RESIDENCY REQUIREMENT

Effective Fall 2009, freshmen entering college for the first time are required to live on campus for their first four semesters at Emerson, and for their fifth and sixth semesters pending the availability of housing. Similarly, transfer students are required to live on campus for their first four semesters of college (which includes semesters attended at previous colleges), and for the fifth and sixth semesters pending the availability of housing.

Housing contracts extend through the full academic year (fall and spring semesters), and students living on campus in the fall semester are obligated to remain in on-campus housing for the fall and spring semesters. In addition, all resident students are required to purchase one of the College-sponsored meal plans.

Freshmen, sophomores, and juniors attending one of Emerson’s semester-long external programs are required to live in the College’s Boston Campus housing during the other semester of that given academic year.

Please note that the College may not be able to provide on-campus housing for all students beyond their fourth semester in college (which includes semesters attended at previous colleges). In addition, students who do not meet the residency requirement will be considered for housing on a space available basis.

*May be excused from on-campus housing following 4th residency semester if selected through special lottery process.

Exemptions to the residency requirement may be granted by the Office of Housing and Residence Life (OHRL). Students seeking an exception must submit a “Request for Exemption to Residency Requirement Form” along with supporting documentation. Students are expected to pay room and board fees in full by published payment deadlines unless they have received a residency requirement exemption from the Office of Housing and Residence Life. If a student’s request for exemption from residency requirement is granted after payment is made, they will be issued a refund. A separate “Request for Exemption to Residency Requirement Form” is required for each year an exception is being sought. For consideration, the “Form” must be received by OHRL no later than June 1st for new and current students scheduled to be in housing for the fall semester and no later than December 1st for new students admitted for the spring semester. Students returning from a LOA are subject to the residency exemption deadline dates for the semester they are scheduled to return. Exemptions are typically granted when:

• The student lives at home with a parent or legal guardian. If the student changes residence, it is their responsibility to promptly notify the Office of Housing and Residence Life.
• The student is able to demonstrate a financial hardship that would otherwise prevent him or her from attending Emerson.
• The student has a disability that precludes living in a residence hall. Documentation of the student’s disability is required from a qualified professional who has direct knowledge of the student and his or her condition, e.g., physician, psychiatrist, psychologist, etc. This documentation must meet the guidelines described in the Disability Services Office statement of policies and procedures (found on the Disability Services website).
• The student is married, in a registered domestic partnership that is recognized by the state of Massachusetts, and/or is a parent with whom one or more dependent children reside.
• The student has completed six semesters of college coursework if they entered as a freshman or transfer in Fall 2009 or thereafter.
• The student has completed four semesters of college coursework if they entered as a freshman in Fall 2008.
• The student has completed three semesters of college coursework if they entered as a freshman in Spring 2009.
• The student is 21 years of age or older prior to September 1 of the academic year in question.
• The student has served in the military as verified by a discharge certificate.

During the spring semester of each academic year, the College administers a housing selection process for the following academic year. Students with less than four semesters of college attendance (which includes semesters attended at previous colleges) are automatically assigned a housing selection slot as a condition of the residency requirement. Beginning in Spring 2011, students with less than six semesters of college attendance (which includes semesters attended at previous colleges) are also automatically assigned a housing selection slot as a condition of the residency requirement, pending the availability of housing. All other students wishing to live in on-campus housing will be able to submit an application for consideration pending availability.

Please note failure to settle Emerson College accounts in full, obtain required vaccinations, or abide by the Code of Conduct can result in the loss of student housing. Students who are not able to fulfill the residency requirement due to their own actions including failure to comply with College policies may also be dismissed from the College.