Residence Life

Housing Lottery/Off-Campus Housing Policy

Guilford College is a small, residential, liberal arts institution that seeks to promote student development in accordance with the Core Values of the College.  A significant part of the educational experience here at Guilford occurs outside the classroom.  Therefore, living on campus and being fully immersed in the community atmosphere of intense peer interaction, diversity, and ubiquitous programs and activities offered in the residence halls, is sine qua non of a Guilford College education.  For this reason, we require traditional aged students to live on campus in our residence halls until they reach the age of 23, or they are approved to live off-campus. 

Housing selection will occur in March and April.  A “housing lottery” will determine the order in which students can select their on campus residences.   The lowest, or “best,” lottery numbers will be given to seniors, followed by rising seniors, followed by rising juniors, then rising sophomores.  ALL currently enrolled students who expect campus housing must complete the online housing registration between March 3-28, 2008. If students apply by the housing deadline, they are eligible to participate in the lottery room selection week as long as there are no holds on their account and they have registered for a minimum of 8 credit hours. If they apply after the deadline, they will be placed by Residence Life in late May and on campus housing is not guaranteed.

Students who desire to move off campus or who currently live off campus must submit the Off Campus Application each academic year for off campus approval (submitting an application by the deadline does not guarantee approval). If a student is NOT approved for off campus, then s/he must apply for campus housing by the deadline (March 28, 2008), to be eligible to participate in the lottery and room selection. No off campus applications will be considered if the student has a hold on his/her account.

Students obtain approval to live off-campus by proactively seeking this approval through an application process.  Students who have demonstrated their readiness to live without the supervision, support, and community offered within the residence hall environment, could be approved to live off-campus in accordance with the annual maximum number for off-campus approvals.  This annual maximum will be determined by housing numbers/projections for the fall semester.

PROCEDURES:

 

  • Students who apply to live off-campus by the spring deadline (March 7, 2008), will avoid any reduction in merit based financial aid. 
  • Students who apply for off campus housing will be notified by March 14, 2008 of the status of their applications.  Students who are denied or placed on a waiting list must complete an on campus housing application by March 28, 2008, which enables them to participate in the lottery and room selection.
  • Students who are approved for off campus living will be assumed to be living off campus unless the Office for Campus Life is notified otherwise by March 21, 2008. In the event that an approved student does not wish to live off campus but does not notify Campus Life, on campus housing is NOT guaranteed.
  • Students who do not apply for on-campus or off-campus housing by the spring deadline (March 7, 2008 for off campus housing, March 28, 2008 for on campus housing) will not be guaranteed housing for the fall.  These students will be billed for housing in June, but are not guaranteed housing; their accounts may be credited later if housing is not available for the fall.
  • Students who do not apply for on-or off-campus housing by the spring deadline may have to live off-campus if on campus space is not available for the fall.  These students will be credited for the cost of housing already billed to them, but their merit based aid will be reduced by 25%.  These students will have to find housing off-campus on their own.

Students not approved for off-campus housing, but placed on the waiting list to live off-campus, will be billed for housing if they also completed on campus housing applications by the spring deadline (March 28, 2008).  These students will be notified in May, or throughout the summer, of their off campus application status, as housing needs dictate, but no later than August 1, 2008.

Students who applied for off-campus housing after the spring deadline will receive a 25% reduction in merit aid if their application is approved.