Finding Housing After Studying Abroad

On-campus Northwestern Housing

What can I do to be sure that I have a place to live when I return from study abroad?

Regardless of when a student chooses to study abroad, the key to securing University housing upon his/her return to campus is to apply for University Housing. The Undergraduate Housing Office makes every effort to identify those students returning from studying abroad and does its best to accommodate them.

I will be away for the fall quarter only, but need university housing for winter and spring quarters. Should I still apply for a Housing Priority Number during the previous spring?

No. Students who will be studying abroad in the fall only should not participate in the Returning Student Housing Application Procedure (held during the previous spring quarter). Instead, you will participate in the housing process while you are away during Fall Quarter, via email, for a housing assignment that starts in Winter Quarter.

Winter Quarter Housing at Northwestern

The Study Abroad Office provides University Housing with a list of all students participating in Study Abroad Programs for each academic quarter. Using this list, Undergraduate Housing emails all students who are abroad, inviting them to apply for housing for their anticipating quarter of return. The online application for housing starting Winter Quarter is available online, and a link to it will be emailed to your Northwestern email account in mid-October. If you need a place to live on campus starting Winter Quarter 2009, please access the online housing application via that email and fill it out. Housing assignments are made during the last week of November, and you will be emailed an online housing contract (to your Northwestern email address) in early December. It is on your housing contract that you find out where you were assigned. Every effort is made to assign you to either a building or room type of your choice, however as assignments for the winter and spring quarters are based solely upon the vacancies that exist at the end of the previous quarter, it is not possible to guarantee a specific room assignment to those students returning from fall quarter study abroad. However, to date, every student returning to Northwestern from fall quarter study abroad who has applied for university housing has received a university housing assignment.

I am going abroad in the winter/spring quarters, but need university housing for the following fall quarter. Can I participate in the spring Returning Student Housing Application Procedure from abroad?

Yes. Every February, the Undergraduate Housing Office obtains a list of those students currently abroad from the Study Abroad Office. Preliminary application information is then e-mailed to these students, allowing sufficient time for them to register online for randomly generated priority numbers for the fall quarter. Students studying abroad may request to have friends on campus participate in the fall quarter housing self-assignment process for them. If this is not an option, please contact Undergraduate Housing for further assistance.

Do I need to contact University Housing if I plan to either return to or vacate a space in my Greek House on campus?

University Housing oversees assignments to Sigma Alpha Iota and Phi Mu Alpha. If you are leaving from, or wish to be assigned to, one of these two buildings, you would be following the steps outlined above. For all other Greek Units, contact your fraternity or sorority directly.

How do I cancel my housing contract if I am living in housing now but going abroad in another quarter?

Leaving campus for Study Abroad is considered a legitimate reason to cancel your housing contract. Just come in to the Undergraduate Housing Office, located in Scott Hall, room 1, and ask for a Contract Cancellation form (AKA, The Blue Form). List your reason for cancellation as Study Abroad. While Undergraduate Housing emails out reminders for students to cancel their housing if they are leaving for Study Abroad, you can also be proactive and just come ask for the cancellation form. The deadline to fill this form out is typically three weeks before the end of the current quarter.

If I have further questions about on-campus housing, whom should I contact?

Mark D'Arienzo, Associate Director of University Housing
darienzo@northwestern.edu

Vina Bondurant, Undergraduate Housing Coordinator
d-bon@northwestern.edu

University Housing
Scott Hall, Room 1
601 University Place
Evanston, IL 60208-1001
Phone: (847) 491-7564
Fax: (847) 467-1370 (fax)
housing@northwestern.edu

Off-Campus Housing

I will only be abroad for part of the academic year, how can I go about looking for an apartment to rent/sublet for the other part of the year?

There are many ways to find apartments to rent/sublet for only part of the academic year, including the following:

I will be studying abroad in the second half of the year. How can I find someone to sublet my apartment in Evanston?

Depending upon a student's departure quarter for study abroad, there are a number of ways to identify a person to sublet an apartment in Evanston, including the following:
  • Advertise in The Daily Northwestern or the local newspapers.
  • Post an ad on the notice boards at the Norris Student Center, which are read daily by hundreds of students.
  • Post an ad on craigslist.
  • Email your ad to the Study Abroad Office to be added to the study abroad listserv. Include a brief description of the space available, the dates of availability, and your contact information, and your listing will be added to the next sublet list message.