Residency Requirement
Undergraduates who enter Northeastern as first-year students through fall admission to Boston or Oakland and the N.U.in program are required to live in university housing for their first two years while taking classes or on a co-op assignment in the Boston or Oakland areas. Summer housing is not required.
Beginning in Fall 2027, undergraduates who enter Northeastern as first-year students through fall admission to New York City are required to live in university housing for their first two years while taking classes or on a co-op assignment in the New York City area, and those who enter Northeastern through the NYC Scholars program are required to live in university housing for their second year in Boston. The NYC Scholars program itself is a required residential program. Summer housing is not required.
The residency requirement in place at Northeastern has been developed over time and with consideration. Research has shown that first- and second-year students who live in residence halls have greater academic success; build closer relationships with faculty, staff and their peers; become more involved; and are generally more satisfied with their overall university experience.
Residency Requirement Waiver Information
Students who are required to live in university housing who wish to waive the requirement must submit a Residency Waiver request for review. Residency Waivers are only approved on a limited basis for students who meet specific criteria and can provide the required documentation to support their waiver request. Submitting a Residency Waiver request does not guarantee an approved Residency Waiver, and students must not sign a lease before their initial waiver is reviewed, as you may end up being financially responsible for university housing and your signed lease.
Students who are required to live in university housing in Boston or Oakland who are participating in study abroad or a co-op or university sponsored academic experience outside of Boston or Oakland do not need to submit a Residency Waiver request and should email housing@northeastern.edu as soon as your study abroad, co-op, or academic experience is secured to cancel housing for that specific semester.
Students receiving any form of aid (grants, loans, or work study) should speak with a representative from Student Financial Services to understand the individual impact of waiving university housing to your aid package prior to submitting a Residency Waiver request.
Students who are approved for a Residency Waiver forfeit any future housing requirement or guarantee from that point forward, as well as any previously assigned or selected housing.
2027-2028 Residency Waivers
Please review the process, reasons, required documentation and timelines below if you are considering requesting a Residency Waiver to begin in Fall 2027 or Spring 2028. Having a signed lease is not a reason to be approved for a Residency Waiver for Fall 2027 or Spring 2028, so do not sign a lease before your initial waiver is reviewed, as you may end up being financially responsible for university housing and your signed lease.
Residency Waiver Reasons & Documentation
These reasons are available on the Residency Waiver request form in Housing Online. Please note the brief description of required documentation needed for review for each reason.
Commuting from home
- Confirmation of home address
- Letter from parent/guardian confirming plans and agreeing to terms of residency waiver
Living with a family member
- Family name, address, and relationship
- Letter from parent/guardian confirming plans and agreeing to terms of residency waiver
Financial concern or change in financial status
- Preferred living arrangements with address, names, and relationships
- Students who receive aid: Support from Student Financial Services
- Students who do not receive aid: Change in financial status/proof of demonstrated need
Medical concern
- Register your medical need with Disability Access Services. In order for a medical reason to be considered as a reason to live off campus, the Housing Accommodations team must review it to see if there is a way to house you in university housing. You can find information on how to start that process here: https://disabilityaccessservices.northeastern.edu/incomingandsunregisteredstudents/ or by contacting them directly at DASBoston@northeastern.edu or 617.373.2675.
- Only medical needs that cannot be accommodated within university housing will be approved for a Residency Waiver
- Include the date of your DAS submission in your Residency Waiver submission. Both the Residency Waiver request and DAS registration must be submitted by the posted deadline.
- If you already have an approved Housing Accommodation, you will need to contact your specialist for additional review, as your current accommodation can be accommodated within university housing.
Other extenuating circumstance
Extenuating circumstances outside the above reasons will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and are not guaranteed to be approved. Common extenuating circumstances may be for non-traditional aged or married students. Simply signing a lease off campus does not qualify as an extenuating circumstance and will not be approved.
- Preferred living arrangements with address, names, and relationships
- Additional documentation may be required depending on circumstances
Review Timelines
Waivers Beginning in Fall | Waivers Beginning in Spring |
|---|---|
|
Review Period Begins on a rolling basis in February | Review Period Begins on a rolling basis in September |
| Deadline to submit a new waiver or any supporting documentation is August 1, 2027 for Fall 2027 | Deadline to submit a new waiver or any supporting documentation is December 1, 2027 for Spring 2028. In addition to normal required documentation, confirmation from a co-op advisor of a co-op secured after December 1, 2027 will be required for the waiver to be considered. Break housing charges may be assessed for any waiver processed after December 1, 2027, and you must allow up to two weeks for review from the time all documentation has been submitted. |
Residency Waiver Process
- After reviewing all information on this page, a Residency Waiver request must be submitted by the student in their Housing Online portal along with appropriate documentation. Requests must be submitted by the deadlines noted in the Timelines section above. Deadlines are firm and no requests will be accepted after the deadlines.
- Housing Services staff will review the request and documentation and will consult with campus partners, as needed. At this stage students can be approved, denied, contacted to submit additional information, or moved to a second level of review.
- Students who have been contacted to submit additional information or moved to a second level of review must submit new documentation in their Housing Online portal.
Students who do not submit their initial waiver by the posted deadlines or do not submit required documentation with the initial request or after the initial review will be denied.
Spring 2027 Residency Waivers
Timeline and Review Process
Waivers Beginning in Fall | Waivers Beginning in Spring |
|---|---|
|
Review Period Begins on a rolling basis in February | Review Period Begins on a rolling basis in September |
| Deadline to submit a new waiver or any supporting documentation is August 1, 2026 for Fall 2026 | Deadline to submit a new waiver or any supporting documentation is December 1, 2026 for Spring 2027. In addition to normal required documentation, confirmation from a co-op advisor of a co-op secured after December 1, 2026 will be required for the waiver to be considered. Break housing charges may be assessed for any waiver processed after December 1, 2026, and you must allow up to two weeks for review from the time all documentation has been submitted. |
Additional Residency Requirement and Waiver Information
Required students who wish to submit a Residency Waiver request can find the form in their Housing Online portal under Forms and Requests and follow all prompts. Students who are trying to submit a Residency Waiver request who do not have access to the form should email housing@northeastern.edu for access.
Students who are approved for a Residency Waiver will not be guaranteed a space for the current or future years if your plans change and you are interested in university housing. In the current year, students can apply for the waitlist for any respective terms that have been cancelled due to Residency Waiver. For future terms, students are eligible to apply during the annual Housing Selection & Placement Process and will either receive a selection number or be placed on the waitlist if applying by the deadline. After the deadline, students can apply for the waitlist.
If your reasoning and initial documentation pass the first round of review for one of the approved Residency Waiver reasons, you may be asked to provide a signed legal lease for the secondary level of review. Please note in Boston this includes having no more than 4 undergraduates on the lease. Only at this stage in the process should you sign an off-campus lease.
This information does not apply to students during an N.U.in semester, the New York City Scholars year, or the London Scholars year. For information about residency requirements for these programs, please visit the program-specific pages below:
- London Scholars: londonscholars.northeastern.edu
- New York City Scholars: nyc.scholars.northeastern.edu
- N.U.in: nuin.northeastern.edu
