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Departure Checklist for Travel, Moves, and Leaving for Home after Graduation

IMMIGRATION DOCUMENTS
Review all of your immigration documents to ensure that they are valid: properly signed, dated, etc. If you are traveling abroad but plan to return to the United States, please consult with the ISO on the particular documents you will need to re-enter the country.

HOUSING and HOUSEHOLD GOODS
On Campus:
Review the procedures and policies outlined  by Student Living with regard to preparing your room for departure at the break or after graduation.

Off Campus:
Notify your landlord, in writing, of your departure date. You should give at least one month’s notice unless otherwise specified by your lease. If you have paid a security deposit, discuss with your landlord the condition in which the apartment must be left in order to secure the full return of your deposit. Make clear arrangements as to when and to whom the deposit will be returned. Make clear arrangements with your roommates paying final bills, etc.

Notify all utility companies, including the companies which provide service for telephone, gas, electricity, etc. of your departure date, and arrange for final payment and refund of any deposit.

Consider donating any reusable items such as clothing, furniture, appliances, and dishes to charitable resale shops such as Goodwill Industries or the Salvation Army. Many of these organizations will pick up your donations if you call ahead of your departure.

Arrange to ship your personal items. Check with your particular air carrier regarding the maximum weight allowed for luggage. You should retain a packing list of items that you mail, and it is suggested that you insure any difficult-to-replace items. Check with UPS, or the US Postal Service to determine the least expensive and/or most convenient way to ship your belongings. Mail and package delivery services offer various rates for particular items, if you pack your boxes according to their guidelines (US Postal discounts postage for a box of all books, for example).

MAIL FORWARDING
Leave a forwarding address/notification of address change with the International Student Office, the Registrar, and the Post Office. If you plan to be away for only a few weeks or months, you may ask the post office to hold your mail for you until your return. Companies from which you expect a bill should be notified individually, as well.

INSURANCE
Determine whether your medical insurance will cover travel or health care emergencies encountered during travel within and outside the United States, and the valid dates of coverage.

UNIVERSITY TUITION AND FEES
Settle your University account, and return all library materials and other borrowed items. Following graduation, you diploma will not be released until after you have settled all accounts in full. Be sure to arrange for official copies of your transcripts, diploma, and other important documents such as medical, dental, and children’s school records, if you are leaving the United States .

BANK ACCOUNT
Close your bank account officially rather than allowing the balance to drop to zero. You should do this in writing. IF you will no longer use a particular credit card account, pay the balance in full, notify the company you are cancelling, and shred the card.

TAXES
Discuss with the IRS and/or the Human Resources department at the University or with any company for which you have worked your income tax obligations and how you will be able to meet your tax obligation at the federal, state, and city level after your departure.

YOUR CAR
Arrange for the sale or transfer of your vehicle. Consult the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation about the transfer of legal documents if someone else will complete the transaction after your departure. Do not leave your old license plates on any car you sell.

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Get complete address, fax and telephone numbers, and email for faculty, staff, and friends. Contact the Alumni Association to establish yourself within the worldwide network of Gannon University graduates.

EXPIRATION DATES FOR UNIVERSITY ACCESS AND SERVICES
Students who graduate may expect to access GUXpress and Gannon email accounts up to one full semester after graduation. The Gannon student IDs usually expire about one week after the graduation date, which means that you will no longer be able to enter RecSports, labs, the dining hall, etc.