FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

First-year undergraduate students are required to live on campus inside the residence halls, however, we do allow students to request exemptions. If you are a student from Calhoun, Cherokee, Cleburne, Etowah, St. Clair, or Talladega county and do not wish to live on campus, we ask that you submit a request for exemption online. We also allow students to request an exemption for other reasons that can be found on the exemption form. Visit our exemption form online. 

Students must be accepted to JSU before applying for housing. The online application is available on the JSU housing web page under Apply for Housing. A $200.00 non-refundable application fee is required at the time of submission.

  • This year incoming first-year students will be self-selecting their room assignments. Starting in April 2020, first-year students will log back into MyResCenter to select their exact room assignment for the fall 2020 - spring 2021 terms. They will be broken up into three groups:

    1. Group 1 will consist of all those who submitted their application between October 1, 2019 and December 31, 2019. Group 1 will select their room assignments beginning April 15, 2020 to April 21, 2020.

    2. Group 2 will consist of all those who submitted their application between January 1, 2020 to February 29, 2020. Group 2 will select their room assignments beginning May 1, 2020 to May 7, 2020.

    3. Group 3 will consist of all those who submitted their application between March 1, 2020 to April 1, 2020. Group 3 will select their room assignments beginning May 15, 2020 20 May 21, 2020.

    Groups will receive a reminder notification two weeks, one week, and 48 hours before their selection dates. Students who submit their application after April 1, 2020, or do not select their room during their assigned date, will be assigned by the housing office based on preferences and availability.

  • Transfers and New Upper-Class students who are wanting to live on campus will be assigned by the Housing Operations staff. 


The Office of Housing Operations makes every effort to grant requests made by students. However, no assignment or request is ever guaranteed.

Current residents will reapply for housing in March and will not be required to pay the application fee again unless the resident does not complete the reapplication process during the designated period. Applications for first-year residents and transfer students will be available beginning October 1. 

Roommate assignment is done one of three ways. You may request a specific roommate when you apply for housing or, if no roommate is requested, one will be assigned to you using the roommate preference questions on the application. You may also search for a roommate using the RoomSync app.  You can find the RoomSync app link on your First-Year Resident Application or Transfer/New Upper Class Resident Application on the "Requested Roommate Information" page. Once you have matched with your roommate on RoomSync, you will need to make your request official by requesting your roommate through MyResCenter.

If you have a roommate preference, you and your preferred roommate will need to apply and request each other by April 1. Both applicants must rank the three hall preferences in the same order to be considered a mutual match. Both applications and application fees must be submitted online before April 1. After that date we will make every attempt to match you and your preferred roommate; however, we are unable to guarantee an immediate match.

If we are unable to place you with your preferred roommate, you may choose a new roommate and request a room change starting the third full week of classes. Your request may not be granted if space is not available. Check with your Residence Life Coordinator about the proper procedure, and to get all necessary forms.

You will receive an e-mail to your JSU account that will have your exact move-in date and time, as well as your assigned room. It will also include your roommate's name and contact information.

Room changes cannot be granted until move in has been completed for each semester. Check with your Residence Life Coordinator or Resident Assistant about the proper procedure. You can obtain a Room Change Request form for room and roommate changes online through MyResCenter, our online housing portal. Requests will be processed the third full week of classes of each semester and are granted based upon availability.

The contract is a legal, binding contract for the entire nine-month academic year (fall and spring semesters) for residence halls and apartments. However, if you wish to cancel your housing assignment prior to moving in and accepting your key, a cancellation notice must be submitted on the JSU housing web page under Cancel Housing. More information about dates and fees related to our cancellation policy for each semester can also be found there. First-year residents who are living on campus are not eligible to cancel their housing assignments. 

You have a Resident Assistant (RA) on your floor or in your area available to assist you at any time. There is also a Residence Life Coordinator (RLC) or Assistant Residence Life Coordinator (ARLC) in each residence hall/apartment area that can help.

1. Listen to suggestions, not solutions, from parents and friends about having a roommate. (Especially if it is your first time with a roommate!)

2. Prepare for conflict. Conflict does not have to be negative; it can be an opportunity to think creatively and make the situation positive.

3. Share expectations for the entire year. Create a contract about sleeping habits, study times, visitors, and clean up suggestions/shared chores for the common space. Write up the contract and post it in the room where it will be visible to both. We strongly suggest you complete your Roommate Agreement through RoomPact. Your RA will have more information for you during move-in weekend. 

4. Have face-to-face conversations, not through email, Facebook/Twitter, text messaging, or cell phones. This will create a more responsible, healthy, and meaningful relationship.

5. Focus on behavior, not personality. You can't ask someone to change who they are, but you can ask them to adjust the way they express themselves.

6. Stay flexible. Your roommate may have some pet peeves about your behavior, too. What can you do differently that will help the situation?

7. Start with one pet peeve - the one that is most important to you. Set aside the smaller things for now.

8. Consider the positives about your roommate. You may have more in common than you think.

9. Ask for help from the RA, counseling services, Residence Life, etc. before the situation becomes critical. A counseling session for you/your roommate can help to deal with stress and find better ways to manage the situation.

10. Educate yourself on these issues before the honeymoon ends. (Generally, after the second or third week.)

Thanks to Earlham University for providing these roommate tips!

A Residence Life Coordinator (RLC) is the person responsible for the management of the residence hall and supervision of the Resident Assistants. The RLC is available to listen to your ideas and concerns about where you live. This is a professional staff member specially trained in residence life, crisis management, and other helpful areas. 

The Office of Housing Operations and Residence Life does not require residents to be in their residence hall or room at a specific time. For safety purposes, you are encouraged to tell your roommate, neighbor, or RA when your are going out and what time you expect to return.

In order to return confirm registration, you must pay all tuition and fees by the appropriate due date, which can be found online through the Office of Student Accounts. You may access your account information or make payments through your MyJSU account. Visa, Master Card, and Discover are accepted. Accounts may also be paid in the Office of Student Accounts located in 245 Bibb Graves Hall, or by mail. Payment plans are also available and require a $50 set up fee each semester. 

All tuition and fees must be paid by the appropriate due dates or all classes and housing assignments will be voided.

Card swipe readers have been installed at the main entrances of each residence hall, the Leadership House for Women, Pannell Hall, and Meehan Hall. You will swipe your student ID card and enter a four-digit PIN in order to gain access into their residence hall. Security cameras monitor the main entrances, common areas, and parking lots of the residence halls. All exteriors doors, other than the main entrances, are equipped with 24-hour activated alarms.

Each resident is also given a colored resident key tag that corresponds with the hall in which they reside. You must show your key tag upon entering your hall. Any person entering a hall without the appropriate colored key tag must be signed in at the front desk by a resident of that hall.

University Police also continuously patrol the outside perimeter; Resident Assistants conduct walk-throughs during the day and night.

Cable service is provided in each room and apartment; televisions are not. Here is a list of TVs that are compatible with the JSU cable system. We also have a channel list for your convenience. The Pointe @ JSU has cable services provided through Sparklight and has a different channel line up for the property.

All residence halls and apartments are equipped with wireless Internet. (You must provide their own wireless card.) WiFi is available across campus to all students. 

The first-year students chosen as the Elite Honors Scholars will be assigned to Meehan Hall. Female students who are sophomores, juniors, seniors, or transfer students with a 2.5 GPA may apply to reside in the Leadership House for Women. 

Please note: Students receiving scholarships are still required to pay the $200 non-refundable application fee. The scholarship cannot be used for the payment of the fee.

The Office of Residence Life focuses on the development of our students by providing programs monthly. Our programs are based on the #LiveCocky model, focusing on Community, Overall Wellness, Culture, Knowledge, and Your Personal Development. Examples of campus-wide programs from this year include a glow party, street fair, cookouts, alcohol awareness, and more! Be sure to ask your hall staff about upcoming programs. 

Visit our Moving In page to view our "What to Bring Checklist" and our Guide to Residential Living for all your questions about what and what not to bring.

Head to our Room Dimensions page to view measurements for the rooms, bathrooms, dressers, closets, and even windows!

All residence halls, Pannell Apartments, and Meehan Hall have 76" twin mattresses, which require REGULAR size twin sheets. Campus Inn One Bedroom and efficiency units, College, Colonial Arms, Kappa Sigma Fraternity House, Leadership House for Women, Penn House, and Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity House have full sized mattresses. However, our students have shared they like having the extra long twin sheets after putting a mattress pad on their beds. Either regular or extra-long sheets will work for our mattresses. 

The Offices of Housing Operations and Residence Life encourages you to obtain renter's insurance for your personal property. Neither JSU nor our offices provide renter's insurance or assumes responsibility for property that is damaged, lost, or stolen. You are responsible for obtaining insurance through a company of your choosing. You may wish to investigate whether some property or belongings are insured under your parent's home owners insurance. For general information about renter's insurance, you may visit the CSI Insurance Agency, Inc. web page at www.csiprotection.com. This is only a suggestion. CSI Insurance Agency, Inc. is not affiliated with JSU or our offices, and we will not be responsible for or included in any agreement that may be entered into with this company.

First-year students are allowed to have cars on campus. Faculty, staff, and students are required to register their vehicles each year prior to the beginning of the fall semester or prior to the first term of enrollment. Vehicle registration is available 24 hours a day for all faculty, staff, and students. Parking permits are $25.00 per vehicle. For more information, please visit the University Police Department.

More information about required immunizations can be found on the RMC Student Health Center website.

  • Nails and Tacks:
    • Nails and tacks may not be used for hanging anything in residence hall rooms, with the exception of Meehan Hall and The Pointe @ JSU. Due to the type of walls in Meehan Hall, we ask that you hand items with Command Strips or similar products. Both are acceptable for The Pointe @ JSU. 
  • Refrigerators:
    • Each room in the residence halls may only have one microwave and one refrigerator
    • The refrigerator can be no more the 4.6 cubic feet; the microwave must be under 1000 watts.

For additional information contact The Offices of Housing Operations and Residence Life at (256) 782-5122.

Not able to find what you are looking for? Head over to our Contact Us page and fill out the form to get in touch with us!