Housing FAQ

Living on campus

Do I have to live on campus?

First-year students live on campus for their first fall and spring. Exemptions include being 21 by move-in, married or with dependent children, a veteran with two or more years of active duty, living with a parent or guardian within 35 miles, or a medical or disability accommodation (residence life).

How do I ask for an exemption?

Submit a written request to the Director of Housing by July 1 for fall or December 1 for spring. A committee reviews it and decides within ten business days.

Is housing guaranteed?

Incoming first-year students who apply by May 1 are guaranteed a space; specific hall and room requests are filled in priority order as space allows. Transfer students are not required to live on campus but are guaranteed housing if they apply by May 1.

Which halls are there?

Nine. Heritage, Riverside and North house first-year students in traditional doubles; Millrace and Overlook are semi-suites; Birchwood Suites and Cedar Bluff Suites are four-person suites; Depot Apartments serve graduate students and students with families; Cooperative Hall is the self-governed, lower-cost option (residence halls).

How much does it cost?

For 2026–27, a standard double room with the standard meal plan is $10,100 for the year; a single adds $1,620. Suites and apartments cost more than traditional doubles (cost of attendance).

Are the halls air-conditioned?

The first-year halls are not; the newer halls are. Bring a fan if you are in Heritage, Riverside or North.

Applying, rooms and roommates

How do I apply for housing?

Pay your enrollment deposit, and the Housing Gateway opens within two business days. Sign the housing contract there and pay the $200 housing deposit; the date you complete the contract sets your room-selection priority (housing process).

How long is the contract?

The full academic year — fall and spring — not month to month. Read the cancellation terms before you sign, especially if you might commute or study abroad.

How are roommates matched?

Fill out the roommate profile (sleep schedule, tidiness, guests, study habits) and let the system match you, or send a request to a specific person to form a verified roommate group. You get your assignment and your roommate’s contact information over the summer.

Can I live in a themed community?

Yes. Living-learning communities — including engineering, health sciences, arts, sustainability and first-generation floors — each have a faculty-in-residence. Opt in on the housing application (living-learning communities).

How do returning students pick rooms?

Room-selection time slots go out in the spring, ordered by contract date and class standing. At your slot you or your group leader pick an open space in real time, or join a waitlist and Housing places you.

I need a housing accommodation. Who do I contact?

Work with Accessibility Services and Housing well before the room-selection deadline; accommodated placements are handled outside the general process (disability housing).

Move-in and what to bring

When is move-in?

First-year move-in for fall 2027 runs August 28–29, 2027 on appointments you book in the housing portal in July. Unloading zones are timed at about twenty minutes, and returning students run the crews (move-in & move-out).

What comes with the room?

A bed, desk, chair, dresser and closet or wardrobe for each resident, wired and wireless internet, and 24-hour card access. Laundry is free and app-monitored, and every hall has a shared kitchen and package lockers (hall amenities).

What should I bring?

Bedding, a surge-protected power strip, a fan for the older halls, and renters’ insurance for your own belongings. Rent a MicroFridge through the hall or bring your own within the size limit, and coordinate one fridge and one TV with your roommate.

What is not allowed?

Candles, halogen lamps, hot plates and anything with an open coil, and extension cords without a surge strip. The full list comes with your move-in packet.

How do I get mail and packages?

Use this format: your name, hall and box number, 1 Founders Drive, Porter Falls, WE 54999. Packages go to the central mail center, which texts and emails a pickup code; unclaimed packages are returned after about 21 days (mail & printing).

Can I ship boxes ahead?

Yes, within a posted date window. Boxes are held at the mail center for pickup, not delivered to your room.

Day-to-day life in the halls

Who do I go to with a problem?

Your resident assistant — there is one on every floor — for a lockout, a roommate conflict or a rough night. A professional residence hall director lives in each building, and a duty phone is answered whenever the desk is closed.

How do I report something broken?

Submit a fix-it request in the housing portal. Most are handled within two business days.

What are quiet hours?

Typically 10 or 11 p.m. to 8 a.m. on weeknights and later on weekends, with 24-hour quiet hours in the last week or two of each term. Courtesy hours apply the rest of the time (quiet hours).

Can I have guests?

Yes. Exterior doors are locked 24/7, and guests sign in after midnight. Your roommate agreement should cover overnight guests before it becomes an argument.

Can I change rooms?

Room changes open after the third week of the term, once early vacancies settle. Requests before then are handled case by case, mostly for documented conflicts or accommodations.

My roommate and I are not getting along. What now?

Go back to the roommate agreement you filled out in the first week, then talk to your RA, who can mediate or help arrange a move (roommate conflict).

Breaks, moving out and leaving

Can I stay over breaks?

Halls stay open over Thanksgiving recess and spring recess at no extra charge. They close over winter break, from a day or two after fall finals end on December 18, 2026 until the day before spring classes begin on January 25, 2027.

What if I cannot go home for winter break?

Apply for winter break housing; the application opens in November, carries a fee, and moves you to a designated open hall for the closure. Approval is routine for a stated reason (housing during breaks).

Can I get out of my housing contract?

Release is automatic if you graduate, study abroad, go on an approved internship or student teaching placement away from Porter Falls, or withdraw. Documented medical, financial or family hardship goes to petition; wanting an off-campus apartment does not qualify (contract release).

How do I avoid move-out charges?

Remove everything, take trash to the hall dumpsters, wipe surfaces, leave university furniture assembled and return your key. You are measured against the room condition report you completed at move-in, so photograph every existing flaw when you arrive.

What about living off campus later?

Most students move off campus after the first year. Typical rents run about $520–$1,150 per bedroom plus utilities, on 12-month August-to-July leases; the off-campus housing guide covers neighborhoods and tenant rights.