Residence Life FAQs

New applicants are encouraged to submit their applications by May 1. Our office guarantees a space in campus housing to all new applicants who have submitted an application by this date.

Returning students receive housing selection information through their Elmhurst email in January Term, with instructions on how to apply and select their assignments for the following academic year.

We anticipate having space available beyond this date and will do our very best to accommodate your housing request.

After you have submitted your housing application, log on to the myElmhurst Portal and go to My Housing. Send a request to your potential roommate using the menus at the top of the page.

Both roommates must request each other and accept each other’s roommate requests. Students will only be able to send their friend a request if that individual has also already submitted a housing application.

Contact Student Accessibility Services (SAS) to initiate the housing accommodation process at accessibility.services@elmhurst.edu. The SAS office is located in the Learning Center in the A.C. Buehler Library. Requests may be submitted at any time, but we ask that new students send their requests by May 1.

Cureton Hall is accessible on all floors and is available for all students. Schick Hall is accessible on the lower level and is available for all male students. West Hall is accessible on all floors and is available for students with 8 or more credit hours.

Residence hall information (room, building and roommate) will be shared by email in mid-July. All information will be viewable on the My Housing page on the myElmhurst Portal in mid-July.

Bring what you need to feel comfortable and at home on campus. Check our packing list for suggestions.

Linens are not provided for students. Students should purchase Twin XL bedding sheets to fit the bed provided.

Students wishing to bring in a small refrigerator unit can, as long as it does not draw more than 1.5 amps of electricity. We recommend that you communicate with your roommate before you move in to avoid duplicates.

Yes, we encourage you to insure your personal property as the University cannot assume responsibility for loss. If you live with your family, you may be covered by your family’s home insurance policy. Another source available is GradGuard which is conveniently offered during the housing application process. GradGuard is a company that is independent from Elmhurst University, but is a convenient option for those interested.

Niebuhr and Stanger Halls have only gender-specific community bathrooms, one on each floor. Cureton and Schick Halls have gender-specific and gender-neutral bathrooms, one on each wing or floor. Each shower is enclosed with a curtain in all community restrooms. Dinkmeyer Hall, except for the lower level, has a suite-style arrangement, with two rooms sharing a connecting bathroom/shower. In the lower level of Dinkmeyer Hall, there are two gender-specific community bathrooms.

In West Hall, each suite of students has one bathroom shared among the members of the suite. Campus apartments have one bathroom per apartment, and campus houses contain one or two bathrooms.

Every residence hall room on campus includes:

• Extra-long twin bed and mattress
• Desk
• Desk shelf with light and tack board
• Desk chair
• Bookshelf with three shelves
• Dresser with three drawers
• Blinds
• Built-in closets or a wardrobe

View the individual residence halls and housing options for building-specific details.

Yes! Our furniture uses a pin-and-hole design that makes the furniture very easy to rearrange. You don’t even need special tools—all you need are pins (available from your RA or HR) to hold the furniture together when it is stacked.

• View furniture specs and configuration options.

Room dimensions can be found by using the “Links” button on My Housing through the myElmhurst Portal.

Yes! Take a video tour of each hall on our Housing Options page (click on the name of the hall you would like to see).

If you are living in the residence halls or campus apartments, internet service is provided through the residential technology fee.

If you are living in a campus house, you are responsible for your own internet, and you won’t be charged the residential technology fee.

Cureton, Stanger and West Halls are air-conditioned. Cureton and West Halls also have elevators.

Use this format:

Student Name
Elmhurst University
Frick Center – Mailroom
190 Prospect Avenue
Elmhurst, IL 60126

Learn more about the campus mailroom.

You will not be able to see a specific hall or room, but most of our regular campus tours include stops in at least one residence hall.

Every residence hall and apartment building has its own laundry facilities. There is no charge for laundry. Students in campus houses are provided access to a nearby hall to use its laundry facilities.

Room changes can be made throughout the year. Please contact your RA for more details.

We do provide housing for graduate students, who are welcome to apply in the same way that new students do for the Fall Term. We do not currently offer family housing, but please reach out to our office and we will be happy to provide information about local options.

The University does not provide storage space over summer break.

The housing prepayment is nonrefundable. To cancel your housing agreement, send us an email notification by the cancellation deadline of Friday, August 22, 2025, by 4:00 p.m.

For cancellation requests after Friday, August 22, 2025, by 4:00 p.m. (Fall Term), or Friday, January 30, 2026, by 4:00 p.m. (new Spring applicants only), you must formally request a release from the housing agreement.

Students wishing to withdraw from Elmhurst need to do so at the following link: myElmhurst Portal withdrawal page.

The proper departments will be notified when the withdrawal is processed.

Your dining plan will be loaded onto your student ID, or Jaypass, which you will swipe to access the dining hall. Swipe your Jaypass when buying food in any of the Chartwells venues on campus. Refer to the Chartwells FAQ to learn more about the details of your dining plan.

Any unused portion of the dining dollars will carry over from the Fall Term to the Spring Term. If there is a balance at the end of the academic year, the balance is not refunded.

Students residing on campus for January Term (J-Term) are required to purchase a separate dining plan for the entirety of J-Term. Any remaining dining dollar funds on the J-Term plan do not carry over to the Spring Term and will not be refunded.

You can add additional dining dollars on your Jaypass only if you have used all of your dining dollars. Funds can be added at the Office of Student Financial Services in Goebel Hall.

Be mindful of how much you add, as any unused funds at the end of the academic year will not be refunded.

You can change your dining plan only during specific time periods. Sunday, August 31, 2025 is the deadline for your Fall Term dining plan. The deadline for Spring Term is Sunday, February 8, 2026. To change your plan, log into the myElmhurst Portal, choose My Housing, then select My Dining and follow the directions.

Yes. Dining plans are optional for apartment and house residents, but are required for students in residence halls.

Commuter students may add funds on their Jaypass upfront for use at campus dining locations by visiting the Office of Student Financial Services in Goebel Hall. Commuters can also add funds to their Jaypass via TouchNet, located in the Elmhurst Portal. Unfortunately, our office is only able to add dining plans for students with a current housing assignment.