CEDARVILLE, Ohio — Move-in day at universities across the country looks different this year, but one university in southwest Ohio has taken its process to another level.

Thousands of students have checked into their dorm rooms on the campus of Cedarville University, but this time, they ditched standing in long lines for hours. Instead, they opted for a touchless process instead.

“It’s probably less stressful just to be able to stay in the car and drive through the line," said sophomore Madeline Spaulding.

Jon Wood, the vice president of Student Life and Christian Ministries, said thanks to COVID-19, students are doing it all right from their car seat with the help of an app.

“It really has, in some ways, taken some stress off of our staff because we're able to push out live updates we're able to communicate in real time and to respond to needs as they come," Wood said.

Winding around the campus parking lots, current students take the names of those checking in using the app, grab student packets filled with information, ID and keys.

Melissa Self, a mom along with her son Brandon, appreciated the process.

“I could sit in our air conditioned car with our comfortable seats," she said. "So far, smooth sailing.”

The process was so smooth that by the time they reached the check-in station, it only took a matter of minutes before they could head off to the dorm.

Senior nursing major Catherine Rachel spent her time helping students like Rebecca Rantz move in. Having been through the old way, she said it was a load off and noted that was more more orderly and efficient. 

Wood said now that they have come up with an innovative way to handle move-in day, “I think is going to stay with us for the future as an innovation that came out of difficult times.”

Classes for students at Cedarville University start in a couple of weeks.