Residential Life

​​Residential college life is a critical component of the Brown educational experience. The On-Campus Housing Requirement Policy requires degree-seeking undergraduate students actively enrolled in courses at Brown 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. 

Every spring, upper-division students apply for on-campus housing through the annual lottery-based general housing assignment process. Students with disabilities may request reasonable accommodations in their housing assignment and students may request a specific feature in their housing assignment based on their religious beliefs, observances, and practices by submitting the Housing Accommodations & Requests Form.

Students submit their housing accommodation requests through the SAS Online Portal. Students will also register and submit documentation through this portal. 

Those students who are approved for housing accommodations will receive their housing assignment prior to the general selection process in spring. 

SAS reviews each disability accommodation request, determines the appropriate reasonable accommodation, and notifies the Office of Residential Life of the approved accommodation. SAS will also notify each student of the outcome of their request and any approved accommodation. The Office of Residential Life will then create student housing assignments based on the accommodation approved by SAS.

 

Disability Accommodation Requests

Fall 2024 Housing Accommodation Information

The priority deadline for SAS housing accommodation requests to be considered for pre-selection placement are as follows:

  • Rising Senior Housing Process: November 28, 2023
  • Non-Senior Housing Process: February 23, 2024

The online housing accommodation request form will remain open and completed requests will continue to be reviewed. Completed requests submitted after the deadline are not guaranteed placements before the General Housing Selection begins.

Housing accommodations (SAS) FAQs

Students should visit the Student Accessibility Services (SAS) website to learn more about the accommodations process. Click here to submit the accommodation application. Residential Life will be notified from SAS regarding the outcome of their accommodations review process.

Rising seniors who are not interested in placements in GPT or special interest housing will receive their housing accommodation placement in the fall. All other students participating in any on-campus spring process will receive their housing accommodation placements in the spring term.

Students have the ability to appeal their SAS accommodation review if their accommodation was denied or if the approved accommodation does not meet their need. Students who do not like their accommodation placement can reject the placement and participate in the general selection process.

Religious Request Process

The Office of Residential Life, in consultation with additional offices as appropriate, such as the Office of the Chaplains and Religious Life, reviews requests for specific features in a housing assignment based on religious beliefs, observances, and practices and determines the appropriate housing assignment. If the Office of Residential Life determines that the religious request cannot be met in an on-campus residence hall, students may be exempted from the on-campus housing requirement. Students can accept the housing assignment on the housing portal. If the student chooses to decline their housing assignment, they will participate in the general housing selection to select their own assignment.

Religious Request Appeals

An appeal process is available in the following circumstances

  1. The student’s request for a specific feature in their housing assignment is denied; or
  2. The student’s request for a specific feature in their housing assignment is approved, but the specific feature provided by the Office of Residential Life does not meet the student’s needs.

Appeals should be submitted in writing to the Senior Associate Dean and Senior Director of Residential Life (SADSD) or their designee within five (5) business days of notification of the decision and should set forth the reason(s) for the appeal and any supporting materials using the Religious Housing Request Appeal Form. Students may appeal the decision based on one or more of the following grounds: (1) there is relevant new information that was not reasonably available at the time they submitted their request, and/or (2) a material procedural error by the University. The SADSD shall review the original request and any additional information submitted in the appeal and determine whether to uphold or modify the decision. The decision of the SADSD is final.

 

Religious Request Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Students may request specific features in their housing assignment based on their religious beliefs, observances, and practices by submitting their requests to the Office of Residential Life.

 

Students will have access to the religious request application while the housing application is active.

 

 

Residential Life staff, in consultation with additional offices, such as the Office of Chaplains and Religious Life (OCRL), reviews each request and determines the appropropriate housing assignment.

 

Students may appeal the decision issued by the Office of Residential Life within five (5) days of their notification if they believe: 1) there is relevant new information that was not reasonably available at the time the religious request was submitted and/or 2) a material procedural error by the University. Students also have the option to reject the decision and participate in the general selection process.

 

Appeals can be submitted by using the Religious Housing Request Appeal form, which will be made available after the housing application launches.