What is Specialty Housing?

  • Specialty Housing is designated housing for Living Learning Communities, Gender Inclusive Housing, Family Housing and special accommodations for health and/or religious purposes.
  • Students have a variety of Specialty Housing options to choose from to accommodate preferences or needs. There is NO Homesteading Options (remaining assigned to your exact same space next year).
  • The Specialty Housing Options include:
    • Gender Inclusive Housing
    • Family Housing - Sunflower Court (limited availability)
    • Students Transitioning for Academic Retention and Success (STARS)
    • Necessary Steps Mentoring Program (NSMP)
    • Pre-Nursing Pathways
    • Leadership 4 Life (L4L)
    • Capital Scholars Honors Program (CAP)

How Do I Sign Up for Living Learning Communities or Specialty Housing?

  • Students who want to live in Living Learning Communities and other Specialty Housing (Family Housing, Gender Inclusive, etc.) are required to complete the application/contract by the Specialty Housing deadline. Please choose your preferred living learning community or specialty housing selection on your housing application/contract.
  • Residence Life Student Staff (ARD's, RAs, DAs, etc.) must also complete an application/contract by the Specialty Housing deadline. 

How Do My Friends and I Sign Up as a Group? 

  • You must search by the University Identification Number (UIN, all nine digits) for each of the students you want to sign up with. Only mutual requests will be considered as a group. There are NO mixed groups for Second Year students (current freshmen students) with Junior or above students (current second year, junior or above students).
  • Groups must sign up for the same room, as availability permits. Members will not be allowed to choose separate rooms unless there are no longer any spaces together on campus.

Do I Need A Meal Plan?

  • Second Year residents must purchase one of the residential meal plans.
    • Silver Plan - Residential Meal Plan
    • Gold Plan - Residential Meal Plan
    • Signature Plan - Residential Meal Plan
  • Failure to select a meal plan will cause a meal plan default selection for the Silver Plan for residence hall residents. 
  • Residents of campus apartments and townhouses who are second year or returning residents may purchase any meal plan offered by UIS. 

What Rooms will be Available within Room Selection?

  • Second Year/Sophomore students with Access Times will be able to select spaces within Founders Residence Hall.
  • Returning, Non-Residency Required Upperclassmen students will be available to select spaces within East Campus and West Campus.
  • Clover Court 100, Clover Court 200 and Sunflower Court will NOT be available for upperclassmen students to select for Fall 2024.
    • Spaces in these areas may be available to process reassignments for Spring 2025.

Why Am I Not Able to Select a Specific Room?

  • Second Year/Sophomore students will be able to select their assignment during their designated Room Selection Time. There will be several residence hall spaces available for selection. If a Second Year resident applied for Specialty Housing, or did not apply by non-Specialty Housing deadline, they will not be able to select a space. 
  • You have the opportunity to select other Second Year/Sophomore students as your roommates.**

**See section on signing up as a group

How is My Room Selection Access Time Determined?

  • If you are a Junior, Senior, or Graduate Student your access time will be determined based on an automated lottery, completed by our Housing Management System - for those students without Specialty Housing assignments. 
  • If you are a Second Year/ Sophomore, your Room Selection process will be the same as the above section detailed.
  • You will have access beginning at your designated time and continuing until the end of the Room Selection process. You may select your space at any point during your designated access period. 

What If I Turn 21 Prior to the Start of the Fall Semester as a Second Year Resident?

  • Second Year residents turning 21 prior to the start of the Fall Semester, is the standard for reassignments into Upperclassmen housing options.

What If I Want Summer Housing? 

  • Summer Housing rate will be $215 per week for private bedroom housing and $275 per week for family housing. 
  • All non-family housing will be located in East Campus. 
  • A separate summer housing application/contract will become available on April 1st, following the Room Selection Process. 
  • There is no on-campus summer storage option available. Please visit our website for suggested storage options.

What If I Want to Cancel My Submitted Application/Contract?

  • If you submit an online application/contract for the Fall semester and change your mind before the Non-Specialty Housing deadline, you can email reslife@uis.edu to let us know that you wish to cancel your application/contract. Once you do this you are no longer bound to the contract – unless you are a residency required student (Second Year/Sophomore student). 
  • If you submit an online application/contract for the Fall semester and change your mind after you have completed the Room Selection Process, you must meet the criteria for cancellation according to the electronically signed terms and conditions of the Housing Contract. The cancellation criteria is listed on the Cancellation Request Form. 

What if I Do Not Apply by the Non-Specialty Housing deadline? 

  • After the Non-Specialty Housing deadline, you can still apply online for on campus housing. You will need to contact the Department of Residence Life to permit accurate application/contract access. 
  • All late applicants will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis after the online Room Selection access. 

Important Reminders

  • Your housing contract is for the entire Academic Year. If you know that you will be studying abroad or completing an internship in the Fall semester, you can choose not to sign up for housing until you return. If you do not reapply for housing, your deposit will be refunded upon checking out in May (non-residency required students only).
  • If you plan on graduating in December or studying abroad in the Spring semester, these are approved reasons for contract cancellation, and you may cancel the Spring portion of your housing contract near the end of the Fall semester. You will receive information from your Area Coordinator, as the fall semester ends/closes. The cancellation timeline and criteria is listed on our website.
  • Every reasonable consideration will be given to your preference for housing accommodations, room, and roommate(s). However, your contract is for residential space at University of Illinois Springfield and not for a particular accommodation, room or roommate. If you are a non-residency required student and do not reapply for housing, the Department of Residence Life will not reserve a space for you for the Fall semester.