It's easy - the Housing and Food Service (HFS) Contract is included with the offer of admission to Penn State. The student will accept both the Offer of Admission and HFS Contract through the MyPennState system.

It's a multi-step process to accept the HFS Contract:

1. Check the box to indicate that the  HFS Contract signing statements and Terms, Conditions, and Regulations (TCRs) have been read

2. Type name to electronically sign the HFS Contract

3. Click the ‘Accept Contract’ button 

4. Pay the non-refundable admission fees and housing deposit
   
   >>> once this action is completed, the student has officially accepted the HFS Contract!

5. A confirmation will be sent to the email address on file, and will include instructions for how to view the HFS Contract and modify housing preferences.

Students who are admitted for the summer session will have two separate HFS Contracts, one for the summer and one for the fall-spring academic year. Students who are admitted for the spring semester will only have the spring semester HFS Contract.

First-year students are required to live on campus at University Park as part of the offer of admission, based on what semester the student is offered admission:

There are a few valid reasons for a student to request an housing residency exemption to this policy.

Students who are under the age of 18 when accepting the offer of admission and HFS Contract will need to acknowledge their agreement to this statement:

If I am under the age of 18 at the time that I accept the offer of admission to Penn State and the Housing and Food Service (HFS) Contract, I acknowledge that my parent/guardian has read and also agrees to the HFS Contract Terms, Conditions, and Regulations, and that wrongful acknowledgement of my parent/guardian’s agreement could result in a penalty of perjury.

Attend an information webinar to learn more about the 2025-26 academic year LiveOn Housing Process. Hosted through Zoom; registration is required. 

Housing Deposit

When an incoming first-year student accepts the offer of admission, a non-refundable $100 housing deposit is required to complete the process. The housing deposit will be applied on the student's fall semester bill as a credit towards the room rate. If the student decides to not attend Penn State, the housing deposit will not be refunded.

Housing and Food Charges

Housing and food charges are posted to the student's LionPATH account at the beginning of each semester that a student has an active HFS Contract. The housing charge is based on the room type that the student is assigned to. If a change is made to a student's room assignment that has a different room rate, the charge/credit will be applied to the student's LionPATH account based on a prorated amount. The food charge is for a level 2 Campus Meal Plan, unless the student selects a different level.

Break Access/Holiday Housing

Students who require Break Access/Holiday Housing will be charged an additional $1020 per academic year ($510 will be billed in August, and $510 billed in January).

The five housing areas where first-year students live include:

Bathroom Style

• Communal: large, shared bathroom with row of sinks, private toilet stalls, and private shower stalls
• Individual: multiple individual, private-use bathrooms available on each floor
• Private: one private use bathroom shared by roommates in the suite

Room Types available for first-year students depend on the housing area selected. Some room types have limited availability or may be reserved for upper-class students.

• Double Room, Renovated Residence Hall: two students in one room (East, North)

• Triple Room, Renovated Residence Hall: three students in one room (East, North)

• Quad Room, Renovated Residence Hall: four students in one large room (East)

• Double Room, Traditional Residence Hall: two students in one room (Pollock, South, West)

• Small Double Room, Traditional Residence Hall: students in one room, less square footage (Pollock)

• Single Room, Traditional Residence Hall: one student in room (Pollock, South, West)

• Triple Room, Traditional Residence Hall: three students in either one room or two adjoining rooms (South, West)

• Quad Room, Traditional Residence Hall: four students in one large room (South)

• Suite: 2-bedroom/4-person suite with shared bathroom

Some students may be assigned to Supplemental Housing.

The University uses supplemental housing space to offer more students the opportunity to enjoy the on-campus living experience. Supplemental housing space is similar to overflow housing, where a large space has been fully converted to permanent living space. Supplemental housing rooms are located within University Housing and offer students all the amenities of a regular room - bed, desk, drawers, hanging space for clothes, Wi-Fi, Microfridge, etc. - but since the room is larger, the room can accommodate between four to eight students. Students living in supplemental housing pay a discounted room rate and have access to all the programming and activities in the building.

• Supplemental Housing, Renovated Residence Hall (you and 3-4 roommates) 
  Supplemental housing rooms, which is a large room, are located in Robinson Hall, North

• Supplemental Housing, Traditional Residence Halls (you and 3-5 roommates)
  Supplemental housing rooms, which is a large room, are located in Pollock and South

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

Learn More about Supplemental Housing 

The University has three official academic year break periods: fall break, winter break (the break between the fall and spring semesters), and spring break. During these break periods, University Housing closes, and all residents are required to leave for the entire period. Students do not need to move out during these times; personal belongings may be left in the room during the break periods. View Important Dates for when housing closes and reopens.

To accommodate students who are unable to travel home during these time periods or who need to stay on campus during the break periods, Housing offers a Break Access/Holiday HFS Contract. Students who require Break Access are assigned to a residence hall which remains open during the break periods. There is an additional fee for this service, which is charged to the student's LionPATH account at the beginning of fall and spring semesters. No refunds are processed if a student does not stay for all or any part of the closedown periods. The Break Access/Holiday Housing HFS Contract cannot be canceled.

Break Access/Holiday Housing can be requested either by selecting the option as a LLC preference on the HFS Contract or by contacting the Housing Assignment Office.

Penn State strives to provide a safe, inclusive, comfortable, and supportive living environment for all students residing on campus.

The University is proud to offer housing to students who identify as a member of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and ally students community. In addition to the Ally House Living Learning Community which is available to any student, the University offers several Gender Inclusive Housing options across campus to meet the individual needs of a student. A staff member will work one-on-one with a student interested in this option to identify the most appropriate room assignment. Upper-class students may also utilize the Open Housing option, where students of any gender may live together in a space. 

Learn more about these options or reach out to our staff.

Penn State is committed to providing equal opportunity to all of its programs, activities, and services. Housing and Food Services provides reasonable accommodations for on-campus University housing to students with documented medical/disability-related concerns, including documented mental health concerns.

Penn State is proud to offer over 20 Living Learning Communities (LLCs)! LLCs provide students the opportunity to live and learn with classmates who share similar interests but bring many different personalities and traits to the environment. The student will live with other members of the LLC in a close-knit community (or "house") located in University housing. LLC members will have the opportunity to participate in field trips, group dinners, and other social and educational activities. Students build strong relationships with fellow residents—and with the faculty and staff members affiliated with LLC. In Penn State's LLCs, learning isn't just encouraged—it's celebrated!

Learn More about LLCs.

Students can also utilize the Room Exchange eBoard to manage their room assignment, which is available starting and ending at 12 p.m. (noon)  

eLiving > My Info > Room Exchange eBoard