FAQs: Living on Campus
Who Can Live on Campus?
How and When Do I Submit My Housing and Food Service Contract?
What are the Conditions for Canceling My Contract?
When Should I Expect Notification of my Assignment?
What is Space Reserved?
What is Supplemental Housing?
How is Space Assigned to Students?
What is the A-La Board Meal Plan?
What if I Need Special Accommodations?
Are First-Year Students Housed Together?
Who Can Live on Campus?
Residence accommodations are available on a combined room-and-board basis only. All registered degree-seeking undergraduate students are eligible for University housing. Nondegree students will be considered for housing on an individual basis. All University Park degree-seeking first-year students are required to live in the University residence halls unless they are (1) 21 years old or older, (2) a veteran, or (3) living with an adult relative in their primary residence. See the Terms, Conditions, and Regulations for more information. First-year students seeking exemption from the on-campus living requirement must apply for the exemption by completing an exemption form prior to submitting a Housing Contract.
How and When Do I Submit My Housing and Food Service Contract?
When you are admitted to Penn State, you will receive an Offer Packet from the Admissions Office. To secure your Housing and Food Service Contract(s), send your Acceptance Letter and fees to:
Office of the BursarAlthough all first-year students are guaranteed on-campus housing, the later you send in your fees, the greater your chance of being assigned to supplemental housing rather than to a regular room.
The Pennsylvania State University
103 Shields Building
University Park PA 16802-1276
Approximately five to ten days after you send in your Acceptance Letter and fees, your contract(s) will be available through Penn State’s eLiving Housing Contract System. You will have two weeks to log on to eLiving to submit your contract(s). All contracts must be submitted through eLiving. You will not receive a paper contract.
The number of contracts you will need to submit depends on when you will be entering Penn State:
Summer Session: If you will be entering in the summer session, you will be required to live on campus for both summer session and the following academic year. This means you will need to submit two Housing and Food Service Contracts: one for the summer session and one for the following academic year, which covers both fall and spring semesters.
Fall Semester: If you will be entering in the fall semester, you will be required to live on campus for the entire academic year. This means you will need to submit one Housing and Food Service Contract, which covers both fall and spring semesters.
Spring Semester: If you will be entering in the spring semester, you will be required to live on campus for spring semester, which means you will need to submit a Housing and Food Service Contract for spring semester. You will not be required to live on campus for the following academic year, but if you choose to do so, you will be guaranteed housing and will automatically receive a Contract Offer through eLiving in early January. To secure your housing, you must accept this offer within the specified time frame.
Upperclass Students Currently Living on Campus and Change-of-Assignment Students from other Penn State Campuses: If you wish to apply for on-campus housing, you must do so through eLiving. Not all students who request a contract will receive on-campus housing.
Transfer Students from Other Universities: If you are transferring to Penn State from another university and wish to live on campus, you must send the preaddressed Housing Request Card enclosed in your admissions packet to The Assignment Office for Campus Residences, 101 Shields Building, University Park PA 16802. This card indicates that you are interested in securing on-campus housing.
Contract Offers for on-campus housing will be made through eLiving during the last week of January. You will need to log on to eLiving using your MyAdmissions User ID to see if you have received an offer. The deadline for accepting the offer will be listed on your eLiving contract page.
If your Housing Request Card is received after the last week of January, you will be placed on a Waitlist. Contracts will be offered to students on the Waitlist as space permits. Once all rooms are filled on campus, students will be notified that they should secure alternate housing off campus.
What are the Conditions for Canceling My Contract?
First-Year Students: If you anticipate canceling your admission to Penn State University Park, you must inform the Admissions Office of your intent.
Send your cancellation request letter to:
The Admissions OfficeUpperclass Students: Cancellation requests will be considered on an individual basis for students with extenuating circumstances only. See the Terms, Conditions, and Regulations for further information.
The Pennsylvania State University
201 Shields Building
University Park PA 16802-1276
Send your cancellation request letter to:
The Assignment Office for Campus Residences
The Pennsylvania State University
101 Shields Building
University Park PA 16802-1276
When Should I Expect Notification of my Assignment?
Your housing assignment—along with your roommate's name, home telephone number, and Penn State e-mail address—will be available on your eLiving log-in page a few weeks before you are scheduled to move into your room.
Although we enjoy talking with you, please do not call the Assignment Office for your room assignment. Until your assignment is posted on your eLiving log-in page, staff members are busy assigning students and are unable to provide you with finalized information.
What is Space Reserved?
Every year, there are cancellations between the time initial room assignments are made and the start of a new semester. If you apply directly after regular rooms are filled, you will be assigned to space reserved. As the Assignment Office receives cancellations, students in space reserved will be assigned to regular rooms. If limited cancellations occur, students will be assigned to supplemental housing.
What is Supplemental Housing?
Supplemental housing exists in order to provide housing for as many students as possible who want to live on campus. As cancellations occur, upperclass students in supplemental housing will be reassigned to permanent regular space.
Several factors are considered when reassigning students in supplemental housing to regular rooms.
First-year students are first ordered by the date their acceptance fees were received. As cancellations in regular rooms occur, the age and major of the regular room occupant and the location of the room are compared to first-year students living in supplemental housing. The student with the earliest file date who has a similar major and has either requested or lives in the area will be reassigned to the regular room. If a match is not found within the top few early filers, the new room will be assigned to the student who most closely fits the criteria.
Upperclass students in supplemental housing who applied for a Housing Contract through eLiving have first priority to be reassigned to regular rooms. These students will be reassigned in a random order created by eLiving. After all eLiving participants have been placed in regular rooms, and if space permits, upperclass students who received their Supplemental Housing Contracts through a contract exchange will be reassigned to regular rooms based on the date their contracts were received. Both the location of the vacancy and the semester standing of the student currently in the room will be considered when reassigning upperclass students.
First-year students will be reassigned with other first-year students when they are moved to regular rooms.
Supplemental housing rooms are located on regular residence hall floors and are sized and specially furnished to accommodate a larger number of students. Supplemental housing includes the same amenities as regular residence hall rooms.
How is Space Assigned to Students?
First-Year Students: Approximately 50 percent of regular on-campus housing space is reserved for first-year students. Room assignments for first-year students are made according to the date the student’s acceptance fees are received. The earlier you accept your Penn State offer, the better your chance of being assigned to regular housing and to the area requested on the contract. Otherwise, there is a risk of being assigned to supplemental housing. If you accept the admission offer on or near May 1, you have an increased chance of receiving supplemental housing. If you know you are going to attend Penn State, it is important to submit your acceptance fees early.
Approximately five to ten days after you send in your Acceptance Letter and fees, your Housing and Food Service Contract will be available through eLiving. You will have two weeks to log on to eLiving to submit your contract. All contracts must be submitted through eLiving. You will not receive a paper contract.
Returning Students and Change-of-Assignment Students from other Penn State Campuses: Housing space is assigned to returning students and change-of-assignment students from other Penn State campuses via eLiving. Not all students who request a Housing Contract through eLiving will receive one. The system will randomly pull student requests for either regular space contracts, supplemental space contracts, or the Waitlist.
What is the A-La Board Meal Plan?
The A-La Board meal plan allows you to make purchases via your Penn State id+ Card in dining facilities operated by Penn State Food Services. With A-La Board, money is deposited into a declining balance account, and members pay a point cost versus cash price for purchases. The beginning account balance is equal to the point cost portion of the selected meal plan. The amount spent for each meal (in points) is deducted from the account balance, and is discounted approximately 70 percent off the cash price at the dining commons and 10 percent at many other locations.
What if I Need Special Accommodations?
Penn State provides a climate of equal opportunity to all of its programs, activities, and services, and is in full compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Penn State provides accessible housing for students with disabilities as defined by these laws. To qualify for protection under these laws, you must provide documentation from a qualified examiner that substantiates that you have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity and that the requested accommodation is necessary to afford you equal access.
Any reasonable accommodation is considered, but you must support the accommodation request with a documented need linked to your disabling condition. Although Penn State has accommodated some students by arranging for the provision of air-conditioned rooms, experience suggests that it is a rare circumstance that a condition warrants such accommodation.
Forms are available from the Assignment Office and at University Health Services (UHS). Forms should be submitted as early as possible to allow time for evaluation. If you require special assistance, contact the Office of Disability Services at 814-863-1807 (TDD) or stop by 105 Boucke Building.
Are First-Year Students Housed Together?
Yes. Nineteen residence halls are reserved exclusively for first-year students in East, South, and Pollock Halls. First-year students assigned to other residence halls will live near the other first-year students on their floor. Each first-year student will be assigned to room with another first-year student.
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