Residency Requirement

• Residency Requirement Policy
• Exemptions from Residency Requirement
• Housing Selection and the Residency Requirement

Residency Requirement Policy

Freshmen entering college for the first time in fall 2011 or a fall semester thereafter are required to live on campus for their first four semesters at Emerson College, and may apply to live on campus for subsequent semesters pending availability of housing.  Freshmen entering College for the first time in spring 2012 or a spring semester thereafter are required to live on campus for their first three semesters at Emerson College, and may apply to live on campus for subsequent semesters pending availability of housing. 

Freshmen entering college for the first time in fall 2010 or spring 2011 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.*

Transfer students entering Emerson College in fall 2011 or after will be offered on-campus housing depending on availability. If a transfer student wants to be considered for on-campus housing, he or she should submit a $500 enrollment deposit to secure their space on the housing waitlist. When considering transfer students for housing, their year of graduation from high school is taken into consideration. Transfer students who graduated from high school fewer than two years from their enrollment date at Emerson will be given priority depending on availability of housing.

Transfer students who entered Emerson College between fall 2010 and spring 2011 should refer to the following chart to determine how the residency requirement applies to them.*

Students returning from a Leave of Absence (LOA) will be offered on-campus housing depending on availability.

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.

External Programs

Freshmen and sophomores attending an Emerson external program are required to live in on-campus housing (Boston) during the semester they are attending classes on the Boston campus.  Because this is a condition of residency, freshmen and sophomores participating in an external program do not need to submit a $300 housing deposit. 

Juniors attending an Emerson external program will be given the option of either on-campus housing or living off campus during the semester they are attending classes on the Boston campus.  Any junior who would like to live on campus during the semester that they are not attending an external program will be required to submit a $300 housing deposit.  Juniors will be contacted by the Office of Housing and Residence Life with more details regarding this option. 

The Office of Housing and Residence Life will contact all students who are attending an external program during the fall semester regarding housing options for the spring semester.

*The College will 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.

Required Residency Based on Year of Entry

*To give students entering their 5th and 6th semesters (rising juniors) more ownership of their housing plans for fall 2012, rising juniors will be given two choices regarding the housing selection process.  If rising juniors wish to be considered to live on-campus for the 2012-13 academic year they will have an opportunity to participate in the Rising Junior Housing Lottery; a select number of students from the lottery will be offered spaces.  If rising juniors prefer to live off-campus for the 2012-13 academic year they can simply choose to do so.  A full explanation of the housing selection process will be communicated to all students in late January 2012.

(Updated November 2011)

Exemptions

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 OHRL. If a student’s request for exemption from the residency requirement is granted after payment is made, he/she 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 1 for new students scheduled to be in housing for the fall semester and no later than December 1 for new students admitted for the spring semester.

Exemptions are typically granted when:

• The student lives at home with a parent or legal guardian. If the student changes residence, it is her/his 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 page.
• 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 four semesters of college coursework if he/she entered as a freshman in Fall 2008.
• The student is a transfer student who graduated from high school three or more years prior to the enrollment date at Emerson.
• 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.

Housing Selection and Residency Requirement

During the spring semester of each academic year, the College administers a housing selection process for the following academic year. Students will be automatically assigned housing selection appointment numbers based on their residency requirement as defined in the above chart. All other students wishing to live in on-campus housing will be able to submit an application and a $300 deposit for consideration pending availability.

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.

If you would like more information and/or wish to fill out an exemption request form, you can download a pdf version.