As students arrived on campus this year, Move-In guidance was right at their fingertips.
The Office of Technology and Digital Innovation (OTDI) updated the Ohio State app this year with several new personalized Move-In screens. The OTDI Web and Mobile team partnered with the Office of Student Life and Facilities Information and Technology Services (FITS) to build Buckeyes a modern mobile experience for arriving on campus.
During the six-day Move-In period, 10,750 users viewed Move-In instructions in the app 129,000 times.
The updated app offers better flexibility and accuracy, allowing Student Life to update information in real-time in one central place.
Before arriving, students could view their housing assignments, key dates and deadlines, and preview their custom Move-In instructions, including special instructions for early, late, and after-hours arrivals.
“The students who had the most glowing reviews tended to be the ones that came during the early arrival window,” said app developer Emilie Meade. “There wasn’t the same level of staffing, and the app helped them figure everything out.”
Data from FITS allowed the Web and Mobile team to create precise maps leading to each residence hall, including non-standard traffic patterns on sidewalks. Maps also displayed the closest locations for parking, recycling, and trash.
Larisa Hogan, Geographic Information System (GIS) manager with FITS, said, "The FITS team was excited to provide time savings and convenience so that Student Life can update data points dynamically prior to move-in and have those changes automatically available in the app without requiring additional coordination, data dumps or last-minute updates."
It wasn’t only students who benefitted from the new app screens. Publicly accessible information on the app gave parents and families access to the full set of instructions without needing an account. Staff and volunteers could use the app’s searchable information to answer questions and assist students and families quickly.
By bringing real-time guidance, interactive maps and personalized instructions into a single mobile experience, the updated Ohio State app helped make Move-In 2026 smoother and more efficient for students, families and staff.