Residency Policy

All single freshmen and sophomore students under 21, not residing with parent(s) or legal guardian(s) and having earned fewer than 60 credit hours (earned after High School graduation, dual credit courses do not apply) are required to live on the UIS campus. Students not fulfilling their obligation to the on-campus residency requirement without an approved residency exemption request on file with the Department of Residence Life, will be billed accordingly for the cost of on campus housing.

As a freshman or sophomore, living on a college campus serves many purposes, encompasses many benefits, and is an integral part of the traditional college experience. Subsequent research on undergraduate success rates shows a strong correlation between living on-campus during the freshman and sophomore years and persistence towards eventual graduation. Those who live in the supportive environment of the residence halls tend to perform better academically due to proximity to professors and other academic-related campus resources, make a more successful social transition from high school to college, become more engaged and actively involved in campus activities, and report greater overall satisfaction with their composite university experience. However, we realize there are situations that arise that would necessitate residing outside of on-campus Housing. Those situations eligible to be considered for exemption from the residency requirement and policy are as follows (if any of these situations are applicable to you as a freshman or sophomore, you may complete the form below to be considered for exemption):

• You live locally with a parent or legal guardian within a 40-mile radius of campus via google maps and will commute to campus. A “legal guardian” has been determined and appointed by a legal jurisdiction as the person responsible to act on behalf of the student requesting exemption in place of parent(s).
• You are married, verified by submittal of a certified copy of marriage certificate.
• You are a single parent with dependent children, verified by submission of a copy of birth certificate(s).
• You are in a previously existing domestic partnership, verified by submittal of multiple documents which detail an established domestic partnership or domicile (multiple documents must be submitted from the list at the bottom of page two of the Domestic Partner Agreement form for verification).
• You are a financially independent student or homeowner living at the address supplied on the exemption form, or have dependent children living with you.
• You have attained your 21st birthday prior to the beginning of the semester in which enrollment at UIS is sought.
• You are a veteran returning from at least one year of active duty service in the armed forces.
• You require, by reason of a documented medical necessity, a housing option which cannot be provided by UIS. Submit a detailed statement and rationale from attending physician, for subsequent review and discussion with requisite UIS health and medical staff.
• Requests made based on circumstances other than those outlined herein may be approved by the Director of Housing, subject to appropriate documentation.

Requests for exemption should be accessed below on the required form as instructed, along with all necessary supporting documents. An exemption request without supporting documentation will be considered pending and incomplete until such time as sufficient documentation is received.

Please do not complete this form if you have submitted a housing application/contract. If you have questions, do not hesitate to contact us!