Housing Contract and Assignments
The housing contract and application will be received by incoming students through the portal typically in mid-May. We believe it is imperative for students to fill out this contract themselves (and not by parent or family members) as they are agreeing to the contract and making important room selection decisions.
Housing Contract and Application Instructions
2024-2025 Housing and Dining Contract for Undergraduate Students (pdf)
First-Year Student Housing Application Instructions (pdf)
Transfer and Exchange Housing Application Instructions (pdf)
While it is imperative that all students read the entire housing contract, there are some important things to note:
- The University of Rochester has a two-year housing requirement. This contract is binding for two years when signed as an incoming first year. All successive contracts are binding for the full academic year.
- Students may request approval from the Office of Residential Life and Housing Services to live with parents or a close relative.
- Housing assignments and move-in instructions are sent in early July for fall move-ins and in late December/early January for spring move-ins.
- There are minimum meal plans tied to the residential area you will be living in. A new dining contract will need to be submitted each year (or modified if you change rooms).
- All students are required to have a meal plan, even if they live off campus.
- Overcapacity rooms in first-year housing, called triples, are used when needed.
- Students can also request these rooms for a discounted housing rate.
- Many residence halls and dining centers are closed during winter break. Some residence halls will be designated as break housing locations and will remain open on a limited basis. These usually include Susan B. Anthony Halls, Southside and the Maisonettes, and Riverview/Brooks Crossing.
- Students are responsible for knowing and following all policy and fire safety information. Failure to do so may result in conduct action, fees, or removal from residential housing.
- Students should have a basic understanding of damage billing and community damage billing.
Residency Requirement
Current first-year and second-year students have a two-year housing requirement and must live on campus for both their first and sophomore years.
All sophomores are required to live in University housing for the fall and spring semesters subject to the conditions in the housing contract. Students who submit an application for housing selection on time will be allowed to participate in the annual room selection process.
Sophomores who submit late applications or do not submit any materials will be automatically assigned housing following the annual room selection process in the remaining available or crowded space.
Requests to Live at Home
Students who wish to live at home with family must petition for release from this requirement. This is available in the housing application.
Charges and Bursar Holds
Charges will be posted to the student term bill. Students with Bursar holds will be assigned available housing after all other sophomores have been assigned.
Transfer Students
Transfer students are not guaranteed housing regardless of their class year.
Room Rates
Room rates vary based on the room and year. For an updated list of room rates see the tuition and fees link on the Bursar Office's billing and fees page.
Room Assignments
When making room assignments, we try to take into consideration the preferences you indicate on your application/contract and related materials. Preferences that are asked on the contract include:
- All gender or single gender wing
- Name of chosen roommate(s) (if you have one)
- If you would like to be in affinity housing (substance free or quiet study)
- If you would like to live in an overcapacity room (there is a discount on the housing rate for this)
However, due to high demand for certain spaces, we may only be able to honor your second or third preference. First-Year students cannot request a specific building.
Rooms are restricted on the basis of gender only. We do not collect information, assign rooms, or make room changes on the basis of race, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, or other such factors.
Affinity housing options center on lifestyle themes that participants agree to follow in order to remain in the living area. Typical affinity themes include:
- Quiet-study: A floor where everyone is committed to 24 hour courtesy hours and an extended set of quiet hours.
- Substance-free: A floor where everyone is committed to not bringing any kind of restricted substances (tobacco, alcohol, drugs, etc.) on and/or off the floor.
- Non-smoking living area: A floor where everyone is a committed non-smoker.
The available options are indicated in the housing application packet. Not all options are offered in every building.
Douglass Leadership House, named after Frederick Douglass, was created to establish an engaging intellectual community where students of all cultural backgrounds can come together and raise awareness of the many facets of the black experience: culture, politics, history, and Diasporic roots. As a Dedicated House, current DLH elected board members recruit and run a selection process for students wishing to live in the house. The house cannot be selected during normal housing selection. If you are interested in applying, email: URDouglassHouse@gmail.com.
Connect with DLH on Instagram @URDouglassLeaders for information on their events. This program is being overseen by an advisory board including students, alumni, student life administrators, deans and faculty.
There are 15 residential fraternity and sorority groups in residence halls and Greek houses. Other programs may develop prior to school in the fall. See the Fraternity and Sorority Affairs website for more information.
Special interest housing (SIH) is popular at Rochester. While SIH is not a direct part of the first-year housing program, first-year students can participate in SIH programs and can join them as first-year associate members.
At Rochester, special interest housing (theme and Greek) is space set aside in the upper-class residence halls where a group of upperclassmen, sharing common interests and seeking to integrate these interests with their residential life, live together.
Over time, new programs are created and older ones are disbanded. Programs we anticipate for next year include the:
- Anime Interest Floor (AIF)
- Computer Interest Floor (CIF)
- Drama House
- GreenSpace
- Lilac Living
- Music Interest Floor (MIF)
See the special interest housing section for more information.
In some years, we have more students applying for housing than we initially have spaces for. We do house students in triple rooms and occasionally in lounges converted to regular student rooms.
We use large doubles as triples, and we do outfit lockable lounges with all the regular student room furniture. Housing charges are discounted for these rooms.