Transfer Students FAQ

Housing and Residence Life offers a variety of room options to select from. Transfer students can request to live with another transfer student, a current Ohio University second year student, or a first-year student if transferring to campus starting in the fall semester.

Transfer students have the option of participating in the Returning Student Room Selection process that takes place March 24-27 if they have completed their contract and submitted the housing deposit by February 26 at 4 p.m. In this process transfer students may match with up to three other second year/transfer students as long as all students completed their contract and deposit by the February 26 deadline.

Transfer students have the option of being pulled into a room by a first-year student who is eligible for the First Year Room Selection process that takes place May 19-22. In order for the transfer student to be pulled in they have to have completed their contract and submitted the housing deposit by May 1, and successfully matched with an eligible first-year student. In this process transfer students may match with up with three other first year/transfer student if all the students have completed their contract and deposit by the May 1 deadline.

Transfer students who do not participate in either process will be placed in second year or upperclass halls. Any roommate requests or assignment requests can be made by sending an email to housing@ohio.edu prior to being assigned. After an assignment is made, all room changes will be made through the Room Change Process.

Students within a matched roommate group will each have a designated date and time to select a room. The student with the earliest date/time should complete the selection. Once this student selects a room, all other matched roommates will be pulled into the room with the student.

Students will only be able to view those rooms available on campus that can accommodate their entire roommate group and rooms corresponding to their genders indicated on their admission application. Additional options can be viewed by sub-grouping during the room selection process or breaking up your matched group.

The Room Change Process enables students to look at other available spaces without having to change their current assignment until they can pick a new room assignment they desire. Once a student selects a new space, their old assignment is then available for any other student looking for new spaces in the Room Change Process .  Once a student selects a new room, there is no guarantee that their old room will be available for them to return. Students can change rooms as many times as desired throughout the Room Change Process until August 1.

Immediately after selecting a room, your room selection will be listed on your Housing Self-Service overview and will be sent to your OHIO email account.  

Students who inadvertently selected the wrong room can contact Housing and Residence Life to request their selection be canceled (along with any roommates that were pulled in). Students will be entered back into the selection process and must repeat the process of adding/confirming roommates prior to selecting another room. Requesting to be removed and added back into the selection process can take up to 48 business hours and availability of rooms will change once added back in.

Students applying to become a staff member should complete a housing application, pay the deposit, and select a room. For those students who are selected to become an RA or Building Manager, you will be reassigned into your staff room once you have officially been extended a position. Students applying to become a staff member should complete a housing contract, pay the deposit, and select a room. For those students who are selected to become a staff member, you will be reassigned into your staff room once you have officially been offered and accepted a position.

Students wishing to reside in a recognized fraternity or sorority facility will need to complete a Sorority and Fraternity Life Exemption Request beginning December 2 to determine eligibility.  Students must meet the following requirements to be considered for approval:

• Must be a member of their respective organization and on the organization’s current roster by the time applications are due.
• Complete the Sorority and Fraternity Life Housing Exemption Request Form prior to August 
• Have an overall cumulative GPA of a 2.5 or higher based on Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 semester grades only. Summer classes will not be included.
• Be in good standing with the University. No student may have any unresolved conduct or probation prior to August 1, 2025.
• Reside on campus at Ohio University or a previous institution of higher education for at least one year (fall and spring semesters) prior to the fall semester in which they are requesting to reside in their recognized fraternity or sorority house.
• Have attended one in-person information session hosted by the Office of Sorority and Fraternity Life.

The form can be found on your Housing Self-Service after you complete the Second Year Housing Contract.  All students who complete this application are removed from future room selection experiences.  Once Housing and Residence Life receives notice from the Office of Sorority and Fraternity Life that you have met all criteria, you will be released from housing and dining charges.  Students are usually reviewed and receive approval or denial between May 1 and August 1. Students seeking an exemption to reside in their Greek affiliated facility should not sign a lease until they receive approval of their request via email.

Students who submit a housing contract, pay a deposit, and then decide to reside in recognized Greek housing will receive a refund of the deposit if the request for exemption is made by May 1 and the student did not select (or get pulled into) a room during Room Selection.  Exemption requests received after May 1 will not be eligible for a deposit refund. 

Students interested in expanded gender inclusive housing options should visit their Housing Self-Service page and update their My Personal Information section. Students interested in the Pride Experiential Living Opportunity must successfully apply. Applications for consideration are due prior to selection if you are interested in this community. 

More information on Gender Inclusive Housing and the supplemental application can be found here.

Four person rooms (Bromley, Carr, Luchs, Sowle, and Tanaka) typically will not remain available for selection past the first two days of the selection process. 

Mod style facilities consisting of adjacent singles and doubles will be available to accommodate roommate groups with four people.  

Students residing in Adams, Bromley, Carr, Luchs, Sowle, and Tanaka are responsible for cleaning the bathrooms. Additionally, privacy locks are located on the inner side of the bathroom doors, but not located on the exterior side of the bathroom door, which allows access from one room to another through the connecting bathroom.

Yes, students can select into any room on campus without being matched with another student as long as there is at least one available space in that room. However, we do recommend that if you are selecting randomly into a double or suite style space, that you look for rooms that already have a student that has selected into the space. Housing and Residence Life will be actively consolidating students into same room type spaces to allow any matched roommate groups to remain together while selecting.

Unfortunately, spaces cannot be held for students who have not yet been admitted to Ohio University. We recommend that students complete a housing contract as soon as they are admitted to allow for roommate matches if admission happens prior to a room being selected in the room selection process.

Please contact Housing at housing@ohio.edu if you have a friend that is transferring in that you would like to room with.  

There are many services and programs available on campus to help transfer students make their transition to the Athens campus. Residential students should direct questions or concerns to the Resident Advisor (RA) or Building Manager within their residence hall. RAs and Building Managers can assist with connecting students with campus resources and with other students.

Additionally, Housing and Residence Life has in-hall professional staff members (Resident Directors, Assistant Resident Directors, and Graduate Resident Directors) who work with all residents to establish a positive living environment and develop a strong community.