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Students walking the path outside of campus housing at Berks
We Are

Housing

Where to Live

Penn State Berks offers on-campus housing for 800 students in two residence areas, each just a short walk from Tully’s food court in Perkins Student Center. 

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Village Exterior House
The Village Suites

The Village Suites offer six separate suite buildings for students. Bowman Hall is the central location for laundry, vending, and mail.

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Ivy hall exterior with campus parking
The Woods Houses

The Woods Complex consists of seven connecting houses and offer four-person suites with either single or double-occupancy bedrooms. 

Housing Information

Need Help? Submit an online maintenance request.

 

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Housing FAQs

Contracts

General

How do I choose a space and accept the HFS Contract?

Current students who receive an email with the invitation offer:

  • If you receive an invitation, log on to www.eLiving.psu.edu and select “View Invitation” under My Contracts. 
  • Select your invitation to view all housing options. Not all options may be available based on when you are invited into the process. 
  • Select the housing option you desire and click ‘Continue’. 
  • Add a friend’s Penn State Access ID who you want to receive a Housing and Food Service (HFS) Contract offer and click ‘Continue’. It's not required to add a friend, and not all housing options allow for a roommate. 
  • Review your selection and click ‘Create Contract’ to be offered the HFS Contract for your selected housing option.
    • If a roommate was listed, this student will also be offered the HFS Contract. 
  • To accept the HFS Contract offer, select the Shopping Cart icon and view the offer. 
  • Click the ‘Begin Acceptance Process’ button to view and read the HFS Contract and Terms, Conditions, and Regulations (TCRs).  Check mark the box to indicate that you have read and agree to abide by the TCRs.  Type your name to electronically sign the HFS Contract. Click the ‘Accept Contract’ button.  All done!

You are not obligated to live on campus until you accept the HFS Contract; once accepted, the HFS Contract cannot be cancelled (unless you are no longer enrolled at Penn State).

What housing options are available for upper-class students at Berks?

Upper-class students at Berks have various housing options to consider. Review the available housing options and the associated room rates to determine which housing option meets your needs and fits your budget. Room rates for each academic year are approved by the Board of Trustees in the spring prior to the fall semester start; yearly rate increases are traditionally between 3-5%.

When invited to view available housing options, students will see the number of currently available spaces for each option. These numbers will fluctuate as students make their choices, and spaces are added to or subtracted from the total. If a housing option is not shown, all allocated spaces in that option have already been taken. You may choose another option, and then add your name to the Waitlist for your first choice. 

24-25 Housing Options Location(s)
Break Access / Holiday Housing Village DoubleWoods Double
Open Gender Housing^ Woods Double
Village Double Cedar, Greenbrier, Laurel, Oakmoss, Sage, or Sweetwood  
Woods Double Amber, Evergreen, Ivy, Juniper, Pepperwood, Poplar, or Willow
Woods Single Amber, Evergreen, Ivy, Juniper, Pepperwood, Poplar, or Willow

^must fill desired space; roommate matching is not available. View complete terms and required form here.

Recipients of the LiveOn Student Success Grant may choose from any available option.

Any student who chooses an option for which they are determined to be ineligible will be changed to the Woods Double housing option and may add their name to any available housing option Waitlist.

 

What is Online Room Selection?

Online Room Selection (or self-assigning) is an option for current students and select first-year groups to log on to eLiving and choose the specific room in which they'd like to live. This option may not be offered to all groups or at every campus; students who are not able to participate in Online Room Selection enter contract preferences and are assigned by staff.

Timelines for Online Room Selection vary but usually occur in mid-spring for the fall semester. A second selection period may be offered in early summer if additional housing options become available.

Students who are able to participate in Online Room Selection will receive an email reminder with more detailed instructions before their selection period begins. Selection periods are also found in the Contract Summary in eLiving and posted online.

View Online Room Selection dates for your campus.

Request Process

Are incoming first-year students eligible to Request Housing in eLiving?

No, the Request Housing process in eLiving is specific to current first-year and upperclass students. Incoming first-year and transfer students can choose on-campus housing, if available, when they accept their offer of admission through MyPennState or can add their name to the On-Campus Housing Waitlist afterward. Find out more information about the incoming first-year process.

Waitlists

I accepted an HFS Contract, but I want to live in another housing option. What can I do?

If you are interested in another housing option, you can add your name to one Housing Option Waitlist in eLiving once they are available. Adding your name to a Waitlist does not guarantee that you’ll be reassigned to that housing option. Waitlists may not be available for all housing options.

What is a Waitlist?

There are two types of Waitlists:

  • On-Campus Housing Waitlist is for students who did not participate in the Request Process and want to live on campus
  • Housing Option Waitlists display after a student accepts a HFS Contract and is interested in another housing option (such as a Living Learning Community, single room, etc.)

When a student logs on to eLiving and chooses Waitlist from the Contracts menu, they will see the appropriate Waitlists based on their campus and contract status.

Students who have an accepted HFS Contract are eligible to enter only one Housing Option Waitlist. As staff processes cancellations and vacancies occur, students will be removed from the Waitlist into specific housing options based on their specific waitlist. 

For example: A student has accepted a double room, traditional residence hall HFS Contract. They are interested in a suite, so they add their request for Nittany Hall Suites Waitlist. When a suite opening becomes available, staff will move students from the waitlist to a suite option. If online room selection is available, the student will be able to choose a suite instead of a traditional residence hall.

Students can remove their name from a Waitlist at any time by going back into the Waitlist and selecting 'remove' from the Waitlist they previously selected.

Housing

General

Do upperclass students also live on campus?

Yes! All residential campuses welcome students to live on campus beyond their first year. Many students find the greatest convenience is saving time – to and from classes, activities, events, clubs/organizations, recreation and study, meetings, common and green spaces, dining, bookstore, project collaboration, faculty offices, and so much more! We do have space for you to #LiveOn. There are also many Living Learning Communities (LLCs) created especially for you!

In order to #LiveOn students will need to Request Housing during the housing process timeline. 

What housing options are available for upper-class students at Berks?

Upper-class students at Berks have various housing options to consider. Review the available housing options and the associated room rates to determine which housing option meets your needs and fits your budget. Room rates for each academic year are approved by the Board of Trustees in the spring prior to the fall semester start; yearly rate increases are traditionally between 3-5%.

When invited to view available housing options, students will see the number of currently available spaces for each option. These numbers will fluctuate as students make their choices, and spaces are added to or subtracted from the total. If a housing option is not shown, all allocated spaces in that option have already been taken. You may choose another option, and then add your name to the Waitlist for your first choice. 

24-25 Housing Options Location(s)
Break Access / Holiday Housing Village DoubleWoods Double
Open Gender Housing^ Woods Double
Village Double Cedar, Greenbrier, Laurel, Oakmoss, Sage, or Sweetwood  
Woods Double Amber, Evergreen, Ivy, Juniper, Pepperwood, Poplar, or Willow
Woods Single Amber, Evergreen, Ivy, Juniper, Pepperwood, Poplar, or Willow

^must fill desired space; roommate matching is not available. View complete terms and required form here.

Recipients of the LiveOn Student Success Grant may choose from any available option.

Any student who chooses an option for which they are determined to be ineligible will be changed to the Woods Double housing option and may add their name to any available housing option Waitlist.

 

Where can I pick up my mail and packages?

Mailboxes are located in Bowman Hall; most packages can be picked up at the Bowman desk between 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday and between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. The mailroom is closed on Sunday. Please be prepared to show your id+ Card or mobile credential to pick up your package.

Perishable items, including Penn State Bakery orders, can be picked up at the HFS Office in Perkins Student Center between 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

When you receive a package and it's ready for pick-up, you'll receive an email from eLiving saying that a package is waiting for you. Please wait until you receive this email before trying to pick up a package; additional processing time is required once packages are dropped off from the shipper.

 

Request Process

When can I request housing?

For the academic year, students can Request Housing beginning mid-October through the end of January. The Request Period will be extended if upperclass space is still available.