Residence Policy

Ithaca College is a residential college. The College recognizes the developmental value of a residentially based education and believes that residence hall living is a key component of a student's overall educational experience. For these reasons, provisions are made to house all students on campus throughout their undergraduate years.

Readmitted students and students returning from the London Center, other Ithaca College study-abroad programs, the Ithaca College Communications Program in Los Angeles, and student teaching or internships, or from a leave of absence must resume their previous housing status (i.e., campus resident or off campus) upon return to campus, unless they have senior-year status, as defined by the College's off-campus policy (see below).

Married students, students who are 23 years of age or older, incoming transfer students who have previously been enrolled at a college for at least two years, and students who meet the criteria for being a commuter student, as defined by the College's commuter policy (see below), are not required to live in College-provided housing.

Incoming freshmen are guaranteed on-campus housing. Occasionally, the demand for housing by other incoming students (i.e., transfers or readmits) or returning students may exceed the capacity of our residence halls. In this event, incoming freshmen may be assigned to temporary accommodations. Other incoming students or students returning to housing may be notified that on-campus housing is not available for them.

If a student has documented special health needs, the Office of Residential Life will make every effort to provide the most appropriate on-campus housing assignment, upon the recommendation of the College's health services staff.

Off-Campus Policy

· Any student with senior-year status who wishes to move off campus may do so by following the process outlined by the Office of Residential Life. Under current housing processes, a senior is a student who is eligible for a "senior" room-lottery number in February of the semester prior to the student's senior year. Once the academic year has begun, only students with more than 90 credits and who will graduate during the current academic year will be considered seniors.

· Non-seniors should not sign leases or make any other commitments for off-campus housing without written approval to move off campus from the Office of Residential Life. Any non-senior who moves off campus without the written approval of the Office of Residential Life will be billed for room and board charges.

· The College remains committed to maintaining fully occupied residence halls. We also recognize that over-occupied residence halls can negatively affect our communities. As a result, should housing projections for an upcoming academic year indicate that the residence halls will be overoccupied, a limited off-campus application process may be conducted for non-seniors. Non-seniors should not sign off-campus lease agreements in anticipation of being approved to live off campus.

· There are no provisions in the Ithaca College Residence Policy for exceptions to the off-campus policy.

Commuter Policy

A student is eligible for commuter status if he or she lives within a 60-mile radius of Ithaca College and is living at the home of a parent or legal guardian. Students seeking commuter status need to complete a commuter request application (available at the Office of Residential Life) and receive written approval from the Office of Residential Life in order to be released from room and board charges. Students who cease to meet the criteria for commuter status will be required to reside on campus and will be billed for appropriate room and board charges. Any student who misrepresents him- or herself as a commuter student may be subject to disciplinary action under the student conduct code and be billed for room and board charges.

Part-Time Students

Undergraduate students who are not enrolled full time (i.e., for at least 12 credits per semester) at Ithaca College may be subject to removal from the residence halls at the discretion of the Office of Residential Life. However, dropping to part-time status does not automatically make a student exempt from living on campus. Any questions regarding part-time status should be directed to the Office of Residential Life.

Board Requirements

All students residing in College housing facilities (with the exception of apartments in the Quads and the Garden Apartments) must participate in the College meal plan. A commuter meal plan is also available to apartment residents and off-campus students. Students who have special dietary needs should contact Dining Services.