Which Colleges Make You Live on Campus

Three years or more

The group worth knowing about before you apply. Every one of these is stated plainly by the university itself. Macalester’s is brand new — it starts with the Fall 2026 entering class, so it applies to students choosing schools right now.

• Benedictine CollegeFour years

  All four years. Commuter status is granted only on a published list of qualifications: non-traditional student status, age 23 or older, living with parents or a legal guardian within 30 miles of Atchison, marriage, membership of a religious order, full-time employment by the college, having dependent children, fifth-year senior standing, studying abroad, having lived in the Atchison area unenrolled for at least a… source

• Bucknell UniversityFour years

  Bucknell has a four-year residency requirement — students are “expected to live in Bucknell campus housing for the four years of your college experience.” Only rising seniors and students beginning the fourth year of a five-year program may apply to live off campus, through a random selection process for a limited number of spots that is explicitly not guaranteed. No approval is needed for graduate students… source

• Fairfield UniversityFour years

  Four years. Students admitted as resident students are “required to live in the University’s student residences for all of the four, traditional undergraduate years.” The only standing exemption is commuter status from a parent, guardian or spouse’s primary home within about 35 miles. Seniors may enter an off-campus lottery in October of junior year, approved at the University’s sole discretion. source

• Macalester CollegeThree years

  Three years, brand new. “Starting with the Fall 2026 incoming class, Macalester College will require students to live on campus for their first three years (six semesters),” applying to the Class of 2030. Students who entered before Fall 2026 remain under the prior, shorter requirement. Specific exemption criteria are handled through existing college processes and are not published. source

• Quinnipiac UniversityThree years

  Three years. All full-time undergraduates are “required to live in QU housing for their first three years (until the end of their sixth academic semester).” Release is limited to married students or domestic partners, students with dependents, anyone 24 or older by 1 September, veterans, university-approved study abroad, or documented hardship. A proximity release exists for students within 25 miles living with… source

• Tulane UniversityThree years

  Three years. “All undergraduate students enrolled as first-time, full-time students are required to live in university residence halls for their first three academic years.” Exemption requests go to housing@tulane.edu with documentation by 1 June 2026; the detailed criteria live in the Housing Agreement rather than on the public page. source

• University of Notre DameThree years

  Six semesters — three years. Exemptions are rare: married students, parenting students, U.S. military veterans, and students 24 or older by the first day of classes. Financial hardship and family ownership of local lodging do not qualify. Notre Dame has 33 residential communities and no Greek system, and first-year students are randomly assigned, so families cannot pick a hall or plan around hall-specific features. source

Two years

15 schools. The sophomore year is the one families forget to budget for.

• Bowling Green State UniversityTwo years

  Two years. The Board of Trustees requires students to live in University Housing for two years unless they meet an exception. Nine exemptions exist: completing four on-campus semesters; junior standing with 60+ credit hours; turning 20 by the start of term; commuting daily from a parent or guardian’s home within 50 miles; marriage; being a custodial parent; independent status per Financial Aid; 12+ months of… source

• Case Western Reserve UniversityTwo years

  Required for two years. The Residence Hall Agreement states that all full-time, unmarried undergraduates “who do not live at a parent’s permanent residence within 40 miles of the University must live on-campus,” and the rates page restates the two-year rule. The exemption is living at a parent’s permanent residence within 40 miles; anything else requires a written Housing Release Request approved by Housing. source

• Central Michigan UniversityTwo years

  First and second-year students, four semesters in total — and if you hit the four-semester mark mid-year you still finish the annual contract. Early Middle College students count as first-years and owe the full two years. Transfers may choose. Exemptions: living with a parent or guardian within 60 miles, married and living with your spouse, a veteran with a year or more of active service, or 21 and over. Requests… source

• Duquesne UniversityTwo years

  “All students must live on campus for their first two years of study.” Eight exemption paths exist: completing four semesters of full-time academic work; residing with parents or guardians in listed Pennsylvania counties; residing with a grandparent; part-time enrollment of eight credits or fewer; marriage; having dependent children; military veteran status with two or more years of active service; being 21 or… source

• Eastern Kentucky UniversityTwo years

  Two years, in effect. All single full-time undergraduates under 21 with fewer than 60 earned hours or fewer than four semesters on campus must live in university housing. Exactly one exemption is published: living with a parent in the parent's primary residence within 50 miles of Richmond, requested via the Commuter Form and due by July 15. Documentation filed after classes begin incurs a processing fee EKU does… source

• Gonzaga UniversityTwo years

  Four full semesters, summers excluded — effectively the first two years. The two published exemption lists do not match: the residency page offers six exceptions including being 21 by October and having a disability the university cannot accommodate, while the actual exemption form offers only four, and neither of those two is among them. The form's categories are living with a parent or guardian within 20 miles… source

• Kent State UniversityTwo years

  First and second-year students taking nine or more credit hours must live in university housing until they reach 60 earned credit hours or turn 20, whichever comes first. Exemptions: 20 or older by the first day of class, married, a single parent with primary custody, a year or more of full-time military service, two full academic years completed, four semesters already lived on campus, commuting from a parent or… source

• Marshall UniversityTwo years

  Two years. All freshman and sophomore single students enrolled in 12 or more credit hours must live in the residence halls and hold a meal plan, until they reach junior standing at 60 credit hours. Four exemptions are published: commuting from a parent or legal guardian's home within 50 miles (an apartment does not qualify), financial release for extreme circumstances, medical release where the university cannot… source

• Murray State UniversityTwo years

  Two years — four full-time semesters. Exemptions cover students turning 21 before the first day of classes, married students or those with dependent children, two years of military service including National Guard, graduating from a high school within 50 miles and commuting from a parent or guardian’s home, enrolling 100% online or mostly at a regional campus, studying abroad, having completed four full-time… source

• Rowan UniversityTwo years

  Full-time unmarried undergraduates under 21 with fewer than 58 credits must live on campus. Exemptions cover students commuting from a parent or guardian home within 40 miles, students who turn 21 by the start of term, married students or those in a domestic partnership, students with 58 or more credits, those who have already spent four semesters on campus, and students enrolled at least half online. The penalty… source

• Seattle UniversityTwo years

  First- and second-year students, and anyone under 21 before the first day of fall quarter who is within two years of high school graduation, must live on campus for the full academic year and buy the Residential meal plan. Exemptions are petitioned in the Housing Portal, granted case by case "only in rare and exceptional circumstances," and must be re-applied for annually. The two categories are extraordinary… source

• St. Mary's UniversityTwo years

  New undergraduates with a permanent address outside Bexar County must live on campus if they are under 21 and within two years of high school graduation. How long is stated three different ways on three live pages — the FAQ says "a two year live on policy," the governing policy says a full academic year, and the Living on Campus page gives no duration at all. Six exemptions are published: family residence in Bexar… source

• University of North Carolina WilmingtonTwo years

  Two-year requirement. Students at least 17 who begin their academic careers in the summer or fall term immediately following high school graduation must live in university housing for both their first and second years. Exemptions: being over 21 on the first day of the first enrolment term, prior active-duty US military service, having legal dependents or being legally married, an automatic exception for students… source

• University of RochesterTwo years

  Required for two years — “first and second year students are required to live on campus.” Published exemption criteria could not be found on any reachable Residential Life page. Separately, Rochester notes it cannot always accommodate every transfer student who wants to live on campus, which is a capacity statement rather than an exemption. source

• Villanova UniversityTwo years

  Students admitted as resident students “are required to reside in on-campus housing during the academic year for their first two years of enrollment.” Residence Life guarantees more than it requires — three consecutive years of on-campus housing — while housing for a fourth year is not guaranteed except for certain scholarship holders, with seniors entering a lottery. Exemption criteria are not published. Note the… source

First year only

29 schools. The most common shape, and the one most people assume is universal. It is not.

• Auburn UniversityFirst year

  Not required — “Living on campus is not required or guaranteed to first-year students,” and a room does not come automatically with admission. The practical problem at Auburn is securing a room at all, not getting out of one, so apply early. source

• Augusta UniversityFirst year

  Augusta does not require any student to live on campus. The housing FAQ states plainly that first-year students are not required to live in on-campus housing during their first year. Because there is no requirement, there is no exemption process — housing is fully opt-in and first-come, first-served, and Augusta stresses applying early to secure a room. A meal plan is required once you do live on campus. source

• Eastern Michigan UniversityFirst year

  One year. All first-year students must live on campus unless they are commuting from their primary guardian's permanent address within 50 miles — that single commuter exemption is the entire published list. No exemption is published for marriage, dependents, veteran status, age, medical need or financial hardship. EMU publishes no penalty for simply not applying. What it does publish, and what actually bites, is… source

• North Carolina State UniversityFirst year

  All first-year students are required to live in University Housing. Duration follows your entry term — a fall start owes fall and spring. Exemptions are granted only for demonstrated financial hardship, medical or disability needs verified through the Disability Resource Office, religious requirements, or permanent residence with a parent or guardian within 15 miles driving distance of main campus. Already signing… source

• Northern Arizona UniversityFirst year

  Not required — “NAU does not require freshmen to live on campus,” though the vast majority choose to. Because there is no mandate there is no exemption process. Note the separate hook: first-year students who do live on campus must purchase a meal plan. source

• Rochester Institute of TechnologyFirst year

  First-year students only: “all entering first-year students are required to live in one of RIT Housing’s first-year communities for their first academic year, with the exception of those who live with a parent within a 30-mile commuting distance.” Other exemptions cover co-op or study abroad, a leave of absence or withdrawal, married students, graduating students, and ADA-approved accommodations. There is no… source

• Southern Methodist UniversityFirst year

  First-year students must live in one of the 11 Residential Commons — “all full-time, first-year students are required to live on campus and purchase a meal plan,” typically two semesters. Exemptions are narrow: Dallas-area students living at home, documented disability through DASS, medical need, being 21 or older, or being married. Transfer students have no requirement. Note the change: beginning Fall 2025… source

• St. Cloud State UniversityFirst year

  All new entering freshmen must live on campus and carry a residential meal plan for two semesters — explicitly including students arriving with PSEO or AP credit. Exemptions cover living with a parent or guardian within 35 miles, fully online or accelerated programs, six or fewer credits both terms, guardianship of a minor, marriage or domestic partnership, veteran or active military status, being under 16 or over… source

• Texas A&M UniversityFirst year

  No live-on requirement for any class year — Residence Life states plainly that freshmen are not required to live on campus, and assignment is first-come, first-served. Some scholarships require it, so check your award terms. Corps of Cadets members live in Corps housing as a condition of the Corps. source

• Texas Tech UniversityFirst year

  Texas Tech requires enrolled first-year students to live in the university residence halls for their first year. Exemptions cover 20 or more post-high-school college credit hours (explicitly excluding AP, CLEP, dual-credit and concurrent coursework), financial hardship, medical hardship through Student Disability Services, having lived on campus at another institution for two or more semesters, commuting from a… source

• Truman State UniversityFirst year

  Just one year, first-year students only — short by national standards, not long. Truman states it flatly: "All first-year students are required to live on campus." A January entrant is bound for one semester. Four exemptions are published: living within 50 miles with an immediate family member; released for marriage, parenthood or being over 21; transferring in with 30 or more credit hours; or an approved… source

• UC DavisFirst year

  Not required. UC Davis offers only a guarantee — housing is guaranteed for one year to eligible incoming first-year students, and the eligibility page frames it as opt-in for “incoming freshmen who choose to live on campus.” Because there is no mandate there is no exemption process; the only hard limit is that residence hall students must be under 24. source

• University of AkronFirst year

  This is genuinely unsettled. The binding Board rule (OAC 3359-60-04.5) says all undergraduates taking nine or more credit hours on the main campus must live in university housing. The Residence Life FAQ describes it as first-year students, international exchange students, and first- and second-year scholarship athletes. Automatic exemptions with no form: a permanent home in Summit, Wayne, Portage, Stark or Medina… source

• University of ArkansasFirst year

  All single students admitted with freshman classification and under 21 must live on campus — in traditional halls, university-managed properties, or a parent or guardian’s home within 70 minutes of campus. The requirement covers the first year only. Exemptions: transfer students with at least 24 completed credit hours; living with a parent or guardian within 70 minutes with a verification form; case-by-case… source

• University of Colorado BoulderFirst year

  CU Boulder requires all students admitted as first-year freshmen to live in a residence hall and carry a traditional meal plan for two academic-year semesters — the requirement is a package, not just housing. Published exemptions are narrow: married students, students living with a parent or legal guardian and commuting from home, and students aged 21 or older; anything else is considered on its own merit… source

• University of Colorado Colorado SpringsFirst year

  First-year, first-time students with fewer than 30 college credits (excluding concurrent-enrollment and AP) must live on campus for two semesters, and those under 21 must carry a meal plan. Exemptions cover students living in El Paso County with a parent or guardian, veterans and active duty, married students, students with a dependent child, anyone enrolled in six or fewer credits, and disability-related cases. source

• University of MiamiFirst year

  “All non-local first-year students are required to live in University housing for two academic semesters, as long as space is available.” The exemption covers first-years living with parents or legal guardians in Miami-Dade or Broward counties, through a formal Live-On Requirement Exemption Request. Spring-admitted students are neither required nor guaranteed housing. source

• University of MississippiFirst year

  All new incoming first-year students with fewer than 30 post-high-school credit hours must apply for housing or hold an approved appeal or exemption, for two consecutive semesters. Exemptions cover students aged 20 or older before the academic year, those living with a parent or guardian within 60 miles and commuting, students who graduated high school at least a year prior and already lived in college housing for… source

• University of North Carolina at Chapel HillFirst year

  First-year students must live on campus — in residence halls or Granville Towers — for the entirety of their first academic year; summer residency does not count toward completing it. Waivers are granted for students who turn 21 before the first day of fall classes, students under 17 living within about 30 miles with family, students living with a spouse, partner or children, military veterans with two or more… source

• University of OklahomaFirst year

  All students under 21 with fewer than 24 credit hours earned after high school — including transfers — must live in freshman-designated University housing for their first year. Exemptions cover married students or those with children, anyone who has already lived on campus two semesters, commuters from a parent or guardian home in Cleveland or McClain County, and approved financial, medical or exceptional need… source

• University of South CarolinaFirst year

  “The University of South Carolina requires all new first-year students to live on campus.” Exemptions are handled case by case — students with special circumstances may request one through the Housing office or the housing portal. Specific qualifying criteria such as commuting distance, age, marriage or veteran status are not published on the FAQ. source

• University of South FloridaFirst year

  Not required — “Living on campus is not required for freshmen.” There is no exemption process because there is no mandate; the only condition is that you stay enrolled in at least one course each semester. Note one restriction that shapes shopping: first-year students are not eligible to select apartment-style rooms. source

• University of Tennessee at ChattanoogaFirst year

  One year. All single first-year students must live on campus for the full academic year. Three exemptions are published: living within a 45-mile radius with a parent or legal guardian, being married or having dependants, or a medical condition preventing campus living. Requests go through the Residency Exception Form and are "only permitted prior to the start of the Academic Year" — no actual deadline date is… source

• University of Tennessee KnoxvilleFirst year

  All single first-year students, unless you are commuting from a parent or guardian home inside the defined radius. Exemptions go through University Housing. Tennessee does not publish what happens if you simply ignore the requirement — call 865-974-2571 if you need that answer before signing anything. source

• University of Texas at Rio Grande ValleyFirst year

  It exists, but a local-residence exemption swallows most of it. All first-year students who graduated high school within the preceding 24 months must live on campus — unless a parent or guardian's primary residence is in Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr or Willacy County, which is the entire Rio Grande Valley. Other exemptions: married or with dependent children, extreme medical condition, extreme financial hardship, age… source

• Virginia TechFirst year

  First-year students only. The contract requires all entering first-years to live in the residence halls unless they live with parents or close relatives established in the community, are married and living with a spouse, are military veterans of at least six months active duty, or are at least 21 years old. There is no requirement for sophomores and above — which is why the off-campus market here is so large. source

• West Virginia UniversityFirst year

  All freshmen with fewer than 24 hours of WVU-accepted credit who have not turned 21 by the contract start date must live in a residence hall for the full academic year. Exemptions cover commuters from a permanent home in Monongalia, Preston, Harrison, Wetzel, Taylor, Marion, Fayette (PA) or Greene (PA) county, married students, custodial parents, and one year of consecutive active-duty military service. The… source

• Western Carolina UniversityFirst year

  First-year students must live on campus for two full academic years; new transfers for one. Exemptions cover students 21 or older at entry, married students, students with dependents, veterans with 18 months’ active duty, seniors with 90+ hours, part-time students under 6 hours, online-only students, and students living with a parent or guardian in Jackson or a contiguous county. The exemption form must be… source

• Western Michigan UniversityFirst year

  Not published. No fetched WMU page states a live-on requirement, an exemption process or a penalty for moving off campus. The fast-facts page notes that 91% of first-year students live in the halls, which reads as a description rather than a rule. Ring housing on (269) 387-4735 before assuming you are free to sign a lease. source

No requirement at all

10 schools where living on campus is a choice from day one. Worth knowing if the plan is to commute or to share a house early.

• Central Connecticut State UniversityNot required

  Nobody. CCSU states it in five words: "On-campus housing is neither required nor guaranteed." There is no live-on requirement, so there is no exemption list and no exemption deadline. Its housing policy goes further and designates campus housing a secondary residence — "all students must list a primary residence other than CCSU." What does have rules is eligibility: you must be matriculated, registered, immunised… source

• Florida Atlantic UniversityNot required

  Not required at Boca Raton — “Currently there is no live on requirement for students attending the Boca Raton Campus.” The Wilkes Honors College on the Jupiter campus operates under a different requirement and is excluded from that statement. source

• Montclair State UniversityNot required

  None found. Housing is described as guaranteed for students who meet the application deadlines, never as required — consistent with a commuter-heavy campus. That makes the off-campus decision here purely financial, and the arithmetic often favours staying: an on-campus double works out around $395 to $545 a month over nine months, while the cheapest whole unit in the surrounding towns starts near $1,645. source

• University at BuffaloNot required

  Not required — “All students are offered the option of living on-campus at UB.” There is no live-on mandate for any class year, so exemptions do not apply. Housing is not guaranteed either: eligibility depends on completing an application, submitting a deposit, and space being available. source

• University of MemphisNot required

  None, except for students holding designated scholarships or enrolled in Living Learning Community programmes. The university’s own wording is that students “are not required to live in the residence halls, with the exception of designated scholarships and programs”. The only penalty language in the housing policy concerns withdrawal — a student who stops being enrolled must vacate within 24 hours. source

• University of Minnesota Twin CitiesNot required

  Nobody has to. Minnesota publishes no live-on requirement for the Twin Cities campus — roughly 80% of first-years choose it. That is genuinely unusual for a school this size, and it means the off-campus market below is competing for first-years too, not just upperclassmen. source

• University of Texas at ArlingtonNot required

  None at all, and UTA states it explicitly rather than leaving it to inference. It is a majority-commuter campus. First-time-in-college students get priority in the housing queue through the FTIC programme, which is a very different thing from a mandate — nobody has to live on campus, so there are no exemptions or penalties to navigate. source

• University of UtahNot required

  Nobody has to live on campus. Utah is about 87% commuter and publishes no residency requirement. What it does gate is eligibility: you need 12 or more credits as an undergraduate, six as a graduate student, to hold a housing contract. Honors first-years who choose to live on campus must be in Trailhead or the Garff Honors Tower. source

• Wayne State UniversityNot required

  None. We checked the obligations, live and apply pages and found no requirement anywhere, which fits a heavily commuter urban campus. Signing a housing contract still binds you to the academic year, but nothing compels any year group to sign one in the first place. source

• Western Washington UniversityNot required

  None — and the 2026-27 agreement says so outright: regardless of age or class standing, the student is not required by the university to reside on campus. What constrains the decision here is the market rather than the rules. Bellingham’s rental vacancy sits around 2.5 to 3 percent against a 5 to 7 percent healthy benchmark, and several student properties showed no availability at all for 2026-27, so an off-campus… source

Read the detail

27 schools whose policy does not reduce to a number of years. Some tie the requirement to age rather than class year, some count credits, some carry exemptions broad enough to change the answer, and some — like The Citadel, where every cadet lives in barracks and there is no commuter option at all — do not fit the usual shape. The quote is the policy; read it rather than trusting a label.

• Belmont UniversitySee detail

  All full-time undergraduates and incoming full-time transfers with fewer than 60 credit hours by the start of the fall semester must live on campus. Exemptions: being 21 or over by 19 August 2026; being married or having children residing with you; or living with parents, legal guardians, grandparents, or siblings over the age of 25. ⚠ Belmont contradicts itself — the Housing Requirement web page lists transfer… source

• Clemson UniversitySee detail

  First-year and Bridge students only. All unmarried first-year and Bridge students under 21 at enrollment who do not live with a parent or legal guardian in Anderson, Oconee or Pickens County must live in University-owned housing for fall and spring. Built-in exemptions are marriage, being 21 or older at enrollment, and commuting from a parent or guardian’s home in those three counties; anything else needs an… source

• Florida Gulf Coast UniversitySee detail

  No requirement. FGCU states students are not required to live on campus, and the housing application is separate from admission — but demand is high, so apply early. source

• Grand Valley State UniversitySee detail

  All first-year students must live on campus regardless of dual-enrolment credits. Exemptions cover students more than two years past high school, those with custody of minor children, married students, students commuting from a parent or guardian home, veterans, and case-by-case appeals. The penalty is a per-semester fee equal to a traditional room plus a base meal plan — effectively paying for housing you are not… source

• James Madison UniversitySee detail

  This is the odd one. Neither JMU’s housing pages nor the 2026-27 contract state a mandatory live-on requirement for any year group, despite it being widely assumed. The “Live On Again” page frames second-year housing as optional and competitive — there is room for roughly 30 to 35% of first-years to stay a second year. What the contract does contain is a hard cancellation ladder: 10% before you move in, rising to… source

• Northern Illinois UniversitySee detail

  Narrow. The requirement catches only students who meet every one of five conditions: single, classified as a freshman with fewer than 24 accepted credit hours, enrolling directly after high school, not yet 21 by September 1, and not living with a parent or guardian within 50 miles of DeKalb. Sophomores and transfer students with 24-plus hours are not covered. The only exemption is commuting from a permanent… source

• Pace UniversitySee detail

  Pace publishes no residency mandate on any of its housing pages. Its New Students page frames housing as a guarantee rather than a requirement — newly admitted students who submit a housing deposit by 1 May are fully guaranteed placement. Whether any first-year live-on requirement exists is not published. source

• Rutgers University-New BrunswickSee detail

  No residency requirement appears on any Rutgers–New Brunswick housing page. Residence Life describes an application and selection process rather than a mandate, and no exemption or release process exists either — which is consistent with housing being optional. Rutgers never states outright that students are not required to live on campus, so treat this as inferred from the absence of a rule. source

• The CitadelSee detail

  All members of the South Carolina Corps of Cadets live in barracks — there is no cadet commuter option and no cadet apartment tier. The Board of Visitors requires “a minimum of six semesters of residence at The Citadel—or five semesters in residence plus one semester in an approved study abroad program—for graduation.” The study-abroad substitution is the only exception named; no exemption for age, marital status… source

• Troy UniversitySee detail

  Based on age, not class year. New students who have not reached 19 by the last date of regular fall registration must live on campus unless they commute from a parent’s home within a one-hour drive. Living with a legal guardian, grandparent or sibling also qualifies with parental approval documentation. source

• University of ArizonaSee detail

  “Living on campus as a first-year, main campus student is expected” rather than strictly mandated, and over 80% of residents are first-years. A formal exemption process exists for students living with a parent, guardian or relative over 21 within 30 miles, turning 21 by the first day, veterans, married students, those with a legal dependent, documented medical or disability need, extreme financial hardship, or a… source

• University of DaytonSee detail

  Four academic semesters — all first- and second-year students must live in UD housing unless they are married, are 21 or older, or are local residents living with a legal guardian within 40 miles. In practice the requirement barely matters, because nearly 80% of students live on campus all four years, with juniors and seniors choosing university-owned houses and apartments. source

• University of Maryland Baltimore CountySee detail

  There is no blanket live-on mandate. Instead, eligibility rules decide which building you can live in: the apartments need 50 completed credits or two prior on-campus semesters, Harbor needs 30 credits or an approved living-learning programme, and Walker Avenue needs 39. The only penalty found anywhere is a $700 contract termination fee for leaving mid-agreement. source

• University of Missouri-ColumbiaSee detail

  Required of first-time college students — but the exemption list is one of the widest we have seen. You are out if you are 21 or older, enrolled in fewer than six credit hours, living in a recognised fraternity, sorority or approved student-organisation house, a veteran, married or a student-parent, living with a parent or guardian within 60 miles, or if you or your parents own property within Columbia city… source

• University of OregonSee detail

  All incoming first-year full-time undergraduates. There are ten exemption routes — 21 or over, a gap year, living with a parent or guardian, married, caring for dependants, veteran or active duty, on a UO off-campus programme, a disability that cannot be accommodated, a religious or moral objection, or having graduated high school more than a year before enrolling. The deadline is 31 July, which is earlier than… source

• University of Rhode IslandSee detail

  URI publishes no residency requirement at all. Housing is framed as a guarantee for incoming first-year and transfer students, not an obligation, and about 95% of first-years choose it. Because there is no requirement there are no published exemptions and no penalty. What is required once you sign: 12 credits each term, a $200 deposit for new students, and a mandatory meal plan in every housing category. source

• University of Sioux FallsSee detail

  First and second year, verbatim: "All unmarried, full-time, first and second year students are required to live on campus in residence halls as long as the space is available." You are excepted if you live with an immediate family member or guardian over 21 within a 50-mile radius — unusually generous, where most schools use 25 or 30 — or have completed four full-time semesters, or are at least 21 at the start of… source

• University of St. ThomasSee detail

  “Full-time, undergraduate, first and second-year bachelor’s students, regardless of academic class standing, are required to live on campus in Residence Life housing and purchase a meal plan.” Exceptions cover living with a parent or legal guardian, being married or caring for a dependent, a medical condition that cannot be accommodated on campus, or being 21 or older at any point during the first or second year… source

• University of Tennessee at MartinSee detail

  Per the 2023-24 handbook — the newest publicly reachable edition — students with fewer than 45 completed credit hours must sign an academic-year lease and live on campus. Exemptions cover transfer students, students turning 21 before the first day of classes, students living with a parent or guardian in specified nearby Tennessee and Kentucky counties, and those approved for compelling personal circumstances… source

• University of Texas at San AntonioSee detail

  We could not find a live-on requirement on any UTSA page — the get-started and admissions pages use only encouraging language, and neither the community policies nor the resident handbook states one. That is an absence of any published rule rather than an explicit “no requirement”, so if it matters to your plans, ring 210-458-6200 and get it confirmed. source

• University of the South (Sewanee)See detail

  A University housing requirement exists but Sewanee publishes no dedicated page for it. The clearest primary statement is on the Room Draw page: “rising seniors interested in living off-campus must apply to be exempt from the University housing requirement” — implying the requirement covers all four years with an application-based exemption available only to rising seniors. More than 98 percent of College of Arts… source

• University of West GeorgiaSee detail

  UWG requires all new students to live on campus and maintain a meal plan. The requirement runs two semesters for standard students and four semesters for student-athletes; summer terms do not count. Exemptions are automatic for students who are 21 or older by the start of the semester, married, a legal parent or guardian of a child under 18, enrolled in an approved fully online undergraduate programme, living with… source

• University of Wisconsin-MadisonSee detail

  There is no on-campus living requirement at UW–Madison — a genuine outlier among Big Ten schools. University Housing states that “while there is no on-campus living requirement, over 90 percent of the incoming freshman class and over 8,500 residents fill our halls each academic year.” Because nothing is required, there is no exemption process; the practical constraint is capacity, not policy. source

• University of Wisconsin-MilwaukeeSee detail

  UWM requires all first-time first-year students aged 20 or younger as of 1 September to live in University Housing where space allows. The requirement covers the first year only — transfer and continuing students are not subject to it. Exemptions cover students living with parents or guardians, students 21 or older as of 1 September or two years past high school, veterans, married students or those with a domestic… source

• Utah State UniversitySee detail

  There is none. USU publishes no first-year requirement, no radius, no exemption process and no penalty — I checked the housing pages, the FAQ, the contract index and the full 2026-27 contract PDF. What USU has instead are age restrictions on where you may live: Blue Square, the Darwin buildings and Lundstrom East are all 19-plus, and Lundstrom East is female-only. The contract sets an eligibility floor of six… source

• Western Kentucky UniversitySee detail

  Two full years. All full-time undergraduates must live on campus for two years, and all first-time full-time students who graduated high school within the last 12 months must live on campus regardless of credit hours earned — so dual-credit and AP hours do not buy you out of year one. Eight exemptions are published: veterans with 181 or more days of service, married students, primary caregivers of dependent… source

• Wright State UniversitySee detail

  No residency requirement was found on any Wright State page — the Residence Life homepage, application, policies, WrightPath and Student Handbook housing section all present living on campus as a choice. Note one eligibility restriction running the other way: The Village Apartments require sophomore or higher class rank, students with families or partners, or students at least 21. source

How we know

Every line here is quoted from the university’s own housing policy, residence-life page or student handbook, with a link to the source. Nothing is summarised from a college-ranking site and nothing is inferred. Where a school’s wording does not resolve to a number of years, it sits under Read the detail rather than being forced into a bucket.

Two cautions. First, exemptions matter as much as the requirement — a four-year rule with a broad commuter exemption may affect you less than a two-year rule with none, so read the conditions. Second, these policies change: Macalester’s three-year requirement begins with the Fall 2026 entering class, and it will not be the last. Confirm with the housing office before you make a decision worth thousands of dollars on it.

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