Housing Policy
Residency Policy
The Residence Life and Housing program is an integral part of the educational experience at Capital University. Undergraduate students who are officially enrolled full-time in classes at Capital University are required to live in university residence halls, apartments, or houses managed through the Residential and Commuter Life Office, unless they have received an approved release from the housing requirement. The Residence Life staff works collaboratively with students to create a living and learning environment that supports academic and personal development. Students are responsible for becoming familiar with the policies and procedures outlined in the Capital University Student Handbook.
For residency purposes, a Commuter is defined as any student who has an approved release from the housing requirement, per the criteria listed below. A Resident is defined as any student who is or will be living in the Capital University residence halls, apartments, or houses managed through the Residential and Commuter Life Office.
Capital University recognizes that some students may live within the area or have other circumstances that may make them eligible to apply to reside off-campus. The following is a list of those eligibility requirements:
- Age 22 or above
- Completed 60 credit hours by the start of the next semester
- Married (marriage certificate required)
- Live with parents/court appointed guardians in permanent residency within 30 miles of the campus (verified by the Office of Admission/Registrar). Please note, the 30 mile requirement for release becomes effective with students entering Capital University Fall 2012 semester.
- Special Accommodations
- Diagnosis of an ongoing health-related issue requiring special living accommodations that University housing cannot reasonably provide (supporting documentation and registration with the Office of Disability Services required)
- Extenuating Circumstances
- Change in Financial Status which demonstrates a hardship if the student is required to live on campus (verified by the Office of Financial Aid).
Housing Release Policy
Students who desire to live off-campus for the Fall semester must complete and submit an Online Housing Release Request on or before July 1. Students who desire to live off-campus for the Spring semester must complete and submit an Online Housing Release Request on or before December 1. If there is a change in residency status, students must request a Financial Aid Estimator through the Office of Financial Aid. Please note that applications from resident students requesting a Spring Release will only be considered for those students who have documented extenuating circumstances that demonstrate a possible risk or hardship if the student is required to live on campus.
Requests will be evaluated and students will receive written notification of their release status. Students are strongly cautioned against signing a lease before receiving official notification that they have been released from the Residency Requirement. Those who fail to meet University criteria for residing off-campus will be assigned to the University room and board plan and be billed accordingly, whether or not they select to reside or eat on campus.
Please note: Collegiate Fellows (or Capital Scholars) are required to live in University housing and maintain campus residency. If a student decides to move off campus, they will forfeit the Collegiate Fellowship (Capital Scholars), and their financial aid award will revert back to what it was before the CF (CS) award.
To ensure accuracy of contact information and to allow for changes in eligibility, students will be asked to complete the Release from Housing Request process annually. As long as none of the eligibility requirements are being changed, students will not need to reproduce documentation.