Housing Process
Housing Process
Incoming First-Year Students
Incoming first-year students interested in living in a Living Learning Community (LLC) can indicate the LLC as a preference on the Housing and Food Service (HFS) Contract in eLiving after accepting the Offer of Admission and HFS Contract through MyPennState. Preferences can be updated until the preference modification deadline of 12:00 p.m. (noon) May 15)
The student should indicate the LLC as the preferred preference (instead of roommate or housing type). Space available in some LLCs is limited, and not all students who preference the LLC may be assigned. Some LLCs require an additional application to the college/department.
Some LLCs are designated for first-year students only, while others offer upper-class students the ability to return-to-living-environment.
| First-Year Students only LLCs | First-Year/Upper-Class Students LLCs |
|---|---|
| Biology House (BIOME) | Ally House |
| First-Year in Education | Arts & Architecture (A&A) |
| First-Year in Liberal Arts | Business and Society House (BASH) |
| First-Year in Science and Engineering (FISE) | Earth and Mineral Sciences (EMS) |
| FlourishPSU: The Wellness Community | Engineering House (E-House) |
| Joint-Service ROTC | Forensic Science |
| Paterno Fellows | Global Engagement Community |
| Information Science & Technology (IST) | |
| Schreyer Honors College | |
| Women in Science & Engineering (WISE) |
Current Students
Living Learning Communities (LLCs) have a designated housing space on campus for participating and active members of the LLC. Several LLCs offer students the ability to return-to-living-environment beyond the first-year, provided the student retains active status with the LLC.
Eligible students who are interested in returning to the LLC for the next academic year need to participate in the LiveOn Housing Process and Request Housing in eLiving during the request timeframe (October 1-31). The LLC Housing Chair will provide the active status list to the Housing Assignment Office; students who are in active status and Requested Housing will receive a Housing and Food Service (HFS) Contract offer for the LLC. Since this is a HFS Contract offer for the LLC, not an invitation, the student will not be able to view other housing options.
HFS Contract Offers for the 2024-2025 academic year:
-
Offers made Thursday November 2, between 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
-
Offers expire: 12:00 p.m. (noon) Monday November 6
Students who want to return to the LLC must accept the HFS Contract offer before the offer expires.
If a student is no longer interested in living in the LLC, the student should NOT accept the LLC Contract offer. The offer will expire, and then the student will be eligible to receive an invitation during the LiveOn Housing Process, and can select another housing option.
The following LLCs participate in the Housing Process to allow upper-class students to reside in the LLC designated housing space:
| First-Year/Upper-Class Students LLCs |
|---|
| Ally House |
| Arts & Architecture (A&A) |
| Business and Society House (BASH) |
| Earth and Mineral Sciences (EMS) |
| Engineering House (E-House) |
| Forensic Science |
| Global Engagement Community |
| Information Science & Technology (IST) |
| Schreyer Honors College |
| Women in Science & Engineering (WISE) |
Students who accept a HFS Contract for the upcoming academic year and are not currently a part of an LLC but interested in joining the community can add their name to the LLC Housing Option Waitlist, which will open in eLiving at 12:00 p.m. (noon) December 1. Students on the Waitlist will be reassigned as vacancies are identified in the LLC.
Room Assignments
Upper-class students in the LLC have the ability to self-select a room assignment.
Additional Information
Eligibility
Current members of the LLC must meet all eligibility requirements to be considered for a future LLC HFS Contract offer and must be active in the LLC during both fall and spring semesters. Each LLC will have a designated Housing Chair to track eligibility of members. The Housing Chair will also keep students informed of their status. Students who are participating in the LLC and programs will be made eligible to request an LLC HFS Contract the following academic year. If the student requests the LLC, the student will receive a LLC HFS Contract according to the LiveOn Housing Process timeline, which must be accepted before the offer expiration date.
By accepting the LLC HFS Contract, students are implying their understanding that their room assignment will be made to a room in the LLCs reserved space, unless participation requirements for spring semester are not met.
Current LLC members who want to live on campus, but not in the LLC, will need to Request Housing to be included in the LiveOn Housing Process. Due to their LLC membership, they will still receive a HFS Contract offer for the LLC, but they can let that offer expire. Since they didn't accept the LLC HFS Contract offer, they are then eligible to receive an invitation to select another housing option.
Students who do not participate in the LLC during the spring semester and are no longer eligible to return to the LLC for the upcoming academic year will be reassigned to supplemental housing in another housing area.
Roommate Preferences
First-year students can indicate a roommate preference on the HFS Contract. Roommate preferences are not guaranteed to be honored, as some LLCs are not able to accommodate roommate preferences due to limited space. Priority is given to accommodate LLC requests for the space, versus assigning roommate pairs for non-members.
Upper-class students are eligible to self-select a room assignment. The dates for self-selection will occur after the Board of Trustees approves room and board rates for the upcoming academic year, generally between February-April. Students will be provided with their self-selection date/time, which will be based on the programmatic needs of the LLC. Some LLCs put students in semester-standing order, while some are based on points earned. Although the LLC HFS Contract will not allow a student to indicate a roommate preference, the students can self-select a room assignment together. Students who do not self-select a room assignment will have a random room assignment processed by the Housing Assignment Office.
If your preferred roommate is not a part of your LLC, the request to be roommates should be submitted to the Housing Assignment Office from both student's Penn State email account. If the request is mutual and there is space available, students can be assigned together in the LLC. If another LLC member self-selects into the room, students may need to be assigned to another room to accommodate the request.