student life hero

Room Selection 2023-2024: For New Students

Welcome

Welcome to Valparaiso University! We are happy that you will be joining our campus starting in the Fall of 2023.

Our eight residence halls and apartment complexes are home to 1,500 undergraduate students. With a six-semester live-on requirement, all first-year, sophomore, and junior students are required to live in approved University housing.

Residency is a key component of the mission of Valparaiso University. The residence halls are central to this effort by providing living and learning experiences that contribute to the growth and development of students while enhancing their overall education at Valpo. Residential Life provides various programs, services, and leadership opportunities, which promote the student learning mission.

Our Halls

What halls do first-year students reside in?

The halls that our first-year students reside in are Lankenau and Alumni. Each hall has the same room size (11.5’ x 13’) and layout.

Lankenau and Alumni Halls have built-in furniture, tile floors, and sinks in the room. Beds are Twin XL bolster beds, which are beds that can be pulled out into a bed or pushed into a couch. In the summer of 2021 Lankenau and Alumni’s first-floor lounges underwent renovations to open and update the spaces for student use. Lankenau has kitchens on each floor lounge while Alumni has one large kitchen in the basement.

What halls do transfer students reside in?

Transfer students live with their class cohort. Upper-class students generally reside in Beacon Hall or Guild/Memorial Halls. There is limited availability in our Promenade Apartments. We try our best to place residents based on preference and hall availability. However, there is more limited availability in our upper-class residence halls for our transfer students as they are assigned after our returning students have selected their housing.

Important Dates

Priority Room Selection Dates

Students who deposit by Friday, April 14 are guaranteed their first choice residence hall between Lankenau Hall and Alumni Hall. Students who deposit by Friday, April 14 will have access to the housing application beginning Wednesday, April 19 to secure your roommate and housing assignment before attending FOCUS orientation in June. 

  • Wednesday, April 19- Housing Application Available with Roommate Search Feature
  • Monday, May 29- Housing Application with Roommate Request Feature Closes (allowing Residential Life to make assignments)
  • Week of Monday, June 5- Assignment Notification Sent to Valpo Email Account
  • Friday, June 9- FOCUS Session 1

General Room Selection Dates

Students who deposit AFTER Friday, April 14 are guaranteed a space in housing, but may not receive their first choice residence hall between Lankenau Hall and Alumni Hall. The housing application will be available to you 48 hours after you deposit.

  • Monday, May 29- Housing Application with Roommate Request Feature Closes (allowing Residential Life to make assignments for students with Priority Housing)
  • Monday, June 5- Housing Application Available with Roommate Request Feature (reopens)
  • Friday, June 23- Housing Application with Roommate Request Feature Closes (allowing Residential Life to make assignments)
  • Thursday, July 6- Housing Assignment Notification

New Student On-Campus Housing Application

As an incoming student, you will complete your New Student On-Campus Housing Application via your Housing Self-Service on DataVU. 

In your New Student On-Campus Housing application, students are asked to provide emergency contact information and housing preferences. Once your On-Campus Housing application is complete, if interested, you will then be able to search for a roommate based on name or living preferences. We encourage students to use the ZeeMee social app to search for roommates. Please note, if you do not request a roommate, you will be paired with an individual using the information supplied on your On-Campus Housing Application.

Roommates

Students will only be able to search for and request a roommate after that person has also completed the On-Campus Housing Application. By completing the On-Campus Housing Application you create a profile with your housing preference information allowing you to be searched by other students. If you cannot find your desired roommate, then they need to complete the On-Campus Housing Application.

Mutual requests for specific roommates are honored when possible. Otherwise, roommates are paired using the information supplied on your On-Campus Housing Application.

Roommate Request Deadlines 

  • Students who deposit by Friday, April 14 are able to request and confirm roommates until 5pm Monday, May 29 when the priority housing application closes. 
  • Students who deposit AFTER Friday, April 14 and complete their housing application prior to 5pm Monday, May 29 are able to request and confirm roommates until 5pm Monday, May 29 when the priority housing application closes. 
  • Students who deposit AFTER Friday, April 14 and complete their housing application between Monday, June 5 and Friday, June 23 must request and confirm roommates by 5pm Friday, June 23. 

To find your desired roommate log into your Housing Self-Service. Under the Room Selection tab, select Select Roommates, you will then be able to search your roommate based on their name. When you find your roommate, you will request them, which will send them an email notification (similar to a Facebook friend request). Your roommate will need to log into their Housing Self-Service to confirm you as their roommate. All students must be mutually matched to be assigned to a space with one another.

First-year students can only select one roommate since all first-year spaces only hold two students.

If you do not have a roommate in mind you can…

  • Search for one based on living and personal preferences provided in your On-Campus Housing Application.
  • Search for one on the ZeeMee social app for college and then request them in Housing Self-Service. 

If you don’t find someone that’s ok, students without matched roommates are paired using the information supplied on your On-Campus Housing Application.

Assignments

Students who deposit by Friday, April 14 are guaranteed their first choice residence hall between Lankenau Hall and Alumni Hall. For those who deposit after April 14, we try our best to place students in their top choice. Due to space availability and hall popularity, we are not always able to assign students to their top choice.

Room assignment information will be sent to a student’s Valpo email account. Along with your assignment, you will receive the name and contact information of your roommate(s) as well as information on move-in & check-in procedures. Room assignments will also be available through a student’s Housing Self-Service (accessible through DataVU).

Important Tips

  • If you have a roommate in mind, please be sure to mutually matched with them by the listed deadlines so we can guarantee placement with one another. 
  • If you have a roommate in mid, MAKE SURE you and your desired roommate have provided the same housing preferences to insure that you are assigned to your desired hall. 
  • Assignments for students who do not have priority housing will be made based on deposit date. With earlier dates receiving preference.

Due to space constraints we are not offering single rooms for the 2023-2024 academic year. 

If you have a Housing Accommodation or an Access and Accommodations Resource Center Accommodation (AARC), contact our office as soon as possible for further instructions regarding your accommodation. Students must submit a Medical/Special Accommodation Request, which includes documentation from a medical professional. Decisions about accommodations are determined by the Access and Accommodations Resource Center (AARC). 

All students with accommodation needs will be assigned in prior to June FOCUS, if paperwork is submitted by the May 29 deadline. Not all halls can accommodate specific accommodation needs. 

Step 1:

As an incoming student who has a medical accommodation, have your provider complete a Special Housing Accommodations form by Monday, May 29, 2023, at 5pm. If you are concerned your paperwork will not be completed on time by your provider, please reach out to reslife@valpo.edu and aarc@valpo.edu to let us know you are engaging in the process. 

If you need a special accommodation, please reach out to the Office of Residential Life (reslife@valpo.edu) by Monday, May 29, 2023 by 5pm, and we can work with you directly on your needs.

Step 2:

Once your medical accommodations form has been completed, it should be sent to the Access and Accommodations Resource Center (AARC) by Monday, May 29, 2023, by 5pm. The form can be faxed to the AARC at 219-464-5086, or can be emailed to aarc@valpo.edu.

Step 3:

The AARC will reach out via email to schedule an appointment to review your medical accommodation paperwork. Once they have reviewed your paperwork, they will notify you of their accommodation decision through your Valpo email and will alert Residential Life so that we can take steps to accommodate your needs. 

Housing assignments will become available early June and students will be notified through their Valpo email account. Students who submit paperwork after the deadline and receive an accommodation may need to be relocated. 

PLEASE NOTE: Your medical/special accommodation accommodates you and not your requested roommate. We will do our best to accommodate you with a requested roommate, however, we have limited spaces with AC, private bathrooms, etc., and need to accommodate students with a need prior to preferred roommate pairings. If you have provided paperwork to the AARC and are actively working with them you will not need to resubmit the paperwork.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact one of the following offices:  

  • Access and Accommodations Resource Center – Contact Christina Hearne
    Christopher Center
    Phone: 219-464-5206
    Fax: 219-464-5086
    Email: aarc@valpo.edu
    Website: https://www.valpo.edu/access-and-accommodations-resource-center/
  • Office of Residential Life – Contact Karen Nelli
    Harre Union, Suite #230
    Phone: 219-464-5413
    Fax: 219-464-5256
    Email: reslife@valpo.edu

Frequently Asked Questions

Once you deposit you’ll receive your ValpoNet account information. 

At first, your password will be your student ID number and you’ll need to change your password through the Account Management System at apps.valpo.edu/ams. Setup your recovery options in case you forget your password. For additional assistance, contact the IT Help Desk.

Once your ValpoNet account has been set up you will then be able to log into datavu.valpo.edu with your credentials.

If your preferences change you are able to revisit the housing application on DataVU.

  • Students who deposit by Friday, April 14 are able to adjust their housing preference until 5pm Monday, May 29 when the priority housing application closes. 
  • Students who deposit AFTER Friday, April 14 are able to adjust their housing preference until 5pm  Friday, June 23 when the priority housing application closes. 

Preferences are not able to be adjusted after the above dates. Students who have a roommate in mind need to make sure they and their roommate have placed the same housing preferences.

If you have priority housing you will need to complete your housing application by 5pm Monday, May 29 to guarantee you are placed in your first preference hall. The housing application will close from May 29- June 5 to allow our office time to assign students with priority housing. We cannot guarantee priority housing placements for students who deposit prior to April 14 who do not complete their housing application by Monday, May 29.

Students with priority housing will have access to the housing application prior to students who will be a part of the general housing assignment process. Students who deposit after April 14 but prior to May 29 will have access to the housing application and roommate request feature so they can match with their desired roommate prior to May 29 and be assigned prior to FOCUS. 

Students who wish to live with students who complete the housing application after May 29 will need to be reassigned, and should reach out to our office at reslife@valpo.edu to notify us of your housing situation. We will do our best to accommodate your request. Due to inventory availability, we cannot guarantee your priority housing hall assignment will be available.  

Students who lose roommates due to reassignment, will be consolidated with another student on the floor they were assigned.

Students who are enrolled in priority housing will be assigned prior to FOCUS. If a student finds a desired roommate at FOCUS, after being assigned a roommate, they should reach out to our office at reslife@valpo.edu to notify us of your housing situation. Due to inventory availability, we cannot guarantee your priority housing hall assignment will be available.  

Students who lose roommates due to reassignment, will be consolidated with another student on the floor they were assigned.

Students who live exclusively in the permanent or primary residence of a parent or legal guardian within 25 miles of the Valparaiso University campus are eligible to adjust their housing status to commuter prior to Friday, June 23. We ask students to complete this process so we can appropriately notify Financial Aid as your cost of attendance will decrease, and may impact your aid. 

Step 1: Complete a Housing Exemption Request 

The Housing Exemption Request application available on your DATAVU>Housing Self-Service.

Step 2: Complete the Commuter Student Agreement

Complete the Commuting Student Agreement Form. Once complete, email the Commuter Student Agreement Form a copy of your parent’s current utility bill, and a copy of their Driver’s license that has the address you will commute from, to reslife@valpo.edu. Once this paperwork is complete, our office will process your commuter form.

If you wish to change to residential status we encourage you to speak with Financial Aid prior to making this decision. Changing your residential status will likely increase your cost of attendance and we would like to make sure your aid is adjusted accordingly. Once confirmed we will work with you individually to get you assigned on-campus. 

Please note, if you deposited as a commuter by April 14, the priority deadline, and change your status to residential prior to May 29 we will do our best to honor your first preference. If you deposit after April 14 you would not be eligible for priority housing.

Building Amenities

Every residence hall has a laundry area, the cost is built into the university room rate. Students are responsible for bringing their own laundry detergent. All washers are high-efficiency (HE) machines.

All our first-year residence halls have two community bathrooms on each floor. The bathrooms include toilets, showers, and sinks. Restrooms are cleaned daily by Building Services Staff. The first floors of Alumni and Lankenau have limited rooms with private bathrooms for upper-class students. Students in these spaces are responsible for cleaning their bathrooms. Beacon Hall is a suite style building where each suite has shared bathroom spaces that are cleaned by our building services staff on a regular rotation.

Limited storage space is located in most residence halls for use by current residents only. Due to limited space, only students from more than 500 miles away from the University are allowed to store belongings and are limited to one 30-gallon storage bin. More information about storage is available here.

Student mail is delivered to the Harre Student Union. A student’s address (unit #) will be sent via email with the student’s housing assignment to their Valpo email account. The student’s mail unit stays the same for as long as the student resides on campus. The mailing address format is:

     Student Name

     1509 Chapel Dr., Unit (number) 

     Valparaiso, IN 46383

The mail center will begin accepting packages for the 2023-2024 academic year beginning August 1, 2023.

Room Amenities

Satellite television is provided to campus residents and is built into your university room rate. Valpo receives a customized channel line-up including entertainment, sports, news, local broadcast and educational content, and our own VUTV. Bring a cable-ready television set and a coaxial cable to connect the television to the outlet in the wall.

Each room is equipped with wired internet (one data connection per room, with the exception of the Promenade Apartments).  If both students of the space wish to use internet students should purchase a All residence halls have wireless network services throughout the residence hall. If residents want to connect to wired internet, they should bring an Ethernet cable. Each residence hall, with the exception of the Promenade apartments, also has a 24-hour computer lab with a printer that utilizes the university’s print quota system.

Hot plates, toasters, space heaters, open heating coil appliances, individual AC units etc. are not permitted in the residence hall rooms. Each residence hall room is outfitted with a MicroFridge an all-in-one combination refrigerator/freezer/microwave oven engineered with Safe Plug technology to save electricity and reduce the risk of overloading circuits. Students do not need to bring a fridge or microwave as one is provided but are responsible for cleaning the unit at the end of the year to the standard it was provided at. Learn more about MicroFridges here

What to Bring

Residence Hall mattresses are twin extra-long. Lankenau and Alumni Halls have bolster beds, beds that pull out and are like a daybed. B

Looking to decorate your residence hall and purchase your room linen and essentials all in one place? We’ve linked materials for our popular “off to college program.” The items in this link are approved for our halls and specially priced for incoming families.

We recommend buying a remnant and cutting it to the size when you move into your room. Carpets cannot go under the beds in Lankenau and Alumni Halls because the frames are secured to the floor. 

What to Bring

  •  Appropriate clothing for the different seasons
  • Bathrobe, towels (hand towels, wash cloths, bath towels), shower shoes
  • Bedding: extra-long twin sheets (39″x80″), blankets, pillows, pillow cases
  • Cleaning Supplies
  • Decorations
  • Ear plugs, headphones
  • Ethernet Cable
  • Fans (there is not A/C in student rooms)
  • Laundry items: basket, detergent, hangers
  • Lock (for your bike and/or computer)
  • Plate, cups, silverware
  • Power strip (UL approved, with surge protector)
  • Rain gear, umbrella
  • Reusable water bottle
  • TV and necessary cables

What Not to Bring

  • Amplified instruments or drum sets
  • Bed risers/lofts
  • BBQ grills, charcoal, lighter fluid, propane
  • Candles, lanterns, smoking devices, or other fire hazardous items
  • Coffee maker (Keurig’s and non-hot-plate Coffee Makers are OK)
  • Extension cords (without an internal circuit breaker)
  • Firearms, knives or other weapons
  • Fireworks
  • Halogen lamps
  • Paintball guns, air-guns, BB guns
  • Pets (except fish, in up to 10-gallon tank)
  • Portable heater or individual AC units
  • Toaster
  • Hoverboards