Residency Requirement
Undergraduates who enter as first-year students through fall admission to Boston and The NUin Program are required to live in university housing while taking classes or on a co-op assignment in the Boston area during their first two years. The residency requirement in place at Northeastern has been developed over time and with consideration.
Residency Requirement Waiver Process
This process indicates that you wish to appeal the residency requirement for first and second year students for both the Fall and Spring semesters. Residency Waivers are only approved for students who can provide the required documentation to support their waiver request. Housing Services collaborates with many campus partners to make the most informed decision possible, in order to support our students and the mission of the university.
Students receiving any form of aid (grants, loans, or work study) should speak with a representative from the Office of Student Financial Services to understand the individual impact of waiving university housing.
Required students who wish to submit a Residency Waiver, can find the form on their Housing Online under Forms and Requests. Students will need to provide a short description of the reason for request following the directions in the form and provide the required documentation for review. If you do not have access to the form, please email housing@northeastern.edu.
Please note, the housing office works with multiple campus partners to review requests, so it can take two or more weeks to be reviewed once all requested documentation is submitted.
Students who are granted a residency waiver for Fall and/or Spring semesters forfeit any guaranteed housing status for future terms and upon approval, active applications for those terms are cancelled. Approved students lose the right to any previously chosen room for those semesters, and should you change your mind and decide to live in university housing, you would need to add yourself to the end of the waitlist for those terms.
That said, if you apply for housing for future years, while you will not be guaranteed through our housing selection process, you will either receive a selection number or be placed on the waitlist.
2025-2026 Review Timeline
Updated deadlines and eligibility criteria for 2025-2026 residency waivers will be available in late Fall 2024.
2024-2025 Review Timeline
Waivers Beginning in Fall | Waivers Beginning in Spring |
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Review Period Begins on a rolling basis in February |
Review Period Begins on a rolling basis in June |
Deadline to submit a new waiver or any supporting documentation is August 1, 2024 for Fall 2024 | Deadline to submit a new waiver or any supporting documentation is December 1, 2024 for Spring 2025. In addition to normal required documentation, confirmation from a co-op advisor of a co-op secured after December 1, 2024 will be required for the waiver to be considered. Break housing charges may be assessed for any waiver processed after December 1, 2024, and you must allow up to two weeks for review from the time all documentation has been submitted. |
Review Period Ends at the start of Fall Move-in in August. | Review Period Ends for fall residents by Fall move-out, and for students without a fall assignment by Spring Move-in in January. |