Leasing Information
How to Get a White Course Apartment Lease
White Course Apartments are reserved for graduate students and undergraduate students with spouses/partners or dependents who will be living with them.
Graduate and Undergraduate Students with Families/Dependents
White Course Apartments offers two options for graduate students and students with families:
1. Single-Student Housing: Patterson Hall is a four-person single-student apartment building reserved for graduate students.
2. Family Housing: Several buildings offer one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, with both furnished and unfurnished units available.
Undergraduate Students
Dunham, Garban, and Grubb Halls are single-student apartment buildings are reserved for undergraduate students. Undergraduate students interested in living at White Course can either select White Course Apartment through the LiveOn Housing Process and accept a Housing and Food Service (HFS) Contract. Students who already have accepted a HFS Contract can add their name to the White Course Apartment Housing Option Waitlist in eLiving to be considered for reassigned as space becomes available.
Leases are not offered to traditional undergraduate students - the HFS Contract will show as "White Course Apartment" housing option.
For undergraduate housing, room rates are charged by a semester rate, instead of a monthly rent charge, to the student's LionPATH account at the beginning of fall and spring semesters. The Campus Meal Plan is optional for purchase. Students are responsible for purchasing a parking permit.
Please contact the Housing Assignment Office with any questions about undergraduate housing/HFS Contracts.
Step 1: Complete the Lease Application
White Course Apartment Leases are offered for the following term periods:
- Family Apartments (1, 2, or 3-bedroom units): full-year, from end-of-August (beginning of fall semester) to July 31
- Single Student Apartments
- Academic Year from end-or-August (beginning of fall semester) to early-May (end of spring semester)
- summer session, from early-May (end of spring semester) to end-of-August (beginning of fall semester). Summer housing is only offered to Tenants who have an active White Course Apartment Lease for the academic year.
The Lease Application for White Course Apartments is available through eLiving, which requires a Penn State Access Account User ID (e.g., abc1234) and password to log in. Although the lease application may be available to submit, the leasing process timeline will indicated when lease offers will be released.
There are eligibility guidelines for who can reside in White Course Apartments, and occupancy guidelines for determining which apartment(s) can be offered. The University will use the lease offer prioritization to determine apartment availability.
Once a lease application has been submitted, your name will be added to an Application Waitlist. During the leasing process timeline, lease applications will be reviewed to determine if a space is available on a weekly basis; lease offers are released on Monday afternoons and expire after one week.
If an apartment space that meets your need (based on occupancy guidelines, unit size, and number of dependents) becomes available, you will receive an email notification of a White Course Apartment Lease offer, which you can access through eLiving. While the University will make every effort to honor your requests, there is no guarantee that apartments will be available to all students who submit a lease application. Current tenants are given priority to renew their lease for the next academic year. Once the lease renewal timeframe has ended, any available space will be offered to new applicants.
Dependents: Any dependent(s) who will be living with you during the lease period will need to be included on the lease application. Prior to completing the lease application, you will need to setup each dependent's account through the University's Accounts Management system. The dependent's Penn State ID number will be created, which you can then indicate on the lease application.
Waitlist Notification: If there are no apartment space available that meets your need (based on unit size and number of dependents) once you submit a lease application, your account will automatically be added to a Lease Waitlist. Students on the Lease Waitlist will be notified only if an apartment becomes available during the requested rental period. You may contact the White Course Housing Office at any time to have your name removed from the Lease Waitlist. Being on the Lease Waitlist does not guarantee that a lease offer will be made, as it is rare for a vacancy to become available during an active lease period.
Step 2: Review Terms, Conditions, and Regulations
All residents living in White Course Apartments are bound to adhere to the following:
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White Course Apartment Lease (available in eLiving)
Residents are fully responsible for any and all actions and/or misconduct by household members, guests, and visitors.
Terms, Conditions, and Regulations
Lease Supplement
All members of the household must be listed on the tenant’s White Course Apartment Lease and are entitled to the same access to most family programs, services, and facilities. Official documentation of an individual's relationship with the tenant may be requested by the University. The tenant is responsible for submitting changes of household members through the term of the lease (such as additions, deletions, or changes) to the White Course Housing Office within ten (10) business days of the change. The tenant may request apartment access for each individual over the age of 10 who is identified on the lease, up to the maximum occupancy of the apartment. Access cannot be provided to any individual who is not identified on the lease.
All members of the household over the age of ten (10) are eligible to receive Penn State id+ Card or mobile credentials from the University's id+ Card Office. The majority of apartments have a card access security system that requires use of the Penn State id+ Card or mobile credentials to gain access to the building and/or apartment unit; eligible individuals identified on the lease are eligible for access.
Children under the age of ten (10) must be supervised at all times. Children over the age of ten (10) who violate policy, cause damage to the facility, or are not following the directions of staff members will be escorted home. Children and their parents will receive one warning and a second incident will result in a loss in the privilege to be unsupervised in the apartment community.
A variance to this policy may be submitted, in writing, to the Housing Assignment Office, for special circumstances.
Step 3: Accept Lease Agreement
If an apartment space becomes available, your lease application will be processed to offer a White Course Apartment Lease. An email will be sent to the address listed on your application, indicating a White Course Apartment lease offer has been made. Lease offers expire at the date and time noted on the offer, which is usually within seven days.
To accept the White Course Apartment Lease offer:
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Login to eLiving > Graduate & Family Housing > Lease Acceptance
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Review the Tenant and Dependent/Family Info section
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Click the "Preview Lease" button to view the lease terms
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Indicate your acknowledgment of the terms of the lease, click the "Submit" button
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As indicated on the lease offer, you are responsible to pay for the first month's rent (the amount due will either be pro-rated , based on the lease start date, or the full month's rent if lease start is the first day of month) and the $100 housing deposit to execute the lease. You will be redirected to PSU Pay System, an online payment system, where you can submit the payment using a debit/credit card.
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After a successful payment is made and you provide your signature, the lease will be executed (accepted) and is then legally-binding. Leases will not be cancelled for you to move into off-campus housing.
Step 4: Rent Payment
White Course Apartment rates are monthly rent amounts; single-student apartments are per person, per month; and family apartment rates are per month. All utilities are included in the rent amount. White Course Apartment residents are eligible to purchase a Campus Meal Plan, Commuter Meal Plan, or LionCash to eat in University Dining facilities. Parking is not included in the lease; residents will need to purchase a parking permit from Transportation Services.
View current rates for White Course Apartments.
Apartment rent is posted to your LionPATH account on the first day of the month for each calendar month of the lease term. Rent must be paid in full by the bill due date indicated on the monthly billing statement. Payment can be made at the Office of the Bursar located in 103 Shields Building, or online using LionPATH. If your lease begins or ends in the middle of the month, you will be charged the daily rate for that month (calculated by multiplying the monthly rent by 12 months and dividing that annual amount by 365 days).
Accounts that are not paid in full by the monthly due date may incur a late fee based on the balance due plus a $25.00 administrative charge. The late fee is calculated by the Office of the Bursar, and the Housing Assignment Office will add the $25.00 administrative fee.
Tenants who do not pay the monthly rent by the due date are subject to receive a Notice to Quit eviction notice. The Notice to Quit provides the tenant 10-days to pay the outstanding rent charges, or vacate the premises.
Additional charges that may be applied:
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Early arrival
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Late departure
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Core (door lock) change
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Family apartment assignment change fee ($400)
Step 5: Move in & LiveOn
Residents are able to move in to the apartment on the start date indicated on the White Course Apartment Lease. Residents may request an earlier move-in date by contacting the Housing Operations Office at the Weston Community Center, but the University is not obligated to provide housing before the lease start date.
Residents who have a vehicle(s) are required to purchase a parking permit.
Eligibility Guidelines
To be considered for a White Course Apartment lease, applicants must meet and maintain the following eligibility requirements:
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The tenant (lease holder) must be a registered student at the University.
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The tenant may NOT be employed by The Pennsylvania State University in any position which entitles such person to employment benefits other than wages, salary, or stipend.
Single Student Apartments
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Leases for single-student apartments are available to graduate students and returning adults only. Graduate students are assigned to the identified graduate student building.
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Undergraduate students interested in a single-student apartment in White Course Apartments will need to participate in the LiveOn Housing Process and can select White Course Apartment as an option. These residents will accept a Housing and Food Service (HFS) Contract and are restricted to the identified undergraduate student buildings.
Family Apartments
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Family apartments are available to both undergraduate and graduate students who will have spouse/domestic partner and/or dependents permanently residing with them during their tenure at Penn State. Siblings are not considered as a dependent.
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One-bedroom apartments are reserved exclusively for a tenant who has a spouse/domestic partner and/or one child. Once all applicants have been satisfied, single graduate students will be considered for one-bedroom apartments if space permits (lease will only be available for one person, no additional tenants permitted on lease).
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Two- and three-bedroom apartments are reserved exclusively for a tenant who has a spouse/domestic partner and multiple family members.
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Family members are defined as follows:
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Dependent children (under 18 years of age) of the tenant. Children over the age of 18 are considered adults. If tenant has a dependent child over the age of 18 living with them, the tenant must provide written verification of legal dependent status (such as a recent income tax filing).
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Custodial children (under 18 years of age) of tenant or custodial children (under 18 years of age) of tenant's spouse/domestic partner.
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Single students cannot reside in family apartments with other single students.
Occupancy Guidelines
Occupancy guidelines for the family apartments are as follows:
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One-bedroom apartments: limit of three occupants for families; limit of one occupant for single student
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Two-bedroom apartments: limit of five occupants
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Three-bedroom apartments: limit of six occupants
If tenant is requesting a larger space than necessary (for example, a two-bedroom for three occupants), the request will be held until all other eligible families have been allocated a space. Tenants requesting a larger apartment who do not have children will not be considered until families with children have been assigned.
If a tenant exceeds the occupancy limits of an apartment, the tenant will be considered for reassignment to an available apartment only as space permits and will be charged a $400 administrative fee to cover the cost of cleaning both apartments.
Lease Offer Prioritization
Current White Course Apartment tenants have priority to renew their lease for the same apartment for the next leasing period. Once the deadline has passed for the tenant to renew, the apartment space is then available for the University to assign new tenants or tenants requesting a different apartment. Current tenants who request to renew AFTER the deadline date are not guaranteed a lease renewal for the same apartment, nor can the University guarantee a lease offer at all, depending on when the lease renewal request is submitted.
Graduate student applicants new to the University have second priority for receiving a White Course Apartment lease for available apartment space. Graduate students who currently live off campus will then be considered if there is space remaining.
Lease offers for White Course Family Apartments are made in this priority order:
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Tenant with dependent or custodial children under the age of 18.
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Tenant with spouses/domestic partners and no children.
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Tenant with other eligible immediate family members.
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Tenants with other types of members, as defined below, cannot be considered for a space on campus until students with families as identified in steps 1-3 have been processed, and then only if there is space available.
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Parents of the tenant or parents of the tenant's spouse/domestic partner.
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Grandparents of the tenant or grandparents of the tenant's spouse/domestic partner.
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Siblings are not considered dependents.
Lease Process Timeline
The leasing process timeline for the 2025-26 academic year:
Lease Renewals (current tenants)
- Submit lease application starting Monday, March 3
- Lease offers released Monday, March 17 (offer expires on Sunday, March 23) and Monday, March 24 (offer expires Sunday, March 30)
Lease Offers (new tenants)
- Submit lease application starting Monday, March 3
- Lease offers released every Monday afternoon, starting Monday, March 31, to applicants if an apartment space is available
Lease Release Requests
The White Course Apartment Lease is a legally-binding contract between the University and the tenant. Once accepted, the tenant is bound by the lease agreement and Terms, Conditions, and Regulations (TCRs) for the entire length of the lease agreement.
In rare circumstances, the University will release a tenant from the lease obligation. Tenants will not be released from the lease obligation if the tenant is registered as a Penn State student. A Lease Agreement Release Request (PDF file) must be completed for consideration and will be reviewed by a committee.