Returner Sign Up

Returner Sign-Up is when students who currently live on-campus can decide if they want to live on campus next year, select their roommate, and choose exactly where they want to live for the next Academic Year! Students should keep in mind the following dates and required action items in order to secure their desired room and roommate.

STEP 1 - Complete your housing Contract

Complete Your Housing Contract

Beginning Wednesday, November 5, 2025

Visit the online housing portal to complete your housing contract for the 26-27 Academic Year.

Select and sign a contract.
Select a meal plan (visit dining's website for details).
Complete and submit your contract.

VISIT THE HOUSING PORTAL

Step 2 - Request Your Roommate

Request Your Roommate

bEGINNING Wednesday, November 5, 2025

If you know who you want to room with for the next Academic Year, make sure to request them and go through the verification process. We highly encourage students to have a verified roommate before selecting a room.
This step is critical in preparing on finding your room. If you know who you want as a roommate, you two must log in to the online housing portal, one person make the official roommate request via the portal, and the person receiving the request then needs to also log in to the portal and accept the request.
- Once you are both verified roommates you will both have the ability to add the verified roommate into the second bed space in the desired room during the room search.
To select a roommate, log-in to the online housing portal and complete the steps to request a roommate. Students are not considered verified roommates until both have taken action.

BEGIN YOUR ROOMMATE REQUEST

Roommate requests are NOT VERIFIED until the following action items are complete:

One student MUST request the other through the Online Housing Portal. Once on the online housing portal, revisit the housing contract to search for and/or request a roommate.
Once the request is submitted via the Housing Portal, an email notification will be sent to the other student letting them know who is requesting them as a roommate.
The student receiving the request will need to log-in to the housing portal and accept (or deny) the roommate request and hit save and continue.
Once accepted, both students will be VERIFIED roommates.
The student who made the initial request will then receive an email once the roommate pairing has been verified.

Step 3 - ROOM SELECTION

Room Selection

BEGINS Tuesday, February 3, 2026

During this timeframe, students will be able to log-in to the online housing portal and choose their room to live in for the next Academic Year.

Prior to February 3, all students with renewed contracts will receive an email with a timeslot for them to begin searching for a room for the 26-27 Academic Year.
After assigned, timeslots will be viewable on the online housing portal.
If you are hoping to live in the same room that you are currently in for the next Academic Year you will have the option to search for, and if it’s available, select the room during room selection.
Students can return to the housing portal at any time until Wednesday, July 1, 2026, to continue to search for and swap out their selected room.

VISIT THE HOUSING PORTAL

View a Single Room Example View a Studio Room ExaMPLe View a Triple Room Example View a Suite Room Example

Frequently Asked Questions

When can I extend my housing and dining contract for the next year?

The opportunity for current students to sign-up to live on-campus for the 2026-2027 Academic Year is called “Returner Sign-Up”. Students who decide to stay on campus next school year have the advantage of choosing exactly where they want to live – from the residence hall to the specific room!

Returner Sign-Up for AY 26-27 begins on Wednesday, October 29, 2025. The first step in the returner sign-up process is to visit the Online Housing Portal to complete your housing contact for the next year.

How is my timeslot determined?

A timeslot is the specific date and time when a student is able to select their housing assignment. Timeslots are assigned to ensure an organized and fair process for room selection. Your timeslot will be based on how close to the opening application date you completed your Housing Application for the 26-27 Academic Year.

Think of it like standing in line:

If you complete your contract in November or December, you’ll be closer to the front of the line.
The longer you wait, the more people will be ahead of you in line.

How Can I Select a Room?

Here’s how to navigate room selection once your timeslot becomes available:

Log-in to the online housing portal.
Once on the housing portal, go to the top red navigation bar and click on “Residence Halls.”
Next, go to the Academic Year (AY) 26-27 contract and click “continue.”
On the 'Initial Selection' page, choose a room type, then 'Select'.
Once on the next page, find a room and select ‘add to cart’.
On the ‘Assign Beds’ page, assign a space to each person living in the space (if applicable) through the drop downs.
- If you have a roommate, only ONE person will need to assign BOTH people to the room through the drop downs.
- Keep in mind that there is a 3-minute time limit to ‘assign beds’ or the room will be released for others to select.
You’ll then be routed to the ‘Review & Confirm’ page showing an overview of what you selected. Click ‘BOOK NOW’ for the room selection to go through.
After you have confirmed your selected room, you will be taken to the ‘Application Details’ page where you will see confirmation of your room booking as well as other housing details.

May I choose any room in any hall?

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 bed spaces 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.

Can I change my mind about a room?

You may change your mind after you have requested a bed space, but please plan to make your final online selection before Saturday, July 11, 2026. No requests for change in hall or room assignment will be accepted after this date.

What if I want to live on campus but want a different meal plan?

Please go online and request a different meal plan before Saturday, July 11, 2026.

What happens if I don't pick a meal plan?

All students living on campus are required to have a meal plan (review the housing contract's terms and conditions). If you do not select your own a meal plan, the 21+ plan will be automatically assigned. You may change your meal plan up until Saturday, July 11, 2026 for the 26-27 Fall semester.

Do I have to have a roommate?

Yes, unless you are living in a room designated as a single room or have a special housing accommodation approved by the Office of Disability Services.

Availability for single rooms on campus is extremely limited. All rooms with two available spaces will be filled with two students, so plan to have a roommate. We highly encourage students to have a verified roommate before selecting a room.

May I choose my roommate?

Absolutely! Students should search for, request, and verify their own roommate. We highly encourage students to have a roommate verified before selecting a bed space.

Students should utilize the roommate search options on the housing portal to help identify potential students also looking for roommates.

Learn more about finding a roommate.

What if the person I want to room with doesn't currently live on campus?

The person is a currently enrolled student but lives off campus
If the student is currently enrolled at Ball State but doesn't live on campus they will need to have a completed housing contract before they can be requested as a roommate. Once a student has a completed housing contract they will appear in the roommate search and can go through the roommate request and verification process.

The person is an incoming First-Year student
If the person is an incoming First-Year student for the 26-27 Academic Year, it is possible to become roommates. Here is how to make that happen:

The incoming First-Year student has to have a completed housing contract.
The returning student has to make the official roommate request on the housing portal by entering the student they want to room with's PIN number (this number is different than the BSU ID number and can be found on the main page of the housing portal).
First-Year students aren't able to search for or make a roommate request until April 7 but can accept roommate requests (learn more about the First-Year Self-Selection process). After that date they can make roommate requests.

If you run into any issues, please email us at housing@bsu.edu so that we can help.

How much will it cost to live here next year?

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

Do RAs and APMs need to participate in Returner Sign-Up?

Returning as an RA/APM for the 26-27 Academic Year
Students who plan to return to their current staff role as an RA/APM do not need to act during returner sign-up. Instead, their housing sign-up will be during RA/APM selection. At that time, they will be guided to log-in and sign a new housing contract for the next school year.
NOT returning as an RA/APM
Students who DO NOT plan to return as a staff member for the 2026-2027 Academic Year AND want to live on campus next year ARE eligible to participate in Returner Sign-Up. Additionally, students who DO NOT plan to return as a RA/APM and are NOT living on campus next year, do not need to do anything and should NOT sign a housing contract.
Prospective RA/APMs for the 26-27 Academic Year
Students who are hoping to become an RA or an APM should ONLY sign a housing contract and select a room if they want live in the residence halls next year regardless of being selected as an RA/APM.

What if I complete by housing contract after room selection begins?

Since room selection was already in progress, students who completed their housing contract on or after October 29 were assigned a timeslot for February 3 or later. February 11 was the final day that timeslots were issued for students who had signed a housing contract before room selection began.

Housing applications for returning students opened on October 29, 2025.
Room selection for students who completed their contracts before room selection began on February 3, 2026 received timeslots prior to that date.

I live off campus or will commute from home. Is there a meal plan available for me?

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

What if I have a Special Housing Accommodation?

For Students Requiring Special Housing Accommodations:
If you have specific needs that require special housing accommodations, please ensure these are approved by the Office of Disability Services before submitting your housing application. Our office collaborates closely with Disability Services to assign rooms that best meet your approved needs, including room type and location.

For Students with Approved Housing Accommodations:
If your special housing accommodation has already been approved by the Office of Disability Services, watch for an email from our office. This email will provide detailed instructions on how to secure your housing accommodation for AY 26-27. Please keep in mind that it will contain time sensitive information, so it's important to keep an eye out for this communication.

Students in rooms with approved DSD accommodations have the opportunity to renew their same space for the next Academic Year.

To remain in the same room that you are currently in for the next Academic Year, sign a housing contract and renew your room on the housing portal by Tuesday, February 4.
If you do not renew by the deadline, your room will become available for another student. If you decide to live on campus after the deadline, we will still place you in a room that meets your DSD accommodation, but your current space will not be guaranteed.
If you decide not to renew your current space or are unsatisfied with the room we’ve assigned to meet your approved DSD accommodation, you will have the option to select a different space during Returner-Sign Up. Please note that by doing so, you will be voluntarily foregoing the accommodation that aligns with your DSD approval. We encourage you to carefully evaluate this decision to ensure it aligns with your essential housing and personal needs.

Important to Know
While we aim to keep DSD students in their current rooms, please be aware that the Office of Housing and Residence Life may need to relocate students from their renewed bedspace due to placement requirements and changes in occupancy patterns. In the event of such a relocation, affected students will be notified and offered an alternative room that aligns with the same accommodation needs approved by the Office of Disability Services.

If you have questions, please contact our office at housing@bsu.edu.

Can I automatically renew my same room?

Rooms cannot be automatically renewed for the next academic year. If you wish to stay in the same room, you will need to search for and select it during your assigned timeslot, provided it is still available.

Questions?

If you have additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Email Us

Housing and Residence Life

North Dining Hall
Muncie, IN 47306

8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday
Summer 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday - Friday

765-285-8000

765-285-3743