As a residential college, Hampshire requires most of its students to live on campus. Decisions about exemptions to this policy are made based on seniority and on the number of off-campus spots available, as explained below. Our off-campus policy changed as of fall 2012, so please review the information on this page to ensure you are up to date.

General FAQ

What are the changes to the off-campus policy?
How many off-campus spots are available?
How do you calculate the number of available spots each semester?
Who will get the available off-campus spots?
Does anyone get to automatically live off campus?
I applied and was approved to live off campus, but my situation has changed. Can I return to on-campus status?
I’ve already signed a lease. Will that automatically give me off-campus status?
I’ve got a medical need to live off campus. Should I use this form?

The process for applying to live off-campus is somewhat different throughout the year. We’ve broken it down for you:

March to Mid-April: Before the Lottery Deadline
During the housing lottery (leading up to the spring room-choosing process)

May to Mid-August: Summer
After the housing lottery, but before fall housing freeze

Mid-September toMarch: Mid-Year
After the housing freeze has ended, but before the spring room-choosing process begins

Still have questions? Contact the HOO!

What are the changes to the off-campus policy?

1. Once students are granted off-campus status it is assumed they will be living off-campus for the remainder of the time they are enrolled at the College. There will be no need to reapply each year. Any student who had a housing assignment of off-campus prior to spring 2013 will be "grandfathered" into this policy.
2. Each semester the housing operations office (HOO) will determine how many new off-campus applications can be approved. This means we are able to inform the community of the total number of applications that will be approved prior to the housing lottery in the spring.
3. The Application to Live Off-Campus will only be available via the web from February through mid-August. Students seeking off-campus status beginning in the middle of an academic year must meet with their current house director in order to discuss the possibility of moving.

How many off-campus spots are available?

At current enrollment levels, we can accommodate up to 250 students living off campus. The number of available spots varies each semester because it depends on how many currently enrolled students are already living off-campus. For example, if 225 students are already living off campus, only 25 spots will be available.

We cannot predict the exact number of spots prior to the enrollment notification deadline. We can say that the number of spots is generally quite low for people wishing to move off campus mid-semester or mid-year. Your best chance to get off-campus status is to apply to live off-campus beginning the next academic year as part of the spring housing process.

How do you calculate the number of available spots each semester?

Here is an example of how the process and numbers would work in a fictitious semester:

• 250 students are living off campus during the spring semester.
• After the enrollment notification deadline, we learn 150 of them will be graduating and 50 of them will be going on leave. This leaves 50 students who will continue living off-campus next year
• We learn that 50 students will be returning from leave, field study, or exchange whose most recent housing assignment was off-campus. Therefore, students whose most recent housing assignment was off-campus take 100 of the 250 total off-campus spots.
• A total of 150 applications from current on campus students will be approved.

Who will get the available off-campus spots?

Off-campus spots will be granted based on seniority. Seniority is determined by each student’s number of lottery points. If there are any "ties" (more students with the same number of points than there are available spots) we will use divisional status to determine who gets the spots. Remaining ties are broken by age. Ties existing once all these factors have been considered will be broken by use of a random number generator.

Does anyone get to automatically live off campus?

Students who qualify as "automatically exempt" from the requirement of living on campus are:

1. Students who live with their parents within a 30-mile radius and commute
2. Students who are 25 years old or older
3. Students who are married or meet our domestic partnership criteria
4. Students who have dependent children living with them

These students must complete the Application to Live Off-Campus once to inform us they will be choosing off-campus status.

I applied and was approved to live off campus, but my situation has changed. Can I return to on-campus status?

If you are approved, but your situation changes and you wish to return to on campus housing, please file a Request to Return to Campus Housing form. You may do this at any time. We are committed to housing any student who wishes to live here; however, we cannot guarantee that we will meet your housing preferences.

Students who wish to return to campus housing in the next academic year by participating in the housing lottery must inform the HOO by the enrollment notification deadline in April.

I’ve already signed a lease. Will that automatically give me off-campus status?

No! Don’t sign a lease before you are officially approved for off-campus status. Signing a lease is NOT a criterion used to evaluate a student’s need to live off campus. This could be a costly mistake; if you aren’t approved for off-campus status you will need to pay for on-campus housing.

I’ve got a medical need to live off-campus. Should I use this form?

Students with documented disabilities that warrant living off campus should consult our disabilities services coordinator, Joel Dansky, for off campus consideration. His phone number is 413.559.5423 and his email is jdAC@hampshire.edu


March-Mid-April: Room Choosing Time
During the housing lottery (leading up to the spring room-choosing process)

How do I apply to live off-campus?

To apply for off-campus status that begins in the fall of the upcoming academic year, you must fill out the Application to Live Off-Campus by the deadline (which usually falls in mid-April, about a week before the lottery begins). The majority of our off-campus approvals are given during this time. The application will be available from early February through mid-August; however, if you apply after the spring lottery deadline you will be put on a waiting list and will be considered only if spaces become available.

How do I know if I’ve been approved to live off-campus?

You will receive an email from housing@hampshire.edu letting you know if you’ve been approved to live off-campus or if your name has been added to a waitlist prior to the start of the housing lottery. If you are approved to live off-campus, you are ineligible to participate in the housing lottery. If you are placed on a waitlist, you will receive a lottery points letter.

I’ve been placed on a waitlist; what do I do now?

You should proceed as if you will be living ON campus. If you wish to live in a mod next year, you must form or join a lottery group. You can also form a dorm lottery group if some of your friends will also be staying in the dorms and you’d like to be on the same hall. If you decide to remain on the off-campus waitlist and would take a spot if you were offered one, please inform your fellow group-mates. You should decide as a group who your mod-mate alternates would be in case you are offered an off-campus spot over the summer. Waitlisted students are approved on a "first applied, first approved" basis. Do not sign a lease over the summer unless you have been officially approved for off-campus by the HOO! You will be required to continue paying for on-campus housing if you have not been approved for off-campus status.

I didn't apply prior to the application deadline this semester. Is there any other time I might get approved?

While the Application to Live Off Campus is available from February to mid-August, students who apply after lottery points letters have been distributed will most likely be placed on a waitlist.

I applied and was approved to live off campus, but my situation has changed. Can I return to on-campus status?

If you are approved, but your situation changes and you wish to return to on campus housing, please file a Request to Return to Campus Housing form. We are committed to finding you a housing assignment; however, we cannot guarantee you a space in any specific housing area. This means that you may end up living in the dorms, even if you'd prefer the mods.

Students who wish to return to campus housing in the next academic year by participating in the housing lottery must inform the HOO by the enrollment notification deadline in April.


May-Mid-August: Summer
After the housing lottery, but before fall housing freeze

How do I apply to live off-campus?

Feel free to fill out the Application to Live Off-Campus any time after the spring deadline has passed, but be aware that most of our off-campus spots will already be filled, so you are highly unlikely to be approved. The application will close mid-August and will not re-open until February.

How do I know if I’ve been approved to live off-campus?

New applications will be reviewed and responded to via Hampshire email on a biweekly basis from May-August. If you have not heard from us within two weeks, please contact us at housing@hampshire.edu and include your full name in the email.

I’ve been placed on a waitlist; what do I do now?

You should proceed as if you will be living ON campus. You will keep your fall housing assignment unless the HOO informs you via your Hampshire email that you have been approved to live off-campus. Do not sign a lease over the summer unless you have been officially approved for off-campus by the HOO. You will be required to continue paying for on-campus housing if you have not been approved for off-campus status. The waitlist will be reviewed at the beginning of each month, May-August. Waitlisted students are approved on a "first applied, first approved" basis.

I applied and was approved to live off campus, but my situation has changed. Can I return to on-campus status?

If you are approved, but your situation changes and you wish to return to on campus housing, please file a Request to Return to Campus Housing form. You may do this at any time. We are committed to housing any student who wishes to live here; however, we cannot guarantee that we will meet your housing preferences. The closer to September you tell us, the more likely it is that you will be temporarily housed in a lounge double while we wait for a permanent placement to become available. Generally, all students are moved out of temporary housing by mid-October.


Mid-September-March: Mid-Year
After the housing freeze has ended, but before the spring room-choosing process begins

How do I apply to live off-campus?

You must meet with your current house director and be approved to move. The HOO emails an application to your Hampshire email address if you are approved to move. Permission to move does not guarantee you will be approved for off-campus status. Approvals will be based on the number of off-campus spots we have available at the time.

How do I know if I’ve been approved to live off-campus?

You will receive an email at your Hampshire email address from housing@hampshire.edu letting you know if you’ve been approved to live off-campus or if your name has been added to a waitlist.

I’ve been placed on a waitlist; what do I do now?

You should proceed as if you will be living ON campus. You will be offered appropriate spaces in on-campus housing based on your preferences and what is available at the time. Do not sign a lease or move off-campus. You will be required to continue paying for on-campus housing if you have not been approved for off-campus status. Waitlisted students are approved on a "first applied, first approved" basis.

I applied and was approved to live off campus, but my situation has changed. Can I return to on-campus status?

If you are approved, but your situation changes and you wish to return to on campus housing, please file a Request to Return to Campus Housing form. We are committed to finding you a housing assignment; however, we cannot guarantee you a space in any specific housing area. This means that you may end up living in the dorms, even if you'd prefer the mods.

Students who wish to return to campus housing in the next academic year by participating in the housing lottery must inform the HOO by the enrollment notification deadline in April.

Revised 7/17/13