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Student move dates in Edinburgh, 2026/27

Edinburgh's three universities keep different calendars, and their students move on different weekends. Here are the 2026/27 dates as each university publishes them, and what they mean for booking a van.

University of Edinburgh

Students moving into halls usually arrive in the days before Welcome Week. Some programmes, medicine among them, keep their own dates, so check yours.

Edinburgh Napier University

Napier's campuses are at Merchiston, Craiglockhart and Sighthill, so its moves are spread across the south and west of the city rather than the centre.

Heriot-Watt University

Heriot-Watt is at Riccarton, on the western edge of the city near the bypass. Its welcome week is the week Napier's first trimester begins, and a week ahead of the University of Edinburgh's.

When vans are hardest to get

Three stretches tend to be the busiest. The first fortnight of September, when Heriot-Watt and Napier arrive, then Edinburgh a week later. Mid to late December, when exams finish and people go home or swap flats. And from the end of the spring exams in May into June, when the year ends and many tenancies end with it. Book those weeks two or three weeks ahead, and avoid the Saturday if you can: a Tuesday afternoon is usually quieter.

Moving a student room

A room in halls usually fits in a Medium van: boxes, bags, a desk chair, a bike and a duvet. A room in a shared flat with a bed frame and a chest of drawers wants a Large. Have it packed and by the door, because loading time is most of the cost of a small job.

Not every student move stays in the city. One recent booking moved a student flat, with some office furniture and small appliances, from Fife to South Queensferry, and the student rode along in the cab. If you would like to do the same, ask your driver when they get in touch.

Moving home for the summer, or into a tenement flat in Marchmont? The page on moving in or out of a tenement is worth five minutes before you book.