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Housing and Residence Life

Apply for Housing

How to Apply

Roommates

Residency Requirements

How to Apply

Renew your bed during this time to hold your same room and bed space in your hall by completing our online application.

This step is optional, meaning that if you do not want to stay in your current room for next year, do not renew your bed and instead wait for your search/swap timeslot to request a new room.

If you want to keep your current room but currently live with a roommate and you do not plan to be roommates next year, talk about who will keep/renew the room. If you both want the same room, then you will be roommates again!

Premium Plan students

You must take an action by choosing a meal plan, renewing your bed, search/swap for a new room, etc., in order to have a space for next year.

If you don't do anything during Room Sign-Up, you may lose your space and a different one will be assigned to you later.
Make sure to use the Swap tool during your timeslot if you wish to find a different room after renewing your bed.

Double Rooms as Singles

If you currently are living in a double room as a single, you may have the option to keep the same room as a double as a single for next year.

This is only available to students living in the following halls:

• Elliott
• Knotts/Edwards
• Brayton/Clevenger
• Brady/Wood
• Crosley/Rogers
• Painter/Whitcraft
• Palmer/Davidson
• Howick/Williams

If you do not renew your double as a single room during the renew-your-bed period, it will convert back to a regular double room for next year.

Choose a new Premium Plan two-year contract or the Standard Plan one-year contract.

Premium Plan benefits include extra $50 Dining Plus each semester, a free parking permit or credit toward an upgraded pass (based upon availability), early move-in, and other perks. (If you are completing the first year of a Premium Plan contract, skip the "select a contract" step.)

Learn more about our plans.

We offer the following meal plans at Ball State:

• 21 Plus Meal Plan – Have all meals provided and receive $75 Dining Plus per semester.
• Any 18 Plus Meal Plan – Choose any 18 meals during the week and receive $75 Dining Plus per semester.
• Any 14 Plus Meal Plan – Choose any 14 meals during the week and receive $100 Dining Plus per semester.
• Any 10 Plus Meal Plan - Choose any 10 meals during the week and receive $100 Dining Plus per semester.

Learn more about our dining plans.

Please complete all the available fields in this section of your application.

To begin looking for a roommate, you must complete a personal profile, even if you know your roommate’s name.

There are three ways to search for a roommate:

1. by first name or PIN
2. by answers to profile questions
3. by similar answers to profile questions.

When you know who your roommate will be:

• one of you will request your roommate
• the other will confirm your roommate

Requesting/confirming a roommate does not automatically place you together. During your time slot, you will select a room and if you’ve already requested/confirmed a roommate, you will place that student into the room with you.

To do this when requesting a room, first you will assign a space to yourself, and then select your roommate’s name from the drop-down box to assign this person to the second space in the room.

Should you not see your roommate’s name, contact this person now as they will need to put themselves in the second space.

Search and Swap Beds/Rooms is really simple.

• If you renewed your bed and you want a different room, then you'll swap (or trade).
• If you didn't renew your bed, then you'll search for a bed and/or room.

Regardless of Search or Swap, you have an assigned timeslot (we'll tell you when via Ball State email) to go online, look around, and make your selection from February 6-23 at 5 p.m.

Watch for an email from the Housing Office in early February with details about your timeslot.

How to Sign Up for a Different Room

To sign up for a different room, select a:

• building
• floor
• room
• bed

You will have three minutes to swap rooms.

To reserve a room with a roommate, you and your roommate must be already confirmed to hold a space in a different room.

When you find a room with two spaces available you will assign a bed for you and then you will assign your confirmed roommate to the other bed by selecting their name from the drop-down box.

Once you have swapped your room, your original room becomes available for a different student to reserve.

Waiting Lists

If you don't find your first hall choice available, then sign up for a wait list, which will be available online until May 31 at 5 p.m.

You may request up to three hall/room types.

Check through the Your Contract page.

Should any of the steps have a red X, then you must complete that step before your contract is complete.

If you do not complete all the steps, then your contract will not be renewed and you will not have a space in the halls next year.

If you love your room and you want your same room next year, please plan to go online renew your bed between January 22-25.

The deadline for using the online sign-up is 5 p.m., Friday, February 23.

You may still request a contract after this date in person at the Office of Housing and Residence Life, LaFollette Complex, room N-10, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Contracts requested late will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis and the priority date will not be followed.

Your timeslot is based on whether you have a standard or a Premium Plan and the date that you paid your original housing deposit when you first came to Ball State.

As long as you continuously live in the residence halls, we carry over your first deposit to the next year.

To look for an available bed during your timeslot day/time or during the time for any current resident, follow the prompts to select a residence hall you're interested in, then select a floor.

• If there are available rooms on that floor, they will be listed and you may select a room and bed.
• If there are no available rooms, then none will be listed.

Remember, the web works in real time and other students will be looking for (or room swapping) beds at the same time.

You will also be asked to sign an electronic contract by agreeing to the terms and conditions. If you do not agree, the information will not be saved, a contract will not be assigned, and you will not have a bed in the residence halls for the coming year.

If you have already renewed your same room, then you may use the room swap tool to request a different room.

If you did not request your same room, then you must use the search option as you essentially have nothing to "swap" or trade.

If you have at an earlier time requested a different room, then you can use the room swap tool.

Bottom line – The room swap online tool works for students who have already requested a space, either same room or different room.

You may change your mind after you have requested a bed space, but please plan to make your final online selection before 5 p.m. Friday, February 23.

Changes you wish to make after that time must be submitted in writing at the Housing Office (LaFollette Complex, room N-10).

No requests for change in hall or room assignment will be accepted after May 31 at 5 p.m.

See your request details online by viewing the Your Contract link.

Yes, waitlists are available for halls on the Room Sign-Up Web site.

The waitlist option is open until May 31.

If you currently are living in a double room as a single, you may have the option to keep the same room as a double as a single for next year.

This is only available to students living in:

• LaFollette
• Woodworth
• Studebaker West

You must renew your double as a single during the renew-your-bed period. If you do not, it will convert back to a double room.

Students with a double as a single in all other halls may not renew their same accommodation as those will convert back to regular double rooms for next year.

If you have advanced notice of a situation that will prevent you from signing up during your time slot, then contact our office before your priority timeslot to request a different room.

We likely will not be able to remedy situations after the fact.

Students also may sign up at any time after the beginning of their time slot until the process ends.

Please go online and request a different meal plan before July 13.

If you do not select a meal plan, the 21-Plus plan will be assigned. You may change your meal plan until July 13 for the coming fall semester.

Yes, unless you are living in a room designated as a single room. Unfortunately we have a very limited number of single rooms.

Yes, you are welcome to request/confirm a roommate. If you do not have someone in mind to room with, you may use the Select Roommate tool to help identify potential students also looking for roommates. To save time, we encourage you to look for a roommate before requesting a space during your timeslot in the Room Sign-up web.

If your roommate is a Ball State student and currently enrolled, but doesn't live on campus and has not started a housing contract, you will not be able to request them as a roommate until they have completed a housing contract.

At that time you will be able to request/confirm each other.

New incoming students have until July 13 to request/confirm a roommate; however, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to keep you in the same room and hall that you selected during online sign-up.

The Ball State University Board of Trustees approves the room and board rates each year.

See our room and board rates.

• Current RAs returning to their positions next year should complete Step 2 to have a contract on file. You do not need to request a specific room online.
• Prospective RAs should request a room during the sign up period if they would like to return to the residence halls next year if not hired as RAs.

Only if you are both currently roommates in DeHority Complex and you renew your same beds during Renew Your Bed before 5 p.m., January 25.

You cannot change to a different room.

Yes. We offer meal plans for off-campus and commuter students. Purchase a meal plan using our housing application.

• If you know that you want the same room for next year, go online during Step 1 to reserve your same room.
• Premium Plan students finishing the first year of your contract – You must take action to let us know your plans. Go online to renew your bed or later search for a bed during your timeslot.
  
  

• Make your roommate request and/or confirm before requesting a space or using Search and Swap. Making your roommate request before requesting a space will allow you to place your roommate in the other space when you search or swap.
• When you request a roommate, one roommate will make the request, while the other roommate will confirm the original request. (i.e., you will not both request.)
• Simply requesting/confirming a roommate does not automatically place you together. You must use the Search for a Bed/Room timeslot to find a room with two spaces available to place you together as roommates. You will assign a bed to yourself and then select your roommate's name from the drop-down box to assign this person to the second bed in the room. If you do not see their name in the drop-down then that student will have to go online and put themselves in the second bed.
• If you are requesting a new incoming student you will be able to do so if they have completed their contract online. Returning students should make the roommate request and the incoming student would confirm the request. The returning student will then be able to see the new student's name in the drop down box and place them in the room when they Search for a room. (Returning Honors students wishing to request a new incoming Honors student should contact our office for instructions.)
  
  

• Your day and time to go online is based on the day that you made your housing deposit. Our office will contact you via Ball State email to let you know when your timeslot will be.
• At the beginning of your timeslot, you will be able to go online to search for a bed or swap rooms. You may continue to go online anytime after your timeslot until the last day of online room sign-up.
  
  

• This tool allows you to look for an available space in the residence hall system by hall, floor, and room.
• Most rooms in the residence halls are double rooms, so you will see two beds in each room. This example shows there are two beds available. (example: Woody 801 -F - 2/2 (F=female)).
  • If one person is already in the room, and there is only one other bed available in the double room, then you will see Woody 801-F-1/2.
  • If the room is a single, you'll see one bed (example: Woody 803 - F - 1/1).
  • If the room is a triple, you'll see three beds (example: Woody 804 - F - 3/3).
• If you have a confirmed roommate, then you must look for a room with two beds available (2/2).
  
  

• The Room Swap tool essentially allows you to trade rooms if you have already reserved a room.
• For Room Swap to work, you must have reserved a room for next year so that you have a room to trade with. This means that you will have completed Renew Your Bed or already requested a bed during Different Room Sign-Up, and you wish to change rooms.
• Once you have swapped your room, the original room becomes available for a new student to take.
• You will have three minutes to swap rooms.
  
  

• If you properly renewed your same room during Step 1, you will not see the Search for a Bed option, but instead will use the Room Swap tool if you wish to change rooms.
• If you requested/confirmed a roommate during Step 5, then you and your confirmed roommate will have the same timeslot and either student may go online to Search for a room and reserve the spaces.
• If you did not confirm a roommate at any time and did not renew your same bed, then when you first go online during your timeslot, you will see the Search for a Bed tool. After you request a bed, should you come back to the online system to change rooms, then you will use Room Swap.
• If you did not confirm a roommate prior to your timeslot, but found a roommate after you have already searched and confirmed a room, you cannot pull that student into the room. The roommate will have to go online during their timeslot and place themselves in the other bed in the room if it is available. If it is not, you will have to look for a room with two beds available using the Room Swap tool.
• If you did not confirm a roommate at any time, but did renew your same bed during Renew Your Bed and want to change rooms, then you will use the Room Swap tool.
• Remember to print out Your Contract to have for your files.
  
  

• Make sure to agree to the contract's terms and conditions and save and continue to hold a space for next year.
• If you do not agree to the terms, then a bed will not be saved in your name for the residence halls next year.
• If you have a Premium Plan (two-year) contract and are finishing the first year of the contract, it will state that you have already signed your contract but you need to select a room and meal plan.
• As you review the details of your contract, if there are steps with a red X, then you must complete that step before your contract is complete.
  
  

• If you don't find the "perfect" space, then sign up for one of the waitlists. There are times when students' plans change and we can accommodate your requests.
• You may select up to three waitlists.
• You may also place your name on the double as a single waitlist as one of your choices.
  
  

International students must meet our freshman residency requirement when attending Ball State.

The policy states that all students are required to live in university housing (dormitory) unless you are one of the following exceptions:

• 21 years of age before beginning your first term
• have 24 or more accepted credits at Ball State after graduating from high school
• married
• a custodial parent of a dependent child
• living with your parents in their primary residence within a 60-mile radius of campus

If you do not meet any of these requirements, you must request housing in the residence halls (dormitory).

International students who apply for the residence halls (dormitories) will automatically be eligible for double rooms.

Housing for international students is located in Studebaker East and it is open during university break periods (Thanksgiving break, semester break, and spring break). Overnight guests are not permitted during break periods. There is no meal service during break periods. Cooking in your room, except when using a microwave oven, is not permitted.

There may be opportunities for international students to upgrade their room at a higher price to a double as a single room, based on availability.

If you are interested in an upgraded room, contact our office.

The academic year contract for the residence halls (dormitories) is effective August 18, 2016, through May 6, 2017. We also offer a spring semester contract that is effective January 8, 2016, through May 6, 2017.

The contract is a legal agreement, and if you break or cancel the contract, there is a penalty.

After you arrive on campus (and you have a signed contract on file), you will be issued a room and key. Guests and family members must make other sleeping arrangements, and several hotels are located near campus.

• For fall semester the earliest days international students may move in to your hall (dormitory) is August 13 or 14, from 8 a.m. - midnight.
• For spring semester, the earliest days international students may move in to your hall (dormitory) is January 3-7 from noon to 3 p.m. (Eastern time).

You must have a signed contract on file with our office before you can move in. Because your housing/dining contract does not begin before August 18 (for fall semester) or January 8 (for spring semester), if you move in before that day, there will be an extra daily charge added to your contract.

When you live in the halls (dormitories), your contract is for both your room and your meals. First-time international students will begin their housing/dining contract with the 21 meal plan.

The cost to live in the residence halls in a double room for the academic year is $10,610, plus nightly charges for early move-in/late move-out and break periods. 

In addition, you will pay a $125 housing deposit and a $60 per semester technology fee.

The residence halls (dormitories) are for single students only. International students may request a roommate using our online application or be assigned to a roommate when they arrive. If you have a roommate request, please include this information on the online application.