Hundreds Of Cal State Long Beach Students Sent To Hotels After Dorm Delay: Report

LONG BEACH, CA — Hundreds of Cal State Long Beach students are starting the fall semester in temporary accommodations after a new campus residence hall wasn't ready for its scheduled move-in.

About 420 residents, including first-year and transfer students and some staff members, were affected when La Playa residence hall failed to open as planned Sunday, ABC7 reported.

Families arrived expecting to move students into the newly constructed residence hall, but university officials said the building had not yet received the clearance needed for occupancy.

"There's inspections involved at the last minute, there's lots of things ... they all coalesce in the final moments of the building project," CSULB Chief Communications and Brand Officer Jeff Cook told ABC7. "We, in good faith, felt that everything was on track, and then it wasn't on track."

CSULB's published move-in schedule had listed La Playa residents for two move-in windows Sunday, from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. and 1 to 4 p.m.

The university arranged for affected residents to stay in nearby hotels and is providing shuttle service to campus and meal services. Officials also added $200 to residents' Beach Bucks accounts, which can be used at the campus bookstore, dining locations, convenience stores and participating on- and off-campus locations.

According to a university FAQ for La Playa residents, students will not begin paying housing charges until the residence hall is ready.

Students have been advised to keep their belongings at their temporary accommodations until La Playa opens. If clearance comes during the week, residents can move in without university moving assistance or wait until Saturday, when movers will be available, according to CSULB.

The university has not announced a firm date for when residents will be able to move in.

Construction on the $126.4 million, five-story La Playa complex began in summer 2024. The roughly 108,000-square-foot residence hall was designed to add 424 beds to the university's Hillside Housing village, along with shared kitchens, student gathering spaces and other amenities.