General Process Information

• Students who Request Housing are not committed to LiveOn - the action of Request Housing simply puts them in the process to receive an invitation and view available housing options. This provides the student time to make a decision about housing options they would like to consider and ensures the student can select a housing option where they would like to live.

• The invitation allows students the opportunity to view housing options before committing to LiveOn. However, once a student has ACCEPTED a Housing and Food Service (HFS) Contract, they are legally bound to LiveOn. The HFS Contract is finalized once the student has completed the three-step process of agreeing to the Terms, Conditions, and Regulations of the HFS Contract, typing their name, and clicking the "Accept Contract" button. Once the student accepts the HFS Contract, the HFS Contract cannot be canceled so that the student can move off campus.

• Students who currently live on campus for the 2024-25 academic year, including first-year students, are eligible to participate in the LiveOn Housing Process for "upper-class housing". For the housing process, all students are classified as "upper-class" for next year.

• The Request Housing portion of the process is NOT first-come, first-served - as long as a student has Requested Housing during the established LiveOn Housing Process timeline, they will receive an invitation. There is no advantage to Requesting Housing on the first day versus the last day.

• Every student who Requests Housing will receive an invitation to view available housing options and LiveOn next year. This assures that every student has the opportunity to live on campus next year. However, the University is not able to guarantee that every student will be able to select a specific preferred housing option. As students receive invitations and select housing options, the amount of available space in each option will decrease. Once a housing option is full, it will no longer be available to select. 

• The LiveOn Housing Process supports students who have a roommate request, those that do not have a roommate request, and gender inclusive housing assignments.

• Students who have an approved medical accommodation will need to accept a HFS Contract and will be assigned to a space that meets their needs, regardless of the housing option that they select. For instance, if a student with an approved single-occupancy room accommodation is not able to select a single because all available space was already selected by other students, that student can select another housing option and still be assured their single room accommodation will be met. When the Housing Assignment Office processes room assignments, the student will be assigned to a single-occupancy room.

• Eligible students who are a part of a Living Learning Community (LLC) that offers a return-to-living environment will need to Request Housing and will receive a direct offer for a Housing and Food Service (HFS) Contract for their specific LLC. 

Eligibility to Request Housing is based on a student's residency and campus status:

Students who are eligible to participate in the LiveOn Housing Process:

• Students currently living on campus at University Park (during the 2024-25 academic year) 
• Students attending a Commonwealth Campus
• Students who are new to Penn State for spring semester or deferred admission to spring semester will be eligible to Request Housing during the White Track Request Housing timeframe once they have scheduled spring courses.

Students who are not eligible to participate in the LiveOn Housing Process:

• Incoming first-year students (they accept the HFS Contract through the admissions process)
• Students who currently live off campus at University Park
• Students who did not Request Housing in accordance with the LiveOn Housing Process timeline
• Students who were released from the HFS Contract
• Students transferring from another university

Students who are not eligible to participate in the LiveOn Housing Process or those who were eligible but did not participate in either the Blue or White Tracks may still indicate their interest to live in University Housing.

The On-Campus Housing Waitlist will open at noon ET Sunday, Dec. 1 in eLiving > Contracts > Waitlist

After the LiveOn Housing Process concludes in March, the Housing Assignment Office will determine if space is available throughout the spring and summer. Housing is not guaranteed to every student on the Waitlist.

If space is available, HFS Contract offers will be released on Monday afternoons to students who have scheduled University Park classes for the fall semester. HFS Contract offers will be for either a double room traditional residence hall OR supplemental housing.

Attend an information webinar to learn more about the 2025-2026 academic year LiveOn Housing Process. Hosted through Zoom; registration is required. 

>>>> View Webinar Recording

These in-person information sessions provide an overview of both on- and off-campus housing options and processes, and is held during Family Weekend. Staff will be available for questions after each session.

UPDATE 02/05/25: Housing Fair has been rescheduled from Feb. 6 to Tuesday, Feb. 11

Upper-class student housing options:

• Double Room, Traditional Residence Halls (you and 1 roommate)
  Double rooms are located in Pollock (Beaver), South (Atherton, McElwain, Simmons), and West (Hamilton, Irvin, Jordan, Thompson, Watts) 

• Triple Room, Traditional Residence Halls (you and 2 roommates)
  Triple rooms are located in South (Atherton, McElwain, Simmons), and West (Jordan, Thompson, Watts) 

• Single Room, Traditional Residence Halls (no roommates)
  Single-occupancy rooms are located in South (Atherton, McElwain, Simmons), and West (Hamilton, Jordan, Thompson, Watts)

• Double Room, Renovated Residence Halls (you and 1 roommate)
  Double rooms are located in South (Chace, Cooper, Cross, Ewing, Haller, Hibbs, Hoyt, Lyons, and Stephens Halls)

• North Hall suites (you and 1 roommate and 2 suitemates)
  2-bedroom/4-person suite with shared bathroom located in North (Beam, Holmes, Leete, Runkle)
  Limited 2-bedroom/2-person suites are available through a Waitlist

• Nittany Hall suites (you and 1 roommate and 2 suitemates)
  2-bedroom/4-person suite with shared bathroom

• Single Room, Eastview Terrace (no roommate)
  Single-occupancy room with private bathroom and air conditioning (Brill, Curry, Harris, Miller, Nelson, Panofsky, Young)

• ***NEW OPTION*** Double Room, Eastview Terrace (you and 1 roommate)
  Double-occupancy rooms with private bathroom and air conditioning (Brill, Curry, Harris, Miller, Nelson, Panofsky, Young)

• Nittany Apartments (you and 3 roommates)
  2-bedroom/4-person apartments and 4-bedroom/4-person apartments

• White Course Apartments (you and 3 roommates) 
  4-bedroom/4-person apartments

• Supplemental Housing, Traditional Residence Halls (you and 3-5 roommates) 
  Supplemental housing rooms, which is a large room, are located in Pollock (Beaver), South (McElwain, Simmons), and West (Hamilton, Jordan, Thompson, Watts) 

• Supplemental Housing, Renovated Residence Halls (you and 3-5 roommates) 
  Supplemental housing rooms, which is a large room, are located in South (Cooper, Cross, Ewing, Haller, Hibbs, Hoyt, Lyons, Stephens) 

• Supplemental Housing, Suite Residence Halls (you and 5 roommates) 
  Supplemental housing rooms, which is a large room, are located in North (Beam, Holmes, Leete, Runkle) 

There will be less housing options available to select during the White Track. Once all available space in any housing option has been selected by students, the housing option can no longer be selected.

LiveOn Housing Options Presentation PDF file (no audio)

Several housing options offer Break Access/Holiday Housing for students who are not able to leave campus during the three closedown periods. There is an additional fee for Break Access/Holiday Housing for ALL housing options (including Nittany and White Course Apartments).

Once a student has selected a housing option and created the HFS Contract offer, they will be able to indicate housing preferences. If Break Access/Holiday Housing is available in the selected housing option, the student will be able to indicate that Break Access/Holiday Housing is required and the system will automatically add this to their eLiving account.

Students who will be participating in primary recruitment to join a Panhellenic Council will need to follow the recruitment registration guidelines. 

Sorority Housing is available on campus; students are advised to review the housing decisions information to determine the best course of action. 

This process is held during 2024 fall semester

This process is held during 2025 spring semester

Invitations are released between 2 - 5 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays.

Once a student receives an invitation, the student will need to complete the entire process before the invitation expiration date:

• Monday invitations expire Thursday at 12 p.m. ET

• Thursday invitations expire Monday at 12 p.m. ET 

Invitations are released between 2-5 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays.

Once a student receives an invitation, the student will need to complete the entire process before the invitation expiration date:

• Monday invitations expire Thursday at 12 p.m. ET

• Thursday invitations expire Monday at 12 p.m. ET 

Once a student has received an invitation, they will be able to view and select a housing option, add a friend (optional), and then review their selection to create a HFS Contract Offer.

Step 1: View and select a housing option 

The invitation will display all housing options and indicate the amount of space remaining for each option. As other students select a housing option, the space available will decrease. Once a housing option is filled, it will no longer be available to select, but will be grayed out. Students can select another housing option and then utilize the Preferred Housing Option Waitlist feature.

Select a housing option and click the "continue" button.

Step 2: Add a Friend 

A friend can be added to a housing option, as this will reserve a space for the friend and generate a HFS Contract offer for them as well.

Step 3: Review Selection

The student must verify that they selected their desired housing option and added the correct friends. If the student is not happy with the selection, they can click the "back" button. The system will revert back to the invitation page - there is no guarantee that a housing option that was previously available will still be an option to select.

Review the selection and click the "Create Contract" button. This will generate a HFS Contract offer, which must be accepted by the identified deadline to complete date.

The friend feature is available for a group of students who wish to live together in the selected housing option, since some housing options fill quickly and may not be available when each student would receive their own invitation.

The first student in the group who receives an invitation will be able to select a housing option and add each person in the group to the selection. The friend feature reserves the appropriate number of spaces in the selected housing option for the identified students and reduces the number of spaces available for other students to select. 

Once the first student has clicked the "create contract" button, the system will generate a Housing and Food Service (HFS) Contract offer for each eligible student for the selected housing option. This means that the friends do not receive an invitation, but a direct HFS Contract offer. Each student is responsible for accepting the HFS Contract before the offer identified deadline to complete date.

Friend Requirements:

1. Friend must be eligible - they must have Requested Housing and not yet accepted a HFS Contract. If they have not Requested Housing or have an accepted HFS Contract, the system will not allow the student to add the friend. Remove the friend to continue with the process. A friend who lives off campus is NOT eligible to be added as a friend.

2. Friend can be any gender.

3. Depending upon housing option selected, up to 3 friends can be added (no friends can be added to single rooms).

4. Adding a friend will reserve the housing option selected for the student and the friend(s) and creates HFS Contract offers for each person.

5. Each student must accept the HFS Contract by the indicated deadline to complete date.

6. If a student wants to live in the same space with the friends who were added to the housing selection, then each student must also add their friend(s) as a roommate preference on the HFS Contract.

Students who receive a HFS Contract offer through a friend are not obligated to accept the offer. If the HFS Contract offer is not accepted, the offer will expire. Students who do accept the HFS Contract offer are not penalized - the student will still be eligible to receive an invitation and select their preferred housing option. 

Roommates are listed as a preference on the HFS Contract. Roommate preferences can be modified until 12 p.m. on April 1. This allows the student additional time to identify a potential roommate, if one was not known when they received their invitation.

Roommate Requirements:

1. Roommate must have an accepted HFS Contract for the same type of housing option.

2. If roommate has an accepted HFS Contract for a different housing option, the roommate must add their name to the Housing Options Waitlist for the same space to be considered for placement together.

3. Adding a roommate does not guarantee placement together. If the student has a different housing option, there is no guarantee that they will updated to the same housing option, as it depends on overall space availability. 

4. Adding a roommate who does not have an accepted HFS Contract will not release a HFS Contract offer to them.

5. Friends who were added to the housing selection MUST be added as a roommate preference if they wish to live together.

Some housing options are very popular with students and will fill quickly during the Blue Track. Once a housing option has been filled, the option will no longer be selectable during the invitation process. 

If the desired housing option has been filled, the student can select another housing option and accept a Housing and Food Service (HFS) Contract. The student will then be eligible to add their name to their Preferred Housing Option Waitlist to be considered for reassignment. Based on experience, the Housing Assignment Office knows that vacancies will become available during the summer. As students change their plans about returning to Penn State, their HFS Contract is cancelled, creating a vacancy. The Housing Assignment Office will utilize the Preferred Housing Option Waitlist to identify another student to reassign to that space. 

There is no guarantee that a student will be reassigned off of a Waitlist, but this is the only method for the Housing Assignment Office to consider a student for reassignment. Students are also eligible to utilize the Room Exchange eBoard to manage their room assignment.

Students may add their name to only one Waitlist. By adding their name to the Waitlist, the student is acknowledging their interest in reassignment. Prior to room assignments being posted, no notification of the change is processed. Once room assignments are posted, the student is alerted that their account has been updated. 

Students can also utilize the Room Exchange eBoard to manage their room assignment.