Living Off-Campus
Living on campus is a unique experience that is unparalleled in uniting students with Stetson's vibrant on-campus community. If exploring off-campus options and joining Stetson's community of commuter students interests you, please familiarize yourself with our residency requirement and exemption process.
Residency Requirement
Stetson University is proud of both its residential campus and its tradition of a vibrant campus community. The on-campus experience provides residential students with a number of benefits not available to commuter students, including support from residential staff that live and work in our buildings alongside our residents, access to university resources and academic buildings just a short walk from their home-on-campus, and opportunities to build relationships within the large campus community. In addition, national research shows that students living on campus have higher grade point averages, higher graduation rates, and greater involvement in university and student organizations. Therefore, Stetson has a three-year residency requirement in which all students are required to live on campus for the first three years of their enrollment at the university.
Residency Requirement Exemptions
Exceptions to the residency requirement may be granted to those students who satisfy one or more of the following criteria for the Fall Term on or before August 1 and for the Spring Term on or before January 1 AND submit the Request for Residency Exemption found on Housing Central.
- Academic: The student has earned 22.5 or more academic units (90 or more credit hours).
- Transfer: The student enters the university with 30 or more credit hours and is classified as a Transfer Student.
- A high school graduate with dual enrollment credits is not classified as a Transfer Student.
- Age: The student is 22 years of age or older.
- Partnership: The student is married or in a legal domestic partnership.
- Documentation Required: marriage license or certificate/registration of domestic partnership
- Approved Internship/Program: The student is participating in a University-approved, off-campus academic internship/study abroad/program that requires them to live outside the local area.
- Documentation Required: Letter from the internship/program verifying participation and dates of duration
- The exemption will be approved only for the duration of their internship/academic program.
- Living with Family: The student resides locally within a 45-mile radius of the University with an immediate or extended family member
- Documentation Required:
- If the student is living with their immediate family member (parent(s)/guardian(s)), a driver's license or photo ID of the immediate family member with the address where the student will residing off-campus must be submitted with the Request for Residency Exemption.
- If the student is living with an extended family member (aunt/uncle, grandparent, sibling not attending Stetson University), a driver's license or photo ID of the extended family member with the address where the student will residing off-campus must be submitted with the Request for Residency Exemption AND a letter notarized by the student's parent/guardian confirming the family member's relationship to the student and the address where the student will be residing.
Students that do not meet one or more of the criteria above, but still wish to be exempt from the residency requirement may request an exemption based on an exceptional and compelling individual circumstance that cannot be accommodated within campus housing. As part of the exemption request, the student must provide a personal narrative and documentation illustrating why they feel they should be provided an exemption to the residency requirement. These requests are reviewed and decided upon by the Executive Director of RLL or designee.
Requesting an Exemption to the Residency Requirement
Students who meet one or more of the criteria above and wish to live off-campus must submit a Request for Residency Exemption on Housing Central.
Students whose Request for Residency Exemption is denied must complete a housing application and live on campus per the Residency Requirement until they meet at least one of the exemptions listed above. Those who fail to complete a housing application and live in campus housing will be assessed a housing charge equal to the lowest published housing cost for each semester of the applicable year of enrollment.
Withdrawing from Classes
After the start of classes, a student who wishes to withdraw from all enrolled classes must submit a request to withdraw. Please follow the proper steps to complete a withdraw from your classes currently in session.
Medically Withdrawing from Classes
After the start of classes, a student wishing to withdraw from all enrolled classes because they are unable to complete the current semester of courses due to professionally documented medical concerns must submit a request for medical withdraw. Please follow the proper steps to complete a medical withdraw from your classes currently in session.
Approved Leave or University Exit
Before the start of classes or before enrolling in classes, students may decide that they do not wish to attend Stetson for the upcoming academic term/year. These students should complete a request for Approved Leave (for students planning to enroll in a future term at Stetson) or a University Exit (for students that do not plan to enroll at Stetson in the future). Please follow the proper steps to request an Approved Leave or University Exit.
Move Out
Procedure
Please familiarize yourself with the proper procedures for moving off-campus in an effort to smooth your transition process between living spaces without fines.
Commuter
Services
Upon moving off-campus you will be joining Stetson's community of commuter students. Check out the Stetson University's Commuter Student Service web page!
Frequently Asked Questions
We recognize that many students have questions as they consider on-campus housing, and we invite you to review our frequently asked questions page for more assistance!