All first-time college students younger than 21 years old as of the official opening day of the applicable academic year and who are enrolled for more than six credit hours are required to reside in University-operated housing. A student is considered a first-time student regardless of when they graduated from high school if they are enrolling at the University for the first time and have not previously attended an­other college or university (taking part in college-level classes, testing or summer sessions during high school are not considered enrollment).

First-time college students younger than 21 years old who wish to live somewhere other than in University-op­erated housing must submit a Housing Policy Exemption Request. Additional information may be required before an exemption may be granted.

Any contractual arrangements concerning residence at facilities not owned or operat­ed by the University are entered into between students and the owners of the facilities; the University will not take part in the contractual arrangements or attempt to arbitrate any dis­putes that may arise.

Residents must follow check-in, -out guidelines for their hall, and they must check in and out with Housing staff. Residents must have approval from Housing to check into a space. Residents changing rooms in the residence halls must have approval from the Housing Administrative Operations office. 

When checking out (either to move within the hall, to another hall or out of the residence hall system), residents must visit the front desk supporting their residence hall or complete the Self Check-Out form in the Housing Portal to officially check out of that space. See the Housing Policy for information about cancelations and exemptions. 

Residents of Discovery, Excellence, Respect and Responsibility or converted spaces in other halls must also visit the front desk servicing your hall to receive key(s) at check-in and return them at check-out.

You must remove all personal belongings from your room and any shared spaces when leaving the residence hall. Any items left behind may result in Abandoned Property charges. 

Students should clean their room/suite. Cleaning supplies are available at the front desk. Failure to clean the space before check-out will result in cleaning charges.

Failure to return your room key(s) will result in lock-change charges if you live in a hall with traditional locks.

Residents will be charged through the day they officially check out of the hall. If you move to another hall, you will begin paying the new hall’s rate when you move.

At the end of each semester, students must depart the hall within 24 hours of their last final or by the time the hall closes, whichever occurs first.

Residents who are not enrolled in classes must check out of the residence hall within 24 hours of being ineligible to enroll. Failure to vacate could result in disciplinary action.

You must check out of your assignment at the end of the Spring semester even if you are returning to the same space the following Fall semester. Summer School residents also must check out at the end of the contract period. Housing will send additional communication about moving from the Spring to Summer and Summer to Fall semesters to students contracted to live in the residence halls for the Summer. Residents must be present to move on specified dates. Failure to move could result in disciplinary action and any remaining property being considered Abandoned Property.

For more information, see Moving Out, Abandoned Property and Billing Procedures.

An integral part of your college experience is learning to get along with all types of people, especially your room- or suitemate. Residents are encouraged to the Shared Living Agreement, which is designed to help room-/suitemates discuss and come to agreement on expectations for one another, relationships, guests, use of belongings and other issues. If you and your room-/suitemates are having problems, contact your Resident Advisor or Residence Hall Coordinator for help mediating the conflict. Dealing with problems early will promote stronger relationships and decrease frustrations between room-/suitemates.

Student requests to move to another room are accepted online. Exact dates will be shared each semester. To submit a move request, log into the Housing Portal, and click Housing Forms. 

Housing staff will review the request and will email the resident an offer that meets their preferences, provided such a space is available. Depending on the resident’s request, it may be weeks or months before staff has a space to offer. 

Moving to another room may result in adjusted charges based on amenities and type of room or hall. Charges for the new room are based on the date of move. Housing strongly recommends comparing hall rates before accepting/declining a room move offer.

Residents may not move (even within the resident’s room/suite/apartment) without Housing approval, which will be emailed to the resident if they accept an offer. Unapproved changes (switching keys and moving in) are not permitted and could result in conduct action and/or charges. Roommate switches are allowed, provided all room-/suitemates involved agree (in writing) to the swap, and you go through the formal room change approval process, as outlined above. 

If Housing staff decides moving a student would be beneficial to the student or in the best interest of other residents or the University, the resident may be required to move to a different room, either in the same hall or in another hall, at any time. 

Although staff will try, it is not required that a resident receive prior notice that a new room-/suitemate has been assigned to a vacant space in the room/suite/apartment. Occupants of double or triple rooms, suites or apartments who do not have a room-/suitemate should assume someone new will move in at any time if they do not pay the single room rate. 

For more information on buying out the room to make it a single, see Roommate and Suitemate Consolidation.

Occupants of double or triple rooms who have a vacant space in their rooms should assume a new room-/suitemate could move in at any time and should keep the other space(s) in the room cleared of their personal belongings if they choose not to pay the single rate (when this is an option). Failure to do so may result in conduct action.

Additionally, the University may change the housing assignment and require the resident to move to different accommodations when MU deems it necessary, in which case the resident’s account will be credited or charged with any difference in room rates. 

If a resident becomes the single occupant of a double or triple room after all moves within and between halls have been completed, the resident may have the following options:

• Elect to pay the single-room rate if space permits and if it is offered as an option. This is not always possible.
• Find a room-/suitemate. Housing staff may provide suggestions on request.
• Arrange to move to another room that has an open space.

Housing may opt to:

• Give the resident written notice that their current room rate will be changed to the single-room rate on a specified date. The resident will then be charged the single-room rate for the remainder of the academic year.
• Assign a new resident to the vacant space in the room at any time with or without prior notice to the resident already in the room.