Students can request a room change at select times of the year by completing a Room Change Request Form on their Housing Portal. Students are not guaranteed to be approved for a room change, or they may be required to complete additional steps before they are approved. An example would be completing a roommate mediation with a Residence Life staff member.
Room Type Availability:
Generally, students should expect that unless they have an approved accommodation for a single room, they will only be offered multiple-occupancy room options that already have at least one person in the room. Multiple-occupancy rooms are rooms that can house multiple students such as doubles, triples, and quads.
Room Change Freeze Periods:
At certain times during the year, Residence Life will implement a “Room Change Freeze.” During this period, the Room Change Request Form will be closed, and room change requests will generally not be processed except in special circumstances. Students are encouraged to monitor emails from Residence Life for advance notice of an upcoming Room Change Freeze, allowing them to submit a request before the freeze begins.
Steps to Request a Room Change:
Room Change Details
Costs
Requesting a room change is at no cost. However, depending on where a student is moving, there may be an increase in their housing bill. For any additional charge amounts, please see the room rates on the Living on Campus webpage linked above.
Students moving from one multiple-occupancy room to another will not have an increase in charges as the prices are the same.
Students approved to move from a multiple-occupancy room to a single will be charged an additional fee for the semester, regardless of when they move*. For example, if a student moves into a single room three weeks into the Fall semester, they will be charged the full additional fee for the Fall semester and Spring semester. For the additional charge amounts, please see the room rates on the Living on Campus webpage.
*Students with approved accommodations for a single room will not be charged the extra amount.
Premium singles are not guaranteed to be offered every year. Premium singles, if offered, will only be offered for the Spring semester. Premium singles are where a double occupancy room is turned into a single occupancy room for the semester. Students will be notified via a Residence Life Newsletter if premium singles will be offered for that Spring.
Students approved to move from a multiple-occupancy room to a premium single room will be charged an additional fee for the semester regardless of when they move or they start living in an official premium single. For example, if a student moves into the premium single three weeks into the Spring semester, they will be charged the full additional fee for the Spring semester.
For the additional charge amounts, please see the room rates on the Living on Campus webpage.
Accommodations
- Students with recently approved accommodations who are requesting a room change because their current housing placement does not meet their approved accommodations can reach out to the housing professional staff to schedule a meeting.
- Room Change Freezes do not apply in these circumstances.
- If there is not a bed assignment available that would meet the student’s accommodation(s), they will be placed on a priority waitlist for something that meets the accommodation(s).
- Students with approved accommodations who are requesting a room change from their space that meets their accommodations can reach out to housing professional staff to schedule a meeting.
- Room Change Freezes does apply in these circumstances.
- If there is not a bed assignment available that would meet the student’s accommodation(s), they will be placed on a waitlist for something that meets the accommodation(s).
Students without approved accommodations by Disability and Access (DAC) who request a room change to meet a related concern may be redirected towards the Disability and Access office, depending on the nature of the request.
A common request that is received is the request for a single room due to anxiety or other concerns. Residence Life is able to facilitate a room change to a different multiple-occupancy room, however we may deny the request for a single room until DAC approves a single accommodation.
Policy
Unapproved room changes are against policy. An unapproved room change is any attempt to change rooms that is not facilitated and approved by a Residence Life Professional Staff Member. This includes but is not limited to:
- Swapping rooms with others
- Moving into a vacant space in another’s room (even if they say it is okay)
- Accessing a room that is not assigned to you or for which you have an overnight guest approval, and placing items inside or sleeping inside
Students will be fined for breaking this policy. The standard fine is $500, with a potential for an increase in the fine or more fines.
Students approved for a room change will be given a timeline to move. This is typically 48 hours from when they can start moving, it could be shorter or longer depending on the circumstances. The approving housing professional staff will set the deadline.
Failure to complete the room change, including returning the old room key by the deadline, will result in fines.