First-year Housing Expectation

All LSU first-year, full-time students are required to live on campus.

LSU is committed to providing students with meaningful living-learning experiences as a means of supporting the quality of undergraduate programs and the first-year experience. Guaranteed on-campus housing for first-year students not only provides incredible academic benefits (increased GPA, retention and graduation rates), but it also offers an immediate opportunity for Tigers to make new friends and build a community, which eases the transition between high school and college.  

 

Who

A full-time, first-year student at LSU is defined as a student who has graduated from high school and has not attempted any college coursework. Dual enrollment courses do not qualify as college coursework.

 

Duration

Students sign an academic-year contract. First-year students who begin classes in the summer or fall term must reside on campus for the fall and spring semesters. First-year students who begin classes in the spring are required to reside on campus for the spring semester only. 

 

Location

On-campus housing is defined in the First-year Housing Expectation as campus housing managed by the LSU Department of Residential Life. Greek houses are excluded from on-campus housing. 

 

Submit a Housing Contract or Request an Exemption

Once students commit to LSU, they must either submit a housing contract to live on campus, or submit a request to be exempt from the live-on requirement. If you receive an exemption to the live-on requirement and you have also submitted a housing contract, you must properly cancel your housing contract to avoid the associated cancellation penalties.

The last day to request an exemption or submit supporting documentation for your request is October 1 of the associated term. 

• To Request an Exemption: 

  • First-year students do not need to submit a housing contract in order to request an exemption. 
  • On the housing portal dashboard in myLSU, select Housing Exemption 
    • If your ZIP code is within a 50-mile in-state radius of campus, your ZIP code auto-populates in the exemption request. Submit the request and you will receive confirmation of the exemption via email. *Note this exemption only applies if you reside with parent or legal guardian within a 50-mile in-state radius of campus. Review the failure to comply information below and details in our frequently asked questions. 
      

    • If your ZIP code is not within a 50-mile in-state radius of campus but you would like to request an exemption for a reason listed below, complete the request and attach supporting documentation. Staff will review your request for an exemption and respond with a decision or request for more information. 
      
      

    • If you are requesting an exemption by reason of a medical and/or disability accommodation, you must submit the exemption request in the housing portal and also contact the Office of Disability Services to provide necessary documentation. Please note exemptions and accommodation requests are not retroactive.

 

Exemption Criteria 

In accordance with the housing expectation, all first-year, full-time students are required to live in campus housing operated by the LSU Department of Residential Life for the entirety of their first year unless they meet one of the following criteria to be considered for an exemption:

• Age 21 years or older as of the first day of fall classes
  • Documentation to provide: None. Date of birth will be verified within LSU system. 
    
    
• Married as of the first day of fall classes
  • Documentation to provide: Marriage certificate
    
    
• Custody of one or more dependent children
  • Documentation to provide: Latest tax return (redacted) to show children claimed as dependent OR a birth certificate of dependent(s)

• Part-time enrollment
  • Documentation to provide: None. Res Life Staff will verify on the fourteenth day of class.
    
    
• Military Service
  • Documentation to provide: DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and/or Leave and Earnings Statement
    
    
• Medical and/or Disability 
  • Submit the exemption request via the housing portal and also contact the Office of Disability Services for next steps. Exemptions and accommodation requests are not retroactive.

• Reside with parent or legal guardian within a 50-mile in-state radius of campus
  • Documentation to provide: None. Your ZIP code autopopulates into the housing exemption request. Review the failure to comply information below. 
    
    
• Reside in a property within a 50-mile in-state radius of campus that is owned by, but not occupied as a primary residence, an immediate family member (parent, legal guardian, or grandparent) with a bill of sale prior to October 1, 2017
  • Documentation to provide: Bill of sale

• Other compelling individual circumstances, such as financial hardship, or other circumstances not covered by the above criteria. These requests will be reviewed by committee.

 

Failure to Comply

Students who fail to comply with the housing expectation and/or who provide false or misleading information in connection with a request for exemption could be subject to the posting of published room rental charges for the term of enrollment to the student’s account for each semester in which the student does not comply, and/or subject to the student accountability process, which could include referral to the Dean of Students office. 

Requests for exemptions are accepted through October 1 of the associated term. 

 

Response Timeline

Requests for an exemption for one of the extenuating circumstances listed above are sent to a university committee for review once all information is collected from the student. The committee meets weekly and makes decisions based on the information provided. 

During high volume periods (January and February), responses may be delayed. Please be patient with us as we attempt to make informed decisions based on provided materials.  If you have a question on your status, you can email us at housing@lsu.edu.