Frequently Asked Questions

Housing Central is the website that staff in Residential Living and Learning use to communicate important information to students.  It is actually the housing database/software known as Residence by Symplicity. Each student has a home page where they will find active applications for various processes (housing applications, residency exemption requests, accommodations requests, room change requests, animal-friendly applications, etc.).  Room assignments and roommate(s) information are posted there when assignments are released each semester.  In addition to all of this, students will find important links to valuable campus resources.  You are strongly encouraged to review their home page and bookmark it on their computers for easy access.

Yes. Stetson University has a three-year residency requirement, meaning that students will spend their first three academic years at Stetson living on campus. Students who have satisfied their three-year residency requirement are welcome to stay on campus in their final years at Stetson. However, due to our limited capacity of housing available at the university, we cannot guarantee housing to all students who have satisfied their residency requirements and request to live on campus.  These students will be approved to live on campus on a first-come, first-served basis.  Therefore, students who have satisfied their three-year residency requirement and wish to live on campus should apply as early as possible to secure a space.  

While students are required to live on campus for their first three years at Stetson, we allow students who meet specific criteria to receive an exemption from the residency requirement.  You can review these criteria and the process for requesting an exemption to the residency requirement by visiting the Living Off Campus webpage.

Students apply for housing online via Housing Central. 

To successfully apply for housing you must complete the following steps:

• Be admitted to Stetson University for the academic period requested.
• Submit the enrollment deposit.
• Complete the Intent to Enroll form online via the admissions portal.
• Receive an invitation via email to Housing Central three to five business days after you receive your Stetson University email address.
• Complete the housing application for new students which includes the Residential Living and Learning Housing Agreement.
• Maintain your registered student status by paying all university tuition and fees by the designated deadlines. Failure to adhere to deadlines could jeopardize your housing assignment.

Love where you live. Live where you learn. Discover a lifestyle that keeps you closer to the things happening on campus:  friends, classes, dining and boundless opportunities.  Students who live on campus have greater opportunities to become involved not only in student organizations across campus but also with their residence hall and the people living with them. National data shows that students living on campus have a higher academic achievement, stay in school until graduation at higher rates and are generally more satisfied with their college experience. Recognizing this evidence, Stetson University requires all undergraduate students to live on campus in their first three years at our university. There are some exceptions to this requirement and this information can be found on the Living Off Campus webpage.

Yes. All incoming incoming students are guaranteed housing. Our goal is for all new students who are admitted, to pay their enrollment deposit and submit the Residential Living and Learning Housing Agreement to be housed.  While we have a variety of housing styles and locations on campus, space within each building and room type are limited.  Therefore, we cannot guarantee assignment to specific room types, buildings, or with specific roommates.  We do our best to assign as many students to their preferred living arrangements and with their preferred roommates.  However, students who commit to the university and apply for housing early have the best chances of receiving an assignment in their preferred area, room type and with their requested roommate.

Students who apply to the university and/or for housing late will still receive a housing assignment but are less likely to receive an assignment that meets their preference selections.  In addition, if enrollment is high and we exceed the occupancy of our residential facilities, some students who apply very late will be assigned to temporary expanded occupancy spaces in our residential buildings.  These spaces are temporary and the student will be required to move to a permanent space once one becomes available.

Expanded or temporary housing refers to areas in the residential facilities that are reserved for specific populations (program housing such as Honor/Bonner, Greek, and RLP housing).  Expanded occupancy also includes living spaces that were not originally designed as resident rooms, but have been set up to house students for a limited period of time.  These areas include common spaces such as lounges and resident rooms designated for two people but will accommodate three.  Each student assigned to temporary expanded housing has their own bed and space to store belongings. These students will be required to move into permanent housing in the residential facilities as space becomes available.

It can take up to three business days after your email account is activated for it to be recognized by Housing Central.  If you receive a message that says "Can not Authenticate" it means that Housing Central has not received your information from the Admissions Office yet. You will receive an email welcoming you to Housing Central and encouraging you to apply for housing or submit a residency exemption request (for those approved to live off campus) three business days after submitting your deposit.  If you continue to experience challenges logging into Housing Central after three days, please contact our office at 386.822.7201.

You will most likely be assigned to a shared bedroom with access to a community bathroom located in close proximity on the floor.  That means you will be assigned to one of the following halls:  Carson-Hollis Hall, Chaudoin Hall (all female), Conrad Hall (Honors/Bonners students), Gordis Hall, Nemec Hall or University Hall. Incoming new students approved for animal-friendly housing will be assigned to University Hall.

This living experience will enable to you meet the greatest number of new people and possibly make the greatest number of new friends.  We recognize that living with someone whom you may not know could present new challenges and opportunities for growth.  The Resident Assistant assigned to your floor will be able to work with you and your new roommate to set up roommate expectations and discuss any issues that may arise from time to time during the academic year.  We encourage all students to view this experience as a wonderful opportunity to grow, develop valuable skills, and learn more about themselves. 

It is highly unlikely that you will be assigned to an individual bedroom or a suite during your first year on campus.  There are very few individual bedrooms located in the first-year area and those are typically reserved for students with approved medical accommodations.

For more information on the residential buildings mentioned above, please visit our residence hall page where the various communities and housing options are described.

Students are assigned a room based on when they paid their enrollment deposit and submitted their Residential Living and Learning Housing Agreement. Therefore it is to your advantage to apply as early as possible. New student assignments for fall are generally communicated via Stetson email accounts in late June.  

Spring housing assignments are communicated via Stetson email accounts during the Winter break.

Summer housing assignments are communicated via Stetson email accounts after May 1. 

You can check on your housing assignment status through Housing Central. 

Yes! We do our best to honor mutual roommate requests based on space availability. To designate a preferred roommate on the online housing application you will need to know the preferred student's full name and whether they are a new or current* student.  You increase the likelihood of being assigned together if:

1. You and your preferred roommate submit your application on or about the same time.
2. You and your preferred roommate request the same halls and indicate similar lifestyle interests.
3. You and your preferred roommate are both new incoming students.
4. You and your preferred roommate create a roommate group on Housing Central.  After submitting Housing Applications, students may complete Step 2: Forming a Roommate Group.

If you are a new student requesting to live with a current student, you will be unable to complete Step 2: Forming a Roommate Group.  However, you can send an email from your Stetson email address requesting a specific roommate.  You should copy your requested roommate and include their Roommate Code (found on the top left corner of their Housing Central home page).*

We will do our best to honor requests to live with a current Stetson resident.  However, the housing application priority date for Continuing Students (March 1) is earlier than the housing application priority date for incoming students (April 8) and Continuing Student Self-Selection (March) occurs earlier than New Student Self-Selection (April).  Therefore, we cannot guarantee new students will be assigned with a preferred roommate who is a continuing student.  If you would like to live with a continuing student, we encourage you and your preferred roommate to submit your housing applications and reach out to our office with your request via email as early as possible.

Students who need assistance in exiting their assigned space during an emergency (i.e. fire alarm, weather conditions, etc.) should report this information on their Housing Application, as there is a specific question related to this accommodation/need.  We also encourage students to notify the staff in Residential Living and Learning via email so that Public Safety can be notified.  Students who submit a Request for ADA/Accommodation should indicate this need on their request form, as well.

Working with Public Safety and the Academic Success Center, Residential Living and Learning has created a guide for Emergency Response Procedures for Students with Disabilities.

To review all of our different housing options and living environments, please visit our Residential Buildings webpage.  The cost of living within our residential facilities is available on our Housing Rates webpage.  Rates on this site are per semester.

Freshmen and Sophomore students living on campus are required to select a meal plan.  If a Freshman or Sophomore student fails to select a meal plan, a plan will be assigned to them prior to the start of the term.  Students not required to select a meal plan are Juniors and above, students living in an apartment on campus regardless of class standing, and commuters.  However, most students do elect to have a meal plan due to the convenience and various dining options available on and off campus!  Please see the Dining Services Meal Plan Membership page for information on meal plan requirements, options, and pricing.

Now that you will be joining the Stetson residential community, we have compiled a recommended packing list of items we suggest you bring and those that you leave at home. This list is not meant to be all-inclusive, but instead to give you a good idea as to what is and isn't allowed.

The list is divided into different areas to help you consider all the items you may want to bring with you. We encourage you to speak with your roommate, prior to moving in, about what each of you can bring to the room due to space and economic considerations.

At Stetson University, gender-inclusive housing isn't just for LGBT students, everyone is eligible to live in these spaces. We recognize that many students benefit from being able to be in a room or apartment with students of another or multiple genders. Gender-inclusive housing isn't segregated to a specific building or hallway; rather, it is an option that exists in many of our residential buildings throughout campus. So, whether you're looking to room with your best friend, cousin, twin or partner, we support your desire to live with people you feel most comfortable with and can provide options to accommodate your request. 

If you are an incoming student who would like to explore gender-inclusive housing, please reach out to our office directly to speak with a member of our team who can provide you with more information and options.

If you are a continuing student who would like to receive an assignment in gender-inclusive housing, you will have the option to select one of these spaces on your own during self-selection.  If you are unable to participate in self-selection, please reach out to our office directly to speak with a member of our team who can provide you with more information and options.

Please remember that we have limited space available in gender-inclusive housing, so be sure to apply for housing and reach out to us to discuss your housing options early!

There is no need to call or email the office; you can view your housing assignment by logging on to Housing Central. Your Housing Assignment and Roommate Contact information is available on the Housing Central Home Page.  If you are not assigned a preferred roommate or if your preferred roommate decides to change their housing plans, your roommate(s) listed on Housing Central may change as we make adjustments to housing assignments leading up to the start of the semester.  Keep an eye on your Home Page and your Stetson email for updates!

Floor plans and room layouts are available in Housing Central. From the Home Page, select "More" and "Documents" from the top menu.  Dimensions of bedrooms, suites, and apartments are an estimate.  Many of our residential buildings are historic, so the room dimensions can vary from room to room.  For this reason, Housing Rates are not based on the square footage of the room, but rather on the type of room (individual/shared) and the amenities offered in each space (community bathroom, suite bathroom, apartment with kitchen).

If you would like to purchase room decor, we encourage students to wait until they arrive on campus to take measurements of the room and furniture.  Then visit one of the stores in town to purchase any remaining items based on the measurements to ensure the items will fit in the living space.

For students who identify as gender non-conforming, transgender, queer, etc., we understand that some additional consideration may be requested in regard to your assigned living environment.  We allow all students to participate in self-selection and roommate groups can be formed without restriction based on gender.  In addition, all students have an opportunity to provide us with their preferred gender, preferred name, and pronouns.

We do encourage students interested in living in gender-inclusive housing to reach out to our office directly to learn more about the housing assignment process and discuss options available in our residential buildings.  Be sure to also check out the FAQ on Gender Inclusive Housing.  We are always happy to provide additional guidance and answer any questions about how to navigate our process as a returner or an incoming first-year or transfer student.  Please email [email protected] or call 386-822-7201. 

Stetson University is an animal-friendly campus, offering some animal-friendly residence halls where you have the ability to bring a pet.  Check out our Animal-Friendly Housing webpage to learn more about the application process, the types of animals approved to live on campus, and the different animal categories (Pet, ESA, Service Animal, Service Animal-in-Training).

The Animal-Friendly Housing Guide has a lot of great information about living with your animal on campus, policies related to animals in the residence halls, and resources available to animal owners.

Please remember that any student who would like to live with an animal on campus MUST submit a Request for Animal-in-Residence on Housing Central and receive approval from RL&L via email BEFORE the animal arrives on campus.  If an unauthorized animal is found in the residential buildings the owner could be assessed a policy violation fee of $500.00.

Reporting issues is fast and convenient using our online forms.  Residents can report concerns with their residential environment in the following ways:

• Maintenance and Pest Control concerns are reported via SchoolDude
• Residential Internet concerns are reported via MyResNet
• Laundry Machine concerns are reported via Caldwell&Gregory

Before reporting concerns related to the AC/Heating system or temperature of your living space, please check out our Thermostat Guide to understand how the various thermostats in our residential buildings function.

Are you experiencing challenges with your roommate relationships?  Be sure to reach out to your Resident Assistant to express your concerns and receive assistance in how to navigate and resolve conflicts.  If you still need assistance after working with your Resident Assistant, contact your Residential Life Coordinator to explore additional support and options.

We understand that there are lower-cost housing options off campus and students who have satisfied their three-year residency requirement or are approved for a residency requirement exemption are free to secure off-campus housing.  However, you should consider the following financial benefits of living on campus before making a decision to live off campus.

• Residential buildings are within walking distance of all academic and administrative buildings. No transportation expenses to and from campus.
• Campus residents have easy access to on-campus dining options where they don't need to cook or clean dishes.
• Increased safety and security living on campus thanks to electronic access systems on every building entry point, Public Safety presence 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, RL&L Resident Assistant and Residential Life Coordinator staff living in our residential buildings, on-call emergency staff members available 24-hours a day.  Our Resident Assistants and Public Safety officers conduct rounds multiple times per night ensuring doors are secure and reporting suspicious behavior.
• All utilities including 5G wireless internet, water, electricity, heating, and laundry are included in the campus housing rate.
• A University Facilities team committed to resolving requests for repairs and pest control within 72 hours of reporting. 
• Recycling and trash removal within each residential area.

Please also note that approval for a residency exemption to live off campus with a family member will result in a reduction of financial aid awards.  If you are considering this option, please be sure to reach out to Financial Aid to better understand how the decision could impact your aid awards.