RESIDENTIAL SERVICES

 2025-2026 Academic Year

Friday, September 12, 2025

Saturday, December 13, 2025

Saturday, January 3, 2026

Spring Break - March 21, 2026 to March 30, 2026

Saturday, June 13, 2026

All Students Requesting To Change Rooms

Students can add themselves to waiting lists for up to 3 buildings, and can specify what type of room (i.e. a single or a double) that they wish to wait for. If you wish to move with a specified roommate, you should both turn in room change paperwork together.

You should fill out a waiting list request form even if you asking to change rooms within the same building, or are planning on a mutual room swap with another student.

If you list a residential college, you must either already live in that college or be a non-resident member of that college to be eligible for a room in that building. Spaces in a residential college will be filled only by resident or non-resident members of that college. The Faculty Chair of the residential college must approve any move into the building.

Adding yourself to a waiting list for a building puts you on that waiting list for Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters. As always, room changes are predicated on availability, and there are no guarantees that we will be able to accommodate your request regardless of the number of spaces that may open up in the building that you request.

If we are able to accommodate your request, you will get an email to your Northwestern email account, asking you to come pick up room change paperwork in the office of Undergraduate housing. Typically, it takes students a few days to complete and return the paperwork, at which time the move is approved, and a schedule for tenancy in the new room and vacancy of your old assignment is worked out. The office of Undergraduate housing will let Residential Life know that you have changed rooms, so that they can then make the necessary arrangements to have your mail forwarded to your new campus address. The online student directory updates automatically with your new address and phone number about 7 days after your room change paperwork is completed and turned in.

Visit the NU Housing Portal.

General Information

Learning—and practicing—to live, work, and spend time with others is an essential component of the Northwestern experience. There is no better place to do this than in our campus residences.

The goal of the accommodation request process is to allow a student to fully participate in the Northwestern residential experience. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Fair Housing Act, students with disabilities may be eligible for medical accommodation or exemption from the residency requirement. Additionally, students can request an accommodation or exemption based on religion, family situations, financial reasons, transfer policy, or other situations.

Examples of accommodations could include a physical alteration to a room, a specific room type or location, an emotional support animal, or an adjustment to the meal plan. Housing accommodations may be based upon space availability at the time of the requested accommodations. All requests will be processed in the order they were received.

The meal plan contract does not permit exceptions based on religious dictates, personal food choice or preferences (e.g. vegetarianism), or other non-medically-based, dietary requirements. If a request for a meal plan accommodation is received, the University’s dietitian will be consulted and recommend a final decision.

In rare instances when the University cannot identify an appropriate accommodation, then there may be consideration of a request for an exception to the University’s two-year residency requirement and/or meal plan contract. This may be considered for medical or psychological conditions, financial reasons, family, age, or other situations.

Submitting an Accommodation Request

Disability/Medical Accommodation Requests

To start the process for a disability-related housing accommodation determination with AccessibleNU, complete the following steps below:

• Complete the online application for housing accommodations.
• Review the disability documentation guidelines and submit applicable documentation to ANU.
• Once your application and documentation are submitted, ANU will review it. ANU will notify you via university email of the determination on your request typically within 2 weeks  of the submission of the application and supporting documentation. If ANU has questions about your request, you may be asked to meet with an advisor. Note that during peak periods, the wait to receive a determination may exceed 2 weeks.
• Rising second-year, third-year, and fourth-year students are encouraged to submit accommodation requests for the new academic year by February 1. Incoming first-year and transfer students are encouraged to submit accommodation requests by June 1.

Non-Disability/Medical Accommodation Requests

To start the process for non-disability/medical housing accommodations complete the following steps below:

• Complete the online Housing & Dining Accommodation request form on the Housing Portal. Be sure to include proper supporting documentation for your request.
• Your request will be reviewed by a representative from one or more of the following offices: Undergraduate Financial Aid, Religious & Spiritual Life, Residential Services, Northwestern Dining, the Dean of Students Office, and other campus partners depending on the primary and/or secondary reason for your request.
• Decisions will be communicated via university email to the student within four (4) weeks of submission. All decisions by the reviewer are final though you may be encouraged to reach out to your reviewer for additional context.
• Rising second-year, third-year, and fourth-year students are encouraged to submit accommodation requests for the new academic year by February 1. Incoming first-year and transfer students are encouraged to submit accommodation requests by June 1.

Some students need to remain on campus during winter break for various reasons including prohibitive travel costs, safety and security issues, or adverse impacts to their health and wellness. To meet this need, Northwestern has developed an option for students to enroll in Continuous Housing, which provides students room and board in on-campus housing from the beginning of Fall Quarter through the end of Spring Quarter, including winter break.

Continuous Housing will be available in select undergraduate residence halls (710 Emerson, 1856 Orrington, and 1871 Orrington). Only these halls will remain open through Winter Break. Not all students in these buildings will have opted into Continuous Housing, but all students in Continuous Housing will live in these buildings. Students who select Continuous Housing will be able to rank their preferences among the three halls on their application. Students not enrolled in Continuous Housing must depart campus for Winter Break. If demand for Continuous Housing exceeds spaces available, those students with the greatest need will be given priority. We expect to have very limited, if any, options for Winter Break Housing for residents who are not enrolled in Continuous Housing.  

Students in Continuous Housing will be charged $2,250 to cover 22 nights of housing and 23 days of dining during Winter Quarter fee assessment in early December, regardless of the number of nights spent on campus during the break.. Students who receive Northwestern financial aid should contact Financial Aid Operations to discuss their eligibility for financial support for this cost.

It is important to note that while many services continue over Winter Break, there are significantly fewer people on campus. To maintain a safe environment, Residential Services may implement policies that are different than during the academic year. Failure to adhere to the expectations during the Winter Break period may result in a referral to the Office of Community Standards. Additional information about available resources, programming, staffing, and dining options will be available during Fall Quarter.

How to Select Continuous Housing 

New Students 

New students will preference Continuous Housing during the New Student Housing Assignment Process.  

Returning Students 

Returning students will select Continuous Housing during the Returning Student Room Selection Process. 

Eligibility to Request Cancellation

Contracts become effective at different times based on your class standing:  

• First and Second Year Students – upon submission of the housing contract. 

• Transfer Students – upon submission of the housing contract. 

• Upper Division (Third and Fourth year) - upon submission of the housing contract

• Graduate Students – can cancel without penalty within 5 business days of receiving assignment offer. After 5 business days, the contract is confirmed. 

Once your contract is confirmed, you will only be considered eligible for cancellation if you meet one of these criteria:  

• Academic Dismissal  

• Disciplinary Exclusion from the University  

• NU sponsored internship (including study abroad, Co-Op, Medill programs) 

• Marriage/Civil Union (for marriages/civil unions occurring after date of contract)  

• Induction into military service  

• Graduation/Degree Completion  

• Approved Housing and Dining Accommodation/Exemption from residency requirement 

Students eligible to cancel their housing contract can request to do so via the Housing Portal. Submitting a cancellation request is not an automatic release from your contract, nor does it guarantee a release; each request is reviewed on a case-by-case basis. 

If approved, and depending upon the submission date, you may be responsible for a cancellation fee and/or a portion/entirety of the contracted rate.  

Fees During the Academic Year

In addition to prorated nightly fees, all canceled contracts will be assessed a $300 cancellation fee.

Cancellation Fee Schedule

2025-2026 Academic Year

Looking to enhance your Northwestern experience? Consider applying to work for Residential Services! We offer student jobs that:

• work with your busy schedule
• are conveniently located on campus
• develop your skills
• build your resume
• provide opportunities to network and develop friendships

Undergraduate Employment Opportunities

• Desk Assistant—Graduate Desk
• HOME Line Assistant
• Summer Conference Assistant
• Mail & Package Center Assistant  
• Clerical Aide—Residential Life 

Service Positions

Residential Services is pleased to hire undergraduate students for a range of service positions. Some involve direct engagement with residents in the residential areas. Others involve supporting Residential Service staff members in the department's central offices.

Service Position Opportunities

• Desk Assistant - Graduate Desk
• HOME Line Representative - We are currently accepting applications!
• Mail & Package Center Assistant
• Summer Conference Assistant

All rising 2^nd year students are required to complete both phases of the room selection process to meet the two-year residency requirement. Rising 3^rd and 4^th year students may complete the contract if they wish to live on campus again next year. All students planning to live in a fraternity, sorority, or Evans Scholars house only need to complete Phase One – Contracting.

Phase One - Contracting

Phase Two – Room Selection

Rising second-year students may not cancel their housing contract due to the two-year residency requirement. Rising 3^rd and 4^th year students may cancel their contract without questions or penalty until 11:59pm on March 15, 2025.  

Beginning, March 16, 2025, students will only be released from housing for the reasons listed below. You can read more on our cancellation page.

• Academic dismissal
• Disciplinary exclusion from the University
• Northwestern sponsored internship (including study abroad, Co-Op, Medill programs)
• Marriage/civil union
• Induction into military service
• Graduation/degree completion
• Approved Housing Accommodation or Housing Exemption

All Gender Housing allows students, regardless of sex, gender, to share a room or suite. You will be able to select All Gender Housing as a preference in the room selection process.

The traditional residence halls on campus range from residences with as few as 25 students to larger residences with more than 500. Each building has its own character, spirit, and unique advantages. The residence halls are a great place to live and meet people from all over the world. Resident Assistants and student leaders from the Residence Hall Association (RHA) frequently plan programs to help students meet people and be successful.

Residence hall features include:

• Resident Assistants
• Resident Directors (may live in nearby building)
• Residence Hall Association (RHA) leaders
• Programming

Explore Residence Hall Options

The residential colleges range from 40 to 250 students. Some have a single unifying theme such as international studies while others are multi-thematic. Each college is headed by a faculty member who serves as the Faculty Chair. Chairs and student officers recruit faculty and staff members for the fellows program, which supports faculty presence through meals in the college, informal presentations known as firesides, and outings around campus and Chicago. In addition, fellows routinely lead small credit-bearing seminars reserved for college members and mentor residents as research assistants through a specially funded program.

Residential colleges features include:

• Resident Assistants
• Resident Directors (may live in nearby building)
• Residential College Board (RCB) leaders
• College staffs (Faculty Chairs, Associate Chairs, Assistant Chairs)
• Credit-bearing seminars
• Theme-based communities
• Reserved dining hall spaces for faculty engagement

Explore Residential College Options

Special interest housing is for students who choose to live with others who share a special academic or personal interest. A special interest housing group may be located on a wing of a residence hall or have "exclusive use" of a small house. 

Explore  Special Interest Housing Options

All Gender Housing refers to an arrangement whereby students, regardless of sexor gender, are permitted to share a room or suite in select areas of Northwestern’s campus residences.

visit our all gender housing page for details

Summer housing will be available in a building with singles and doubles; however, please note that singles are first made available to students with approved accommodations for a single room. Residents will be responsible for maintaining the cleanliness of their individual sleeping rooms. Sleeping rooms are air-conditioned and include the following furnishings: a bed frame and mattress, a set of dresser drawers, and a closet with space to hang clothing. Linens, pillows, blankets, and towels are not provided. Residents must provide their own bed linens and towels. Full laundry facilities are located within the building. Washers and dryer are available at no cost to the resident.

• Summer housing begins at 8:00am on June 22 and ends at 12pm on August 30. Residents can indicate their move-in & move-out dates based on their course schedule, on a weekly basis.
• Summer Quarter residents may arrive and check-in as early as 8:00am on June 22.
  • If a Spring Quarter resident intends to stay on campus between June 14 at noon and June 22 at 8:00am please indicate this need during the contracting process. Students with approved late stays for June 14-22 and a summer contract must be present on campus to move prior to 5:00pm on Friday, June 20 or as soon as the summer assignment is ready, which will be communicated via email.
• Checkouts occur every Saturday at 12:00pm. Residents who do not check out by this deadline will be charged an extra week.

• Students who need housing between the end of the summer quarter (August 30) and the start of fall quarter contracts (September 9 for new students and September 12 for returning students) need to indicate this need during the contracting process.

• Summer housing is billed on a weekly basis (Sunday-Saturday), no exceptions.
• The weekly summer housing room rate is $300.00. Your summer bill will accurately reflect the dates of your stay and you must enter your move-in and move-out date when submitting the application.
• For billing questions, please contact the NU Student Finance office.

University Personnel provides services for University-owned fixtures and equipment. If you require service for items such as non-working lights, clogged plumbing, heating/air conditioning, etc., please submit a Maintenance Request online through the Housing Portal. Maintenance Requests are prioritized in the order in which they are received as well as the urgency of the issue.

• All vehicles parked on-campus require a parking permit.

Residents should contact the Parking Office at 847-491-3319 for information regarding availability of parking permits in addition to rates and lots in which vehicles are permitted to park.

Summer housing students can request to cancel via the Housing Portal. Submitting a cancellation request is not an automatic release from your contract, nor does it guarantee a release. Each request is reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Cancellation fee schedule is below: