Residential Life

Off Campus Eligibility

On-Campus Housing Requirement

Degree-seeking undergraduate students actively enrolled in courses at Brown University are required to have a housing assignment in an On-Campus Residence Hall for every semester of enrollment until semester level 07 unless they are on a study away or study abroad program approved by the Office of International Programs.

Brown-RISD Dual Degree Students are required to have a housing assignment in an On-Campus Residence Hall at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) during semesters 01 and 02 and at Brown during semesters 03 and 04. After semester 04, students may live in a housing assignment in an On-Campus Residence Hall at Brown or RISD or off-campus.

The Office of Residential Life may grant exceptions to this policy upon request in academic year increments to:

students living Locally with their spouse or legal domestic partner;
students living Locally with their child(ren) or other dependent(s);
Resumed Undergraduate Education (RUE) Students;
students living Locally with their parent(s) or legal guardian(s) at their permanent address; and
students who will be 23 years old by the first day of fall semester classes.

Undergraduate students eligible for an exception under these circumstances may request an exception from the Office of Residential Life by completing the Non-Resident Intent Form. This form must be completed each academic year. Students with disabilities may request reasonable modifications to this policy by contacting Student Accessibility Services at SAS@brown.edu or 401-863-9588.

For full details on this policy, please refer to the On-Campus Housing Requirement Policy web page.

Off-Campus and Commuter Status

Certain groups are eligible for off-campus or commuter status

Commuters

Students who live locally with their parent(s) or guardian(s) 30 miles from the University may apply for commuter status.

Resumed Undergraduate Education (RUE)

The Resumed Undergraduate Education (RUE) Program is a small, highly competitive program ideal for students who interrupted or delayed their formal education due to family commitments, financial concerns, health issues, military service, employment opportunities, or simply a compelling need to explore other paths. The student status RUE will be confirmed with the Dean of the College. Students who are part of the RUE program are not required to reside in on-campus housing.

Married Students

Students who are married are not required to reside in on-campus housing. Confirmation of married status is required in the form of a copy of a marriage certificate and should be uploaded via the StarRez housing portal.

Seniors

Students who will have reached semester level 07 by the Fall semester will have satisfied the On-Campus Housing Requirement Policy and may live off-campus by registering their off-campus status.

Brown-RISD Dual Degree Years 3 - 5

BRDD students who will be semester level 05 by the Fall semester will have also satisfied the On-Campus Housing Requirement Policy and may live off-campus by registering their off-campus status.

Students 23 or Older

Students who are or will turn 23 years of age before the first day of classes in the Fall semester may request a waiver of the on-campus housing requirement via this form.

Cancelling Off-Campus Permission

In order for the Office of Residential Life to plan for the upcoming academic year, current off-campus students must register their status each year to confirm their plans to live on or off campus.

If a student wishes to return to on-campus housing and enter the housing selection process, they must notify the Office of Residential Life prior to Decision Day by cancelling their off-campus status via the Off-Campus and Commuter Form.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

General FAQs

No. The Office of Residential Life strongly discourages students or their families from signing any lease without confirmation from our office that the exemption has been granted. The signing of a lease for off-campus housing is not justification for receiving off-campus approval, and the signing of a lease - and any resulting financial difficulties - will not result in off-campus or commuter status.

Students covered by the On-Campus Housing Requirement policy are required to pay the on-campus housing charge on their student account.

Brown University is not affiliated with any off-campus cooperative housing organization, including but not limited to PEACH (Providence East Association of Cooperative Housing) -- formerly known as BACH (Brown Association for Cooperative Housing) -- and NASCO (North American Students of Cooperation). Because properties maintained by off-campus cooperative housing organizations are considered off-campus housing, students should not make arrangements to live at these properties unless and until they become eligible for off-campus status and have received off-campus permission in writing from the Office of Residential Life.

Junior Off-Campus Lottery Process FAQs

By conducting the senior housing selection process in the fall, coupled with the addition of two new residence halls, we anticipate the need to release substantially fewer juniors to live off-campus for the 2024-25 academic year.

Rising juniors will receive their housing application during the Spring semester. The application will allow for students to express interest in living off-campus (if approved).

Should students’ plans change, they may still request on-campus housing but will be placed in the late assignment process which occurs after the general selection process has concluded.