you call

Campus Move-Out Dates and Rules for 2026-27

Wake Forest, fall 2026
Halls close at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, December 16 for winter break.
Wake Forest, spring 2027
Move-out begins April 26. Halls close at 2 p.m. on May 6 for non-seniors and 9 a.m. on May 18 for seniors. The university notes that dates can change, and its housing staff can't lend carts.
UNCSA
After spring semester, residents must check out within 24 hours of their last exam unless they're in commencement. Staying late costs $25, plus $25 for every hour past closing.
Winston-Salem State and Salem College
Check each school's housing office for its spring closing time before you book.

If your lease ends the same week the halls close, book the pickup for early in that week rather than the last day, when every roommate is also trying to leave.

See eviction cleanout if you're the landlord clearing a unit a tenant left full.