Lincoln University
Lincoln University is a historic HBCU on a quiet rural campus in southern Chester County, PA — small classes, deep legacy, big personalities. The weather runs the full Mid-Atlantic range, so plan for a humid late-summer arrival and a real winter.
What to wear in Lincoln University, month by month
This region runs from a humid late summer to a hard winter in about ten weeks. The mistake out-of-region families make is packing the whole year in August.
| Move-in (Aug) | 78–88°F | Humid farm-country August — the open fields around campus hold the heat long after sundown. Tees, shorts, and a fan for the dorm. |
| Sept–Oct | 55–75°F | The farmland goes gold before the leaves do — crisp air for football Saturdays and Homecoming. Jeans, sweaters, a light jacket. |
| Nov–Dec | 35–50°F | Open fields mean open wind, and this corner of Chester County cools faster than the cities on either side of it. First snow by December; bring a real coat. |
| Jan–Feb | 25–40°F | A quiet, exposed rural winter near the Mason-Dixon line, with the odd nor'easter blowing across open farmland. Heavy coat, boots, thermals. |
| Mar–May | 50–72°F | Mud season on the quad first, then a fast green spring across the surrounding farms — a jacket and layers still earn their keep into April. |
What Lincoln University lets you bring
- Window fans (there's no A/C in the halls)
- Twin XL bedding (confirm your specific hall)
- UL/ETL power strip with a built-in circuit breaker — not a bare extension cord
- Damage-free wall hangings like Command strips — no nails or screws
- Low-draw LED desk and task lamps
- A fan, a reusable water bottle, and UL-listed electronics
- Open-coil / open-flame cooking: toasters, toaster ovens, air fryers, hot plates, electric grills, sandwich makers
- Candles, incense, wax warmers, and anything with an open flame
- Halogen lamps
- Extension cords without a breaker; outlet splitters and multi-plug adapters
- Space heaters and personal A/C units (unless your school provides/approves them)
- Hoverboards, e-scooters, e-bikes, and other e-mobility devices
- Weapons of any kind — including decorative — and fireworks
- Air conditioners, window units included
- Microwaves (fridge only in-room)
- Space heaters, hot pots, and toaster ovens
- Candles, incense, and halogen or lava lamps
- Pets, except fish in a 10-gallon tank
These come from Lincoln University's official housing pages and cover the essentials plus the genuinely local rules. Double-check the current official guidance before you buy — policies and renovations change every year.
Getting your room at Lincoln University
- 01After you're admitted
Pay the $275 enrollment fee
Submit your non-refundable $275 enrollment fee and confirm it posts on your LU Self-Service Portal — it doubles as your room deposit and is what moves you to "Student" status.
- 02Once you're a "Student"
Get your Lion email + portal login
Lincoln IT emails your Lion email account and Self-Service Portal credentials once Admissions and the Registrar process your enrollment — you need both to reach the housing application.
- 03Late March
Housing Application opens
The Housing Application opens in the THD housing portal (March 23 at 9 a.m. for the most recent cycle). List a preferred roommate if you have one — Residence Life will try to match you, but can't guarantee it.
- 04May onward
Assignments post biweekly
Residence Life starts placing incoming students into halls in May and updates assignments in the portal roughly every two weeks as applications come in, rather than on one big release date.
- 05Before move-in
Clear financial + registration holds
You need Financial Clearance from the Bursar's office and completed course registration showing on your Self-Service Portal before you're cleared to move into your hall.
Where you'll live at Lincoln University
First-year residence halls
Lincoln houses first-year students by gender in four traditional halls — women in Ashmun and Lorraine Hansberry, men in Frederick Douglass and McRary — all community-style with shared floor bathrooms and the close hallway culture of a school small enough that everyone knows your name by October. You apply once your enrollment fee posts, and Residence Life places new students starting in May.
Freshman women fill the first three floors of Lincoln's oldest active hall (1966); upperclass women live on the ground floor, with a laundry room and the 'Lion's Den' lounge downstairs.
First-year women fill all three floors of this 1973 hall named for the playwright — a big basement laundry room and the campus Women's Center are downstairs.
Lincoln's largest freshman hall, housing 144 first-year men behind newly renovated community bathrooms, with a first-floor study lounge and laundry room.
A smaller 1956 hall for 119 freshman men, funded by the estate of Dr. Robert B. McRary — renovated bathrooms and showers, laundry on the lower level.
The Lincoln University move-in checklist
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Bedding6
Bath5
Laundry4
Storage & organization6
Desk & study4
Electronics6
Cleaning5
Kitchen — within the rules5
Health & meds4
Clothing — see the seasonal guide7
Move-in day go-bag5
Lincoln University logistics, sorted
How to send mail to a Lincoln student
SMR – [SMR #]
1570 Baltimore Pike
Lincoln University, PA 19352
The nation's first degree-granting HBCU
Orange-and-blue Lions, and a Homecoming that fills The Den
Lincoln University & around
Oxford
The nearest real town, about 10 minutes away — a small, walkable Chester County borough with a Tuesday/Saturday farmers market and everyday errands covered.
Kennett Square & Longwood Gardens
The self-proclaimed mushroom capital of the world, with a genuinely charming downtown, plus Longwood Gardens' fountains and conservatories a few minutes further on.
Herr's Snack Factory Tour
A kid-friendly factory tour in nearby Nottingham — potato chips and pretzels rolling off the line, with warm samples at the end.
Philadelphia & Baltimore
Both cities sit close to an hour by car — Philly for museums and Center City, Baltimore for the Inner Harbor — and both airports serve the area.
Where to stay near Lincoln University
Fairfield Inn & Suites Kennett Square
Kennett SquareThe nearest chain hotel to campus, in the Kennett Square/Brandywine Valley hotel strip on Baltimore Pike — ask for the Lincoln University rate when you book.
Hilton Garden Inn Kennett Square
Kennett SquareA second, slightly larger option in the same Kennett Square cluster along Baltimore Pike, about 15 minutes from campus.
Courtyard Newark at the University of Delaware
Newark, DEFurther out but often has more availability — near the University of Delaware, about 20 minutes from campus and a common overflow pick for move-in weekend.
Lincoln University gear & gifts
Lincoln University — links & contacts
- Office of Residence Life: 484-365-7226
- Residence Life email: residencelife@lincoln.edu