Manage Your HFS Contract

University Park offers a variety of housing options!

Incoming First-Year Students

• Building Types: traditional residence halls, renovated residence halls, and suite-style halls
• Room Types: double-occupancy rooms and suite-style (2-bedroom/4-person), and limited single-, triple-, and quad-occupancy rooms available. Some students may be assigned to supplemental housing.

Upper-Class Students

• Building Types: traditional residence halls, renovated residence halls, suite-style halls, and apartments
• Room Types: double-, single-, triple-, and quad-occupancy rooms; single-occupancy room with in-room bathroom; suite-style (2-bedroom/4-person); 4-person apartments; supplemental housing.

Penn State values diversity and feel strongly that living with others from different backgrounds, cultures, and ethnic groups serves to enhance the college and residential experience. We are committed to equal access and maintaining an environment free of harassment and discrimination against any person.

The University does not utilize a roommate matching survey or ask questions regarding a student's personal preferences, and will randomly match students to reside together. First-year students will only be assigned with other first-year students.

If a student is interested in rooming with a friend, both students must indicate each other as roommate preferences on the HFS Contract using their Penn State Access Account (i.e. abc123). Verify that the correct student has been chosen before the preference modification deadline indicated on the HFS Contract. Upper-class students must have accepted a HFS Contract for the same type of housing option to be considered for placement together.

When room assignments are processed, only mutual roommate requests will be paired together. The first student's account to be processed for a room assignment will have their housing preferences referenced for where the students are assigned. If there is no space available to match the housing preferences, the second student's housing preferences will be reviewed. If neither of the indicated housing preferences are available, the students will be assigned to any available space.

Housing Preferences can be updated until 12:00 p.m. (noon) in eLiving > Contracts > Summary / Update Preferences

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

eLiving > My Info > Room Exchange eBoard

Visit Room Exchange eBoard Instructions site for additional information.

The Open Room Change process opens and closes at 12:00 p.m. (noon).

2025 Spring Open Room Change

1. Review current room rates and speak with the person(s) responsible for paying your student bill to ensure that the rate adjustment (if applicable) is permissible

2. Select My Info > My Room, then UP - Spring 2025

3. Select Change Assignment

4. Search for a room by selecting area, building, and/or room

5. Select Take This Room to confirm your new assignment 

6. You may continue to view available rooms and change your room assignment until the deadline of 12:00 p.m. (noon) ET Tuesday December 10

7. Your spring semester bill in LionPATH will be updated with any changes to your room cost

8. Students completing a room change for spring will be expected to vacate their fall assignment when they leave for the winter break. Instructions for checking out of your current assignment and into your new spring semester assignment will be emailed to you closer to the end of the semester. Your new spring room assignment may not be available for you to drop your items off; in these situations, Housing Operations may be able to provide limited storage. Additional information will be provided before the end of fall semester.

Students who need housing for spring semester will be able to add their name to the On-Campus Housing Waitlist in eLiving beginning at 12:00 p.m. (noon) ET, October 1. HFS Contracts will be offered throughout November and December on Monday afternoons; a student will be able to self-select a room assignment from available space. If the student accepts the HFS Contract after the Open Room process, the Housing Assignment Office will process a room assignment.

Learn more about the Spring Semester Only Housing Process.

A student may submit a HFS Contract Cancellation Request ONLY if extenuating circumstances exist:

1. Failure to Enroll. The HFS Contract may be canceled if the student does not attend or enroll at Penn State during the term of the accepted HFS Contract. If a student withdraws but then re-enrolls after the HFS Contract is canceled, the HFS Contract will be reinstated and the student will be obligated to fulfill the terms of the HFS Contract.

2. Extreme Circumstances. A student may submit a HFS Contract Release Request Form to indicate an extreme circumstance the student is dealing with. Each request is reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

3. Withdrawal or Academic Drop. A student is no longer eligible for University Housing when the student has voluntarily withdrawn or has been academically suspended; the HFS Contract will be canceled. 

4. University-Sanctioned Academic Activity. A student may be released from the HFS Contract if the student submits a Request Contract Cancellation for a University-sanctioned academic activity that requires the student to be away from campus (e. g., practicum, study abroad, internship). The HFS Contract will not be canceled until such activity is verified on the student's LionPATH account. If a student does not participate in the academic activity but re-enrolls after the HFS Contract is canceled, the HFS Contract will be reinstated and the student will be obligated to fulfill the terms of the HFS Contract.

1. Non-enrollment, withdrawal, leave of absence, transfer to another PSU campus, transfer to another university, study abroad, internship, graduation:

eLiving > Contracts > Request Contract Cancellation

The Housing Assignment Office will review the request and respond by email within 1-2 business days with confirmation or denial of request. Action to cancel the HFS Contract may not occur until the student's LionPATH account is updated to reflect the reason (such as intent to graduate, study aboard credits, classes cancelled, etc.).

If the HFS Contract is canceled for any of these reasons and then the student proceeds to schedule classes during the contract period, the HFS Contract cancellation will be revoked, the HFS Contract will be reinstated, and the student will be assigned to a room. The student will then be obligated to fulfill the HFS Contract and pay housing and food for the original term.

2. Extenuating circumstances - financial, marriage:

Submit the completed HFS Contract Release Request Form (PDF file) to the Housing Assignment Office, include supporting documentation to substantiate request. Contract Release Requests are reviewed by a University committee, who meets on a regular basis. The student will receive an email within 7-10* business days with confirmation or denial of request. If a request is granted, the response will indicate the penalty fee associated with the cancellation.

For requests related to medical conditions, the Request for Reasonable Accommodation in Housing form needs to be completed instead of the Release Request form. 

*The 7-10 business days is an estimate; during certain times of the year, the response time may be longer due to the volume of requests. The Committee has a set meeting scheduled, and requests to expedite a review will not be honored.

The student has the right to submit an appeal to a determination for a HFS Contract Release. The appeal should be submitted to the Housing Assignment Office, and include additional and specific documentation to substantiate request. The appeal will be reviewed by the Director, Ancillary Services, and a response will be sent to the student via email within 7-10 business days.

A student may submit an exemption request from the residency requirement if one of these conditions is met:

1. The student is 21 years or older at the time of their initial registration with the University;

2. The student is married and their spouse will be at the University;

3. The student has actively served in the military prior to their admission to the University; or

4. The student graduated from a high school in Centre County (this applies to only these high schools: State College, Bellefonte, Grace Prep, Centre County Christian Academy, Penns Valley, Bald Eagle, Philipsburg-Osceola, and Saint Joseph) and will be living with their parent or legal guardian in Centre County in a permanent residence (parent or guardian is a permanent Centre County resident and paying Centre County taxes).

An exemption request may only be submitted for the entire academic year; exemptions will not be processed in the fall to release a student for the spring semester.

Unless a student meets one of these conditions, the expectation is for the student to reside on campus for the full HFS Contract period.

If a student accepts the offer of admission after the deadline date, the request must be received within ten (10) days of the acceptance date. Exemption requests approved after the deadline are subject to a $100 administrative processing fee.

Exemption requests will not be honored after the late add/drop deadline for the appropriate semester.

An exemption request may only be submitted for the entire academic year; exemptions will not be processed in the fall to release a student for the spring semester.

The following documents must be submitted together by the deadline based on the student's semester of admittance to Penn State:

1. Housing Exemption Form (pdf file)

2. Supporting Documentation as necessary (identified on form if required)

The following documents must be submitted together by the deadline based on the student's semester of admittance to Penn State:

1. Housing Exemption Form (pdf file)

2. Signed letter of support from the student's parent or guardian

3. Letter of support from the sponsoring entity. The sponsoring entity must be a recognized University partner, and cannot be a relative or family friend.

If a student accepts the offer of admission after the deadline date, all three (3) completed items must be received within ten (10) days of the acceptance date. Exemption requests approved after the deadline are subject to a $100 administrative processing fee.

Exemption requests will not be honored after the late add/drop deadline for the appropriate semester.

An exemption request may only be submitted for the entire academic year; exemptions will not be processed in the fall to release a student for the spring semester.

CONDITIONS OF AN HFS CONTRACT TRANSFER OF OBLIGATION

1. The Housing Assignment Office will provide the time period for when HFS Contract Transfer of Obligations can be performed. Once the deadline has passed, requests may not be submitted. In the case where there are limited vacancies, the option of the HFS Contract Transfer of Obligation may be suspended prior to the deadline without advance notice.

2. The student wishing to cancel the HFS Contract is responsible for locating an eligible replacement student.

3. The replacement student accepting the HFS Contract Transfer of Obligation must be an upper-class under-graduate student (third semester or higher) and be in good standing with the University. First-year students may not perform an HFS Contract Transfer of Obligation. 

4. The replacement student cannot have already signed an HFS Contract for the same contract period. 

5. The replacement student must acknowledge that they understand that the HFS Contract offer will be for supplemental housing space. The replacement student will not receive the transferring student's HFS Contract type or room assignment. The replacement student will have the ability to add their name to a Waitlist for other housing options.

6. The replacement student must accept the HFS Contract through eLiving. If the semester has already begun when the transfer is completed, housing and food charges will be prorated for both students as necessary.

7. If the replacement student does not take occupancy or withdraws from the University before taking occupancy, the student initiating the HFS Contract Transfer of Obligation remains liable for the financial obligation of the HFS Contract.

8. It is a violation of University policy to sell or attempt to sell an HFS Contract. The replacement student cannot offer, and the transferring student cannot accept, any form of compensation for the HFS Contract Transfer of Obligation. Any student who is found to have sold or purchased an HFS Contract will be referred to the Office of Student Accountability and Conflict Response (OSACR).

9. The Housing Assignment Office may deny an HFS Contract Transfer of Obligation request if is determined that the transaction is not in the best interest of the University or the students requesting the transfer.

10. The Housing Assignment Office will determine the time period that HFS Contract Transfer of Obligation requests may be processed and may elect to not accept requests after the identified submit deadline.