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Residency Requirement

Housing & Residence Life recognizes the benefits of living in on-campus residence halls, such as higher retention and graduations rates and increased exposure to on-campus resources and support systems. Beginning with the Fall 2025 cohort, Â鶹ÊÓƵ will implement a two-year residency requirement. Students will be required to live in campus housing their first and second year. To ensure the success of our on-campus residents, we are focused on student thriving and the whole student experience, helping them build strong communities and foster connections to fellow students and Â鶹ÊÓƵ. 

As we finalize details, additional information will be provided through this page and the housing application.DSC_0680

Participating Cohorts

New incoming first-year students for the Fall 2025 semester will be the inaugural cohort for the residency requirement. These students will live on campus for their first two years, 2025 - 2026 academic year and 2026 - 2027 academic year.   

New transfer students for the Fall 2025 will not be required to live on campus. If transfer students would like to live on campus, they must submit the housing deposit upon admission, and must meet the housing application deadlines to be guaranteed a space. Applications submitted outside of the deadline will be processed as space is available. DSC_0006

Benefits of Living Campus 

  • Supportive & Accessible Enviornment: On-campus living ensures a seamless transition to college life with access to RAs, on-site professional staff, secured housing and essential amenities like on-campus safety resources, dining and fitness centers.

  • Stronger Community & Campus Engagement: Shared living experiences foster friendships, build connections and encourage involvement in events and extracurricular activities to create a vibrant and impactful social life.

  • Enhanced Academic & Personal Success: In addition to a close proximity to classes, study spaces, and academic resources, living on campus can increase your exposure to residential programming and communities that will help develop your independence, time management, and interpersonal skills within a supportive environment.  DSC_0725

Guidelines for Exemption

We are currently working on an exemption policy that will be available for the Fall 2025 class. The exemption policy and instructions on how to apply for exemption will be updated here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Our DC peer institutions such as George Washington University and Georgetown have a residency requirement. Additionally, Â鶹ÊÓƵ surveyed 36 peer institutions in different parts of the country and found that 23 of them had a two-year requirement or more.

Yes, living on campus typically comes with additional costs for housing and meal plans. The cost will vary depending on the type of housing and the meal plan chosen. Financial aid packages may help cover some of these costs. Academic year rates for housing can be found on our Academic Year Rates page.

First- and second-year students living on campus, including the 2025 and 2026 entering cohorts participating in the residency requirement, are required to have a university meal plan. You can read more about our meal plan offerings here.

Transfer students are not subject to the same on-campus living requirements as new first-year students. Given the enhanced experiences of residential living, however, we strongly encourage new transfer students to live in university housing. All transfer students who complete an enrollment deposit and who meet the priority housing application deadlines will receive a housing assignment. For more information regarding housing for transfer students, see our Transfer Student page.

While we will ensure all first- and second-year students have a space on campus to fulfill this residency requirement, there will be opportunities for upperclass students to apply and select a variety of on-campus housing options. 

As outlined in our first-year page, opportunities for selecting a room in a particular first-year residence hall, as well as for matching or choosing a roommate, will be available during the roommate matching and room selection process.

While there will be opportunities to change your selections throughout the summer, we generally close the window for self-selecting spaces in mid-June each year. After move-in and beginning three weeks into the semester, residents are able to request a room change through the Open Room Change process.