NEW BRUNSWICK — Rutgers University is asking thousands of students scheduled to move into the dorms on the New Brunswick-Piscataway campus Sunday to come Saturday instead — just in case Hurricane Irene hits New Jersey.

The state university is also canceling Sunday’s New Student Convocation ceremony at Rutgers Stadium in Piscataway due to the forecast for severe weather.

"We apologize for any inconvenience this change may cause you and your family, but given the likelihood of severe weather on Sunday, your safety must be our primary concern," Gregory Blimling, vice president for student affairs, said in an e-mail to students Wednesday.

Students who were scheduled to arrive on campus Sunday should move into their residence halls between 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday, campus officials said.

Blimling said students who cannot rearrange their schedules to move in Saturday can arrive on campus Monday if the storm has passed and it is safe to travel. Classes will begin Sept. 1, as scheduled.

The rescheduled move-in day is expected to cause lengthy traffic delays and some road closures in New Brunswick and Piscataway on Saturday, campus officials said.

The changes to the move in schedule only affect Rutgers’ New Brunswick and Piscataway campuses, where nearly 14,000 students live in residence halls, according to university statistics.

Rutgers-Newark and Rutgers-Camden had not announced any changes to their student move-in plans as of last night. Undergraduates on the Rutgers-Newark campus are scheduled to arrive Monday and Tuesday, according to the campus schedule. Most Rutgers-Camden students are scheduled to move in Monday through Wednesday.

Rutgers officials said students with questions about the revised move-in schedule can contact RUinfo at (732) 445-4636.

Students can check the following links for updated information:

Fall Orientation Schedule

Residence Hall Move-In

Parking and Traffic Information

Related Rutgers University news

• New Brunswick postpones vote on proposal that would suspend pickup of large items at end of Rutgers school year

• New Brunswick city council to vote on ordinance aimed at limiting Rutgers University students' trash pickups