Mont Alto
Welcome to on-campus living at Penn State Mont Alto, a beautiful 106-acre campus located near Chambersburg in Franklin County, 30 miles west of Gettysburg and just a few minutes from the Maryland border.
Whether you plan to finish your degree here or move on to University Park or one of Penn State's 19 other campuses, you'll love the excellent student support services, vibrant campus life, engaging out-of-class activities, and opportunities for student leadership development at Mont Alto.
With an on-campus capacity of just over 300 students, on-campus living at Mont Alto adds to the student experience and provides more opportunities for involvement and leadership. Housing, Food Services, and Residence Life are thrilled to provide the convenience, engagement, and unmatched "We Are" spirit to those who choose to LiveOn at Penn State Mont Alto!
Where to Live
Learn more about living with us!
Where to Eat
Learn more about dining with us!
Request Housing
Incoming Students
Current Students
Calendar
Current students, you can start the process of securing your HFS contract for 2025-2026 beginning Tuesday, October 1 at noon...
Hispanic Heritage Month
Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with our special menu items including Grilled Octopus w/ Salsa Verde, Beef Ropa Vieja Tacos w/...
Chef Special - Seafood
Dive into our Chef Special event and savor the flavor of menu items such as Grilled Lobster Tacos w/ Slaw...
News & Announcements
Meal Plan Change Deadline Approaches
Spring Closing Information
Delegate Access update for Housing and Food Services
Housing and Food Services is excited to announce that a student can now indicate a delegate with whom staff can discuss their Housing and Food Service (HFS) Contract details.
2024 Spring Break - University Housing Closedown
2024-2025 Housing Preferences Modification Deadline (for incoming first-year students)
'Swipe Out Hunger' encourages students to take action against food insecurity
Are you ready for arrival?
LiveOn grant program helps students seeking a Penn State residential experience
Penn State Sushi Vendor Gives Back to Community
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Campus Dining
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Frequently Asked Questions
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 Mont Alto?
Upper-class students at Mont Alto 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.
Students interested in an option other than the one they first chose can add their name to the Waitlist for their preferred option.
24-25 Housing Options | Location(s) |
---|---|
Break Access / Holiday Housing | Mont Alto, Penn Gate II |
Double Room | Mont Alto, Penn Gate II |
Open Gender Housing^ | Penn Gate II |
Single Room | Mont Alto, Penn Gate II |
^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.
A student who chooses an option for which they are determined to be ineligible will be changed to the Double Room 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.
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.
How do I use my id+ Card to access my room?
At some locations and buildings, students are not assigned keys and will access their room, suite, or apartment with only their id+ Card or mobile credential. Simply hold your card or mobile device on the reader to gain entry to the room. The first time you enter the space or if your credential has been updated or changed, you may have to present your credential once to be denied, wait 30 seconds for the reader to download the new information, and then present your credential a second time to unlock the door.
Contact your HFS Office if you have any trouble accessing your space.
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.
Meal Plans
General
How do I check my meal plan balance?
There are several ways a student can check their meal plan balance:
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Transact eAccounts app, downloadable through Google Play or Apple App Store
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eLiving > My Info > My Meal Plan
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Penn State GO app > Dining > Penn State Eats mobile app *
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Penn State Eats web ordering *
* balance will only be displayed when an order is processed
The Campus Meal Plan level can be managed on eLiving > My Info > My Meal Plan through 12:00 p.m. (noon) ET the last day of finals for the spring or fall semester. The system will display whether the student's account is eligible to be increased or decreased to a different meal plan level.
When a student's dining dollar balance runs low, add funds to the student's LionCash account instead of increasing the meal plan level. Campus Meal Plan account holders can use LionCash and receive the same discounted rate that the Campus Meal Plan offers for qualifying purchases. Indicate Campus Meal Plan when checking out, and the system will transfer the required funds to cover the cost of purchase.
How does my meal plan work?
The Campus Meal Plan provides easy purchasing and savings for students who regularly eat meals on campus.
The Campus Meal Plan account is accessed via your Penn State id+ Card. Each time you visit a dining facility operated by Penn State Housing and Food Services, simply present your id+ card to the cashier, who will swipe the card through a reader. The reader will access your account, deduct the proper purchase amount, and display your new account balance.
Is the meal plan required, can I cancel it?
The Campus Meal Plan is a required purchase for students living on campus for summer (if applicable), fall, and spring semesters and cannot be cancelled. Students who live in on-campus apartments are not required to purchase the Campus Meal Plan.
The Commuter Meal Plan is available for students living in off-campus housing or living in an on-campus apartment. Any student who needs to make a change to their Commuter Meal Plan should contact their Commonwealth Campus Housing and Food Services Office, or the id+ Office at University Park.
Students who withdraw or end their relationship with the University after the semester has started may be eligible for a refund of remaining dining dollars and, for the Campus Meal Plan, a prorated refund of the base cost, within the timeframe outlined in the HFS Contract Terms, Conditions, and Regulations. Any refund will be credited to the student's LionPATH account or to the credit card used to purchase the meal plan.
The meal plan cannot be transferred or assigned to another individual.
What are the different meal plan discounts?
Campus Meal Plan account holders have access to the greatest discounts in on-campus dining:
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65 percent off cash meal price at all-you-care-to-eat dining commons at University Park and Behrend
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65 percent off cash price on prepared items* at residential food courts
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10 percent off campus price on prepared items* at specialty fast casual operations, such as Soup & Garden, Grate Chee, and Blue Burrito in HUB Dining at University Park, Bruno's at Behrend, and coffee shops at campus locations.
The Commuter Meal Plan and LionCash offer a 10 percent discount off cash price on the items and locations listed above. Additional LionCash discounts may be available at off-campus participating locations.
*prepared items are meals, snacks, and beverages that are made by Campus Dining staff. No discounts are offered on purchases made at nationally branded restaurants and cafes or packaged items.
What happens to my leftover dining dollars?
Campus Meal Plan
Dining dollars remaining at the end of summer session carry over to fall semester and dining dollars remaining at the end of fall semester carry over to spring semester, provided the student has an active Campus Meal Plan for the fall and spring semester, respectfully. Any dining dollars remaining at the end of the spring semester expire. The Campus Meal Plan is a required purchase for both fall and spring semesters.
The Housing and Food Service (HFS) Contract defaults to level 2 of the Campus Meal Plan, and can be managed on eLiving > My Info > My Meal Plan through the last day of finals for the semester. The system will display whether the student's account is eligible to be increased or decreased.
When a student's dining dollar balance runs low, add funds to the student's LionCash account instead of increasing the meal plan level. Campus Meal Plan account holders can use LionCash and receive the same discounted rate that the Campus Meal Plan offers for qualifying purchases. Indicate Campus Meal Plan when checking out, and the system will transfer the required funds to cover the cost of purchase.
Commuter Meal Plan
Commuter Meal Plan funds carry over from fall to spring regardless of whether a spring commuter meal plan has been purchased. At the end of spring semester, any funds remaining will expire.
LionCash
LionCash funds carry over year-to-year and available to spend while the student is an active Penn State student.
What meal plan options are available?
We offer three different meal plan options: Campus Meal Plan, Commuter Meal Plan, or LionCash funds. Review our meal plan comparison to choose the plan that best suits your needs.
Where can I use my meal plan?
Campus Meal Plan dining dollars can be used at ALL Campus Dining locations any Penn State Campus*, as well as at popular destinations at University Park such as Beaver Stadium, Bryce Jordan Center, Pegula Ice Arena, and Berkey Creamery.
Commuter Meal Plans can be used at ALL Campus Dining locations any Penn State Campus*.
LionCash can be used at ALL Campus Dining locations any Penn State Campus* and any participating merchant throughout Pennsylvania.
*Penn State Campuses offering Campus Dining locations: Abington, Altoona, Beaver, Berks, Behrend, Brandywine, Dubois, Fayette, Greater Allegheny, Harrisburg, Hazleton, Mont Alto, New Kensington, Schuylkill, Scranton, Shenango, University Park, Wilkes-Barre, and York