Applying for Housing

Step 1:

When you are confirmed as a new student to Earlham College, you receive a username and password to access the Earlham College student portal website, known as “TheHeart.”  You should receive this information to your personal email account that you provided to the Office of Admissions. Login to TheHeart using your username and password. This email account will be used by the Office of Residence Life to communicate with you about your housing application.

To open your email account, click on “Outlook” underneath the “Information Services” heading. You can use your username and password again to log in.

Step 2:

Once you have set up your Earlham College email account, it’s time to complete your housing application where you’ll let us know more about you, your housing preferences, your roommate preferences, select your meal plan, and sign your housing agreement. All of our housing processes start in our Student Housing Portal.  It’s our one stop shop for all things housing, meal plans, roommates, move-in, move-out, and more.

Housing Portal – Application Available for confirmed students starting February 16

If you live locally and plan to commute, you must complete a housing exemption application.  Learn more about the reasons you can be exempt and how to apply for an exemption.

• February 16 – Housing Application for 2026-27 Opens
• May 15 – Housing Application Priority Deadline
• June 15 – Housing Assignments Available (for those who submitted their application by the priority deadline – applications received after the priority deadline will be assigned on a rolling basis AFTER June 15)
• June 15 – Housing Exemption Applications & Meal Plan Exemption Requests due for Fall 2026
• August 22 – New Student Move-In Day

• February 5 – House Community Theme Applications Open for 2026-27
• February 6 – House Review Committee Applications Open
• February 20 – House Review Committee Applications Close at 12pm
• February 23 – Housing Applications Open for 2026-27; Supplemental Applications for Apartments, Quad Suites, Double Singles, and the Single Waitlist also Open
• February 25 – House Community Theme Applications Close at 12pm
• March 16 – 1-Bedroom Apartment Applications Due by 12pm
• March 20 – House Group Applicants Notified of Application Status
• March 23 – 2-Bedroom Apartment Applications Due by 12pm
• March 24 – Houses Announced for 2026-27
• March 30 – Quad Suite and 3-Bedroom Apartment Applications Due by 12pm
• April 6 – Housing Applications for Students with Approved Housing Accommodations Due by 12pm
• April 6-10 – Students with Approved Accommodations and Completed Housing Applications Notified of Housing Placement for Fall 2026
• April 13-17 – Students with Approved Double Singles Placed for Fall 2026; Single Waitlist students notified of status
• April 17 – House Rosters for 2026-27 due by 12pm; Room Preview Opens in Housing Portal Ahead of Room Selection
• April 20-26 – Progressive Online Room Selection for returning students with approved Fall 2026 housing applications
• June 15 – Housing Assignments Available for all returning students who did not participate in room selection; Housing Exemption Applications & Meal Plan Exemption Requests due for Fall 2026

The residence hall room selection process is an online, progressive process that occurs during the spring semester. This process allows you to match up with your preferred roommates (if you have any) and select a space to live for the next year. Here are some important features to know about our residence hall room selection process:

Resources

Housing Portal

Tier System

Students are organized for the room selection by tier. You are assigned a tier according to how many credits you have earned through the end of the fall semester preceding room selection. During the selection process, the lower your tier number, the sooner you get to pick your on-campus room and the higher priority you have in processes for single rooms, quads, and apartments.

To determine your tier number, the Residence Life receives your credit total as of the conclusion of the fall semester from the Registrar’s Office. Tiers are organized as follows:

• Students with 75 credits or more (rising seniors) are placed in tier 1.
• Students with 45-74 credits (rising juniors) are placed in tier 2.
• Students with 15-44 credits (rising sophomores) are placed in tier 3.
• Students with 14 or fewer credits are placed in tier 4.

If you feel you have been placed in the wrong room selection tier, we highly encourage you to verify your credits online and, if necessary, with the Registrar.

Online Housing Portal

The Office of Residence Life utilizes an online Housing Portal to manage housing applications, contract signing, and room selection for current students. This system allows you to request roommates, submit housing preferences, select your meal plan, electronically sign your housing contract, and select your room for the upcoming academic year.  The online room selection process is a two-step process:

1. Submit a housing application under the “Apps & Forms” section. This form collects your preferences about living on-campus and allows you to sign your housing contract. Once this is completed, a member of our team will review it.  Generally, students hear if their application has been approved within 1-2 business days.  While you’re waiting for approval, you can select your meal plan, sign your housing contract, and fill out any supplemental applications if you’re interested in being considered for an apartment, quad suite, or more.
2. Once your application has been approved, you’ll be able to create a roommate group with any preferred roommates you might have.  If you have roommates in a different tier, you’ll be able to select your room starting on the day the person with the best tier is able to select their room.
3. Select your room for next year. Those with approved applications for housing who have also signed their housing contract will be able to participate in online room selection.  You will be able to open the Room Selection tool beginning at 9am on your room selection start date based on your Tier.

Once you have selected a room, you are all set for the coming year. You do have the ability to change your assignment, if desired, by going back into the Housing Portal. However, you should be aware that by changing your assignment you are removing yourself from your previous room you selected, which will be immediately available to anyone else online attempting to select a room.

Preferred Roommates

Within the Housing Portal, you can create roommate groups with others you’d like to live with for the purposes of room selection, and allows the group leader to pull the entire group into a room or suite. If individuals in the group have different tiers, and thus different room selection start dates, the group will be able to select a room starting on the earlier tier selection date.  For example, if a person in tier 2 is in a roommate group with a person in tier 3, the group would be able to select on the start date for tier 2.

When possible, our office will make every effort to place roommate groups together when doing manual placements for students who don’t participate in room selection.

Room Preview (April 17 – 19)

All current students with approved housing applications will be able to preview available rooms for room selection in the housing portal.  You’ll be able to review what rooms will be available and mark your favorites so you can come back to them when room selection opens.

Please note that Residence Life is NOT able to see what spaces you mark as a favorite and marking a room as s favorite DOES NOT reserve that room or stop other students from selecting that room.  If you do not select a room during your actual room selection period, our team will manually assign you over the summer and will not have any knowledge of your preferences outside of what you shared in your housing application.

Progressive Selection (April 20 – May 1)

Beginning Monday, April 20, you can go to the Housing Portal and select your on-campus residence hall room for next fall according to your Room Selection Start Date, as long as you completed your housing application by Friday, April 17, it has been approved, and you’ve signed your housing contract. Those who submit their applications after April 17 may not be able to participate in room selection until April 24, after all 4 tiers have started room selection.

You are assigned a selection start date is based on your tier. You are not required to select your room on your selection start date–this is simply when you can start your selection process.  All students in the same tier have the same room selection start date. The lower the number, the sooner you are able to choose.

Here are the dates for this year’s room selection:

• Monday, April 20 – Tier 1 room selection starts at 9am
• Tuesday, April 21 – Tier 2 room selection starts at 9am
• Wednesday, April 22 – Tier 3 room selection starts at 9am
• Thursday, April 23 – Tier 4 room selection starts at 9am
• Monday, April 27 – Room selection opens at 9am for returning students with late housing applications
• Friday, May 1 – Online room selection closes at 5pm

After May 1, any students who haven’t made a selection will be assigned a room based on their preferences indicated on the housing application.

Quad Suite Applications

Mills Hall has six quad suites available for selection for a total of 24 beds. These spaces consist of four single bedrooms, a shared bathroom for the suite, and a common living room area with a couch, chairs, and end tables. There are two quad suites on each floor of Mills Hall.

Because of their high desirability and the reality that we only have six quad suites, the Office of Residence Life coordinates a special process to assign groups to these spaces.  Students interested in these spaces are required to submit a supplemental Quad Suite Application in their housing portal.  This form is available in “Additional Docs” after you’ve submitted your housing application.

Preference will be given to groups that can completely fill the quad if they are offered one. This means that groups with less than four members will receive lower priority than full groups of four. If we receive at least six full groups of four, we will not be able to offer spaces in Quads to individuals or groups with less than four members.

All requests will be reviewed and these spaces will be assigned to students based on their tier and the average credit hours of all members in the group with quads going to groups with the highest tier and credit hour average. To get this average, our office will take the total number of credits earned by all members of the group as of the end of the semester and divide this number by four.

Our office will notify individuals and groups of their status the week of March 30, and will communicate any next steps so successful groups can get placed. Those who are not successful will be able select a room during online room selection in mid-April beginning on their room selection date as determined by their Tier.

Resources

Housing Portal

Apartment & Quad Suite Specific Dates

• February 23 – Housing Applications Open for 2026-27; Supplemental Applications for Apartments, Quad Suites, Double Singles, and the Single Waitlist also Open
• March 16 – 1-Bedroom Apartment Applications Due by 12pm
• March 23 – 2-Bedroom Apartment Applications Due by 12pm
• March 30 – Quad Suite and 3-Bedroom Apartment Applications Due by 12pm

Apartment Applications

Located on the south end of campus near the baseball field, softball field, and equestrian barn (about a fifteen-minute walk to The Heart), the Campus Village Apartments offer students the opportunity for more independent living while still having the convenience of residing on campus. All of our apartments comes fully furnished and features have independent heating and air-conditioning, a full kitchen, a full bathroom, a washer and dryer, and more.  We have three types of apartments:

• Our 1-bedroom apartments have one single bedroom that can be occupied by just one person.
• Our 2-bedroom apartments have one single bedroom and one double bedroom for an occupancy of up to three students.
• Our 3-bedroom apartments have two single bedrooms and one double bedroom for an occupancy of up to four students.

Because of their high desirability and the limited number of apartments available for students, the Office of Residence Life coordinates a special process to assign individuals to these spaces.  Students interested in these spaces are required to submit a supplemental Apartment Application in their housing portal for each of the apartment types they are interested in.  This form is available in “Additional Docs” after you’ve submitted your housing application.  All members of a group applying for a multi-bedroom apartment are required to submit an application to be considered.

For 1-bedroom apartments, applicants with the highest number of credits will be offered apartments.  For multi-bedroom apartments, preference will be given to groups that can completely fill the apartment if they are offered one. This means that groups of three will be given priority for 2-bedroom apartments and groups of four will be given priority for 3-bedroom apartments.

All requests will be reviewed and these spaces will be assigned to students based on their tier and the average credit hours of all members in the group apartments going to groups with the highest tier and credit hour average. To get this average, our office will calculate the total number of credits earned by all members of the group as of the end of the Fall 2025 semester and divide this number by the maximum occupancy of the apartment.

Our office will notify individuals and groups of their status within 5  , and will communicate any next steps so successful groups can get placed. Those who are not successful will be able select a room during online room selection in mid-April beginning on their room selection date as determined by their Tier.

Quad Suite Applications

Mills Hall has six quad suites available for selection for a total of 24 beds. These spaces consist of four single bedrooms, a shared bathroom for the suite, and a common living room area with a couch, chairs, and end tables. There are two quad suites on each floor of Mills Hall.

Because of their high desirability and the reality that we only have six quad suites, the Office of Residence Life coordinates a special process to assign groups to these spaces.  Students interested in these spaces are required to submit a supplemental Quad Suite Application in their housing portal.  This form is available in “Additional Docs” after you’ve submitted your housing application.  All members of the group are required to submit an application to be considered.

Preference will be given to groups that can completely fill the quad if they are offered one. This means that groups with less than four members will receive lower priority than full groups of four. If we receive at least six full groups of four, we will not be able to offer spaces in Quads to individuals or groups with less than four members.

All requests will be reviewed and these spaces will be assigned to students based on their tier and the average credit hours of all members in the group with quads going to groups with the highest tier and credit hour average. To get this average, our office will take the total number of credits earned by all members of the group as of the end of the semester and divide this number by four.

Our office will notify individuals and groups of their status within 5 business days of the application deadline, and will communicate any next steps so successful individuals and groups can be placed. Those who are not successful may be able submit applications for 2-bedroom apartments, 3-bedroom apartments, and/or Quad Suites if those deadlines have not yet passed. They will also be able to select a room during online room selection in April beginning on their room selection date as determined by their Tier.

The college house application and review process happens annually during the spring semester. Here are some important features to know about our college house process:

Resources

• Housing Portal
• House Community Theme Application – Due February 25th @ 12pm
• House Review Committee Member Application – Due February 19th @ 12pm
• House Application Rubric – 2026-27

House Specific Dates

• February 5 – House Community Theme Applications Open for 2026-27
• February 6 – House Review Committee Applications Open
• February 20 – House Review Committee Applications Close at 12pm
• February 25 – House Community Theme Applications Close at 12pm
• March 20 – House Group Applicants Notified of Application Status
• March 24 – Houses Announced for 2026-27
• April 17 – House Rosters for 2026-27 due by 12pm

Current House Groups

Currently active house groups that would like to return for the upcoming academic year are required to complete the House Community Theme Application. This evaluation allows groups to share information about their anticipated facility needs and respond to a series of questions about what the house has accomplished this year, what their goals are for the coming year, and how they have and will continue to contribute to the campus community.

Proposed House Group

Each year, you can propose a house group that doesn’t already exist for the following academic year around any theme or topic by completing the House Community Theme Application. This application allows groups to identify and explain the goals and plans you have for your community as well as the ways you would manage the day-to-day tasks and conflicts that may arise.

Themes or topic-based groups that previously had houses, but were not selected for a house for the current academic year, should also complete the House Community Theme Application.

House Review Committee

The House Review Committee is comprised entirely of students, and blindly evaluates submissions from current houses and proposed houses. This committee engages in a consensus-seeking discussion of each submission and ultimately ranks each group in the order that they believe house groups should be prioritized for the upcoming academic year.  This committee is open to all actively enrolled residential students.  Interested students can apply for this committee annually in the spring.

Generally speaking, House Review Committee considers several factors in determining successful applicants for the next academic year:

• How thoughtful and specific is the group’s vision for the community?
• Do the applicants describe specific educational and community development goals that are attainable and reasonable?
• Do the applicants have a clear, well-thought-out and realistic plan for making community decisions and resolving community disagreements?
• If a current group, how successful was the group in meeting its goals this year?

After reviewing applications, the committee will rank all received applications on a priority list that will be used by Residence Life to determine facility placement of groups for the coming year.

House Rosters

Successful house groups will be assigned to a facility by Residence Life, who will make every effort to match groups with facilities that will fit their proposed rosters. Conveners will work to recruit members to their house, and will be asked to submit an updated roster with names and room placements for each member of their community. Conveners are responsible for ensuring their roster is accurate and up-to-date.

All students who are part of rosters for current and proposed houses should complete a housing application and plan to participate in room selection to secure a “back-up plan” in the event that their house is not selected for the coming year.

Housing accommodations are granted by the Academic Enrichment Center for students with documented medical conditions or disabilities which require specific housing facilities or setups.

Students with approved accommodations are still required to submit an application for housing each year. Residence Life manually places these students in spaces based on the preferences in their housing application ahead of room selection.  The timeline for placements for students with housing applications:

• April 6 – Housing Applications for Students with Approved Housing Accommodations Due by 12pm
• April 6-10 – Students with Approved Accommodations and Completed Housing Applications Notified of Housing Placement for Fall 2026

Students with accommodations who submit their housing application after April 6, and who do not select a room during room selection, will be manually placed over the summer.

If you do not have a housing accommodation on file. and believe that you are eligible, please contact staff in the Academic Enrichment Center for more information on the application and review process for housing accommodations.

Resources

• Housing Portal

Housing Exemptions

All undergraduate students are required to live on campus all four years at Earlham. Those who fall into one of the following categories might be eligible for an exemption from this on-campus residency requirement:

• A student is participating in an approved Earlham College academic or off-campus program that requires off-campus residency.
• A student is residing with a parent or legal guardian with a permanent residence within a 30-mile driving radius of Earlham College.
• A student is or will be at least 23 years of age prior to the start of fall semester classes.
• A student who has completed eight full semesters (fall and/or spring) of campus residency at Earlham College.
• A student who is married, joined in a legally recognized civil union, or within a domestic partnership (as defined by Residence Life) – or who will be married, joined in a legally recognized civil union, or within a domestic partnership – during the fall semester.
• A student is raising a child, children, and/or legal dependent(s).
• A student is an honorably discharged, U.S. military veteran.
• A student has a qualifying disability that requires an accommodation that cannot be supported by campus housing facilities offered at Earlham College.

If you believe you fall into any of these categories, you must apply annually for a housing exemption.  Housing exemption applications are accessible in housing portal under “Apps & Forms” and are due by June 15 each year.

Housing exemptions are not granted solely on financial reasons or a student’s desire to live off-campus.

Learn more about housing exemptions, how to apply for them, and what documentation you need to submit with your application.

Meal Plan Exemptions

All students living in campus housing are required to have a meal plan. You can apply for an exemption from the college meal plan for one of two reasons:

• Medical – A student has a documented medical condition that requires a specific diet that cannot be accommodated by the campus Food Service provider.
• Religious – A student practices a recognized religion that requires a specific diet that cannot be accommodated by the campus Food Service provider.

If you believe you fall into any of the above categories, you must apply annually for a meal plan exemption.  Meal plan exemption requests are accessible in housing portal under “Resource Links” and are due by June 15 each year.

Meal plan exemptions are not granted solely on the basis of vegetarianism/veganism, positions on personal food preferences, or financial reasons.

Learn more about meal plan exemptions, how to apply for them, and what documentation you need to submit with your application.

Start the process by going online to the Housing Portal and sign your housing contract for next year. As part of the contract signing process, you’ll be able to select your confirmed roommates, submit housing preferences, select a meal plan and opt into (or out of) gender-inclusive housing. Once this is done, you will receive your tier/lottery number and room selection date via email.

In order to participate in Room Selection, you will need to have your application submitted by the deadline.

Each year, you must reapply for on-campus housing for the upcoming academic year in order to update your preferences and choose where you want to live for the upcoming year. This yearly application process is a multi-stage process, culminating in room and roommate selections. Of course, there are only so many spaces available on campus, so it is important that you review the scheduled application timeline. This gives you the best opportunity to sign up for the housing option that meets your preferences.

The typical yearly application process is outlined below. Keep in mind that each year will have its own specifics, requirements and deadlines.  The outline below is meant to give an idea of what to expect:

For more detailed information about the current academic year, current students should watch their email for communication from the Office of Residence Life.

Students returning from a leave of absence or from participating in an off-campus program in the fall semester will apply for housing via the spring semester housing application. This process typically opens in October with room assignments occurring in mid-December. As always, your Earlham College email account will be an important communication resource as you begin your transition back to campus.

Absolutely! If you intend to stay in campus housing, you should fill out a housing application, select a meal plan, and sign your housing contract – even if you already know you will live in a specific house. You will not be eligible to be assigned to a house roster by our team without a completed housing applicaiton, and you will not be able to receive keys for a space that you anticipate residing in until a contract has been signed.

The online application process is separate from the room selection process. By completing the application and signing your contract, you are agreeing to the terms and conditions for the upcoming academic year, as well as securing your eligibility to self-select into a room during the room selection process. Room selection is when you will choose the room, which generally starts in mid-April.

Please refer to the room selection timeline for more information.

Yes, still apply for housing if you are unsure of whether you will be returning to on-campus housing. It is imperative, however, that you submit your housing exemption application prior to June15 to ensure your student bill is accurate for the fall. There is current no charge for cancelling your housing contract unless you wait to cancel it until after the start of move-in for that term.

Summer housing applications will be available starting March, and winter housing applications will be available in October. Specific application information will be shared once the calendar is finalized.

The housing portal uses your normal Earlham login information that is used for most other campus systems like your email, the Heart, etc.

If you are having issues, verify that you have access to your Earlham email.  If you don’t have access to your Earlham email, you won’t be able to get into the portal.  To troubleshoot this, please contact the IT Help Desk at [email protected].  If you have access to your email and are still having issues, please try using another device before logging in again. Be sure to completely close out of the page before attempting to log in again.

If you continue to experience issues, please email [email protected].  It’s helpful to send us a screenshot of what you see when you try to log in.

The housing portal works on most computers (laptops and desktops), tablets, and smartphones.  It is also compatible with most browsers.