Study Abroad and Housing
Participation in a study abroad or study away program impacts campus housing procedures as follows:
- Residency Requirement: Residential students remain subject to the University’s six-semester residency requirement. A semester spent studying abroad or away counts toward the six-semester residency requirement.
- The semester in which a student chooses to go abroad can have significant implications for their housing choices; please review the information below for more details.
Fall Abroad
Housing Availability
If you are planning to go abroad for Fall 2027, please keep these considerations in mind as you begin to think about Spring 2028.
- Due to the ongoing construction on South Campus, we expect Spring 2028 housing options to be very limited.
- On-campus options often consist of open beds in existing rooms, meaning returning students may be placed with new roommates.
- Students who wish to be considered for one of the beds on campus will enter an on-campus lottery for Spring 2028. Residence Life and Housing will work to house as many students who enter the lottery as possible.
- Those who are unable to be housed on campus will be notified in mid-March 2027 that they are released from the residency requirement and should secure housing off-campus for Spring 2028.
- Please note that students who have earned less than four housing credits as of Fall 2027 will be expected to live on campus during Spring 2028 unless otherwise informed.
- Students who are not interested in the on-campus lottery will be released from the residency requirement in mid-March 2027 and may begin looking for off-campus housing for Spring 2028 at their convenience.
Housing Selection
- Students studying abroad during the Fall Semester will NOT select housing during Academic Year Housing Selection (typically held in April).
- Instead, students who are selected in the on-campus lottery will select their housing for the Spring Semester ONLY online in December. RLH will communicate exact timelines during the fall semester.
Spring Abroad
Housing Availability
Students will select among the available housing designated for their class year (deteremined by housing credits).
Housing Selection
- Students studying abroad in the spring of the following year will select Fall semester housing during Housing Selection (typically held in April).
- While abroad during the Spring, you will be able to participate in Housing Selection for the following Fall.
How does Study Abroad overlay with Housing Priority?
Priority during housing selection works as follows within each “class year” (based on Housing Credits):
- Full Year On-Campus Students
- Students who commit to Spring Abroad in the initial wave of Study Abroad
- Roommate groups that are fully Fall Only will be prioritized over blended groups.
- Students who commit to Spring Abroad in the second wave of Study Abroad
As a reminder, housing selection is structured around the University’s residency requirement, with selection order based on the number of Housing Credits students have remaining.
Because campus housing availability will be more limited during the 2027-28 and 2027-28 academic years, students who are further along in completing their residency requirement may have fewer on-campus options available during selection.