Once a deposit is made to the College, incoming students are sent an electronic packet with a link to the housing application. Once an application is received by Residential Life, it is date-stamped and numbered. During the summer, new students are hand matched with roommates based on living habits, interests, and preferences and assigned to spaces. We take into account all of the information students provide to us, but cannot guarantee all outcomes. That is why it is very important for students to be honest and thorough when filling it out. First-year students are generally assigned to one of three first-year residence halls: Harmon, Hoben, or Trowbridge. Transfer students are generally assigned to one of three upper-class residence halls: Crissey, DeWaters, or Severn. Harmon also houses some upperclassmen. Transfer students may request a first-year building, but placement is not guaranteed. New students typically receive their housing assignment notification via their College e-mail account during July.

There are an extremely limited number of single rooms available for new students, and they do cost more ($350 extra per quarter). Singles are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. If you are interested in a single, it is highly advised that you turn in your housing application as soon as possible. Most first-year students will be housed in double rooms with community bathrooms.

Most bathrooms in our first-year residence halls are community style. However, there are a limited number of semi-private (i.e. shared) bathrooms. Students may specify their preference for this on their housing application. Priority will go to students who have specific needs related to bathroom usage. Note: Students with this configuration are responsible for cleaning their own bathrooms.

If you have specific housing needs based on gender identity/expression, please submit your housing application by the deadline and note those needs accordingly. That is the best way of guaranteeing that they can be accommodated. If you have additional questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to us at reslife@kzoo.edu.

In keeping with the Residential Life Mission and Vision, the Office of Residential Life at Kalamazoo College is committed to making living on campus accessible to all students to help them succeed academically and connect socially. Our office collaborates with the Office of Disability Services to find accommodations that best fit each student’s needs within our residential system.

The College will provide accessible housing to students with disabilities upon receipt of a request for accommodations. The Office of Disability Services will work with students who have special needs when completing housing assignments. This includes emotional support animals.

Housing assignment notifications are sent via students’ College e-mail address by the first week of July. Only those who submitted their housing applications by the deadline will receive their assignment in this time frame.

Housing assignment information can also be found on Hornet HQ

All rooms are required by law to have windows (yes, even on ground floor – Kalamazoo College is built on a hill and so are some of our buildings). The number of windows varies by room (corner room, etc.) and they all have blinds.

No. Students are responsible for purchasing renters insurance or ensuring coverage of their items under a family policy. This was specified in the housing application you submitted.

For information please view the Room Decorations and Alterations Policy.

Mattresses in the residential system are 36 x 79.5, which are larger than standard sized mattresses and require twin extra long sheets. Students are responsible for supplying their own mattress pads, linens, and pillows.

Each residence hall has a laundry room for the residents of that specific hall and machines require the use of a mobile app called PayRange. Please view the Laundry Policy for other important laundry information .

All residence hall rooms have tile floors. Students are allowed to bring carpet, and many students find good quality remnants at local stores when they move in. Students also sometimes choose not to purchase carpet, but bring smaller area rugs from home. Please keep in mind that the College does not allow the use of carpet tape, as it may damage the tile.

Due to the uniqueness of individual rooms, we do not maintain specific room dimensions.

Since our residence halls undergo deferred maintenance and are utilized to house student employees and summer camps, it is not possible for students to view and/or measure the rooms.

A list of suggested items to bring to campus is posted on the Residential Life homepage titled What To Pack.

Please visit the Policies section to view a list of prohibited items. This page also includes a select list of approved appliances.

Please view the Air Conditioners policy for more information.

The College does not provide cable TV in individual residence hall rooms, but each residence hall room is equipped with one Ethernet connection per student and WiFi is available throughout all residence halls.

Each student is provided with a bed, desk, desk chair, dresser, and closet/wardrobe. Visit the Residence Halls page for more information on specific residence hall offerings.

The residence halls open for new students on the Wednesday before the Fall term begins so that all new students can attend Orientation activities to prepare for their time at K. More specific information about dates, times, and check-in procedures is sent to all incoming students over the summer with their housing assignments.

Yes, lottery numbers are called in order during the designated time slot. However, if a student is not present, the next number will be called and the student will need to wait until the end of the session to sign up for a space. For example if a student with number 3 is not present when their number is called, the staff will move on to the next number and the student with number 3 will need to wait until the end of the time slot to sign up.

Students who are interested in single rooms that are not in suites (DeWaters and Harmon) must come to the process during their housing sign up time. If a single is not available then they can be placed on the single room wait list and must return at the end of the process (during the “Late Applicant/People without Roommates” time period) to sign up for a space.

Residential Life staff members are committed to working to meet the housing needs of all students in a nurturing community that values diversity and promotes the dignity of all people. Crissey and Severn residence halls offer gender-neutral suites where students can live with whomever they feel the most comfortable. Students are welcome to go through the general housing process to secure a suite, however, suites are not guaranteed. If you have special housing needs based on gender identity/expression, and feel you need further accommodations or want to look at other options, please contact Adam Kubiak, Associate Dean of Students (269.337.7210 or reslife@kzoo.edu) as soon as possible prior to the housing process. The sooner you contact us, the better able we will be to accommodate your needs. More campus resources for LGBTQAI+ students can be found at the Resources for LGBTQAI+ Students website.

Students must write their own lottery number on their Housing Contract (even if they are signing up with a friend who has a better number). This is how the Residential Life Office verifies that the student is eligible to sign up for housing.

Sorry! Lottery numbers are not transferable. Students may not “give away” or swap lottery numbers.

For fairness for everyone, students are not permitted to sign up earlier than their lottery number or the lottery number of a friend who they are living with (whichever number is better). Also, students should NEVER skip class to come to the housing process! Instead they need to designate a proxy to come in to sign up on their behalf.

Yes! Students may make changes to their proxy plans at any time before the start of the Fall Housing Selection Process. Be sure to communicate with the friend you were originally proxy for and have them submit a new Proxy Form for another student or Residential Life staff to serve as their new proxy.

Students who are interested in living with a visiting international student may express their interest at housing selection and possibly view the roster of incoming visiting international students at that time. The goal of the College is for visiting international students to live with degree-seeking students whose first language is English, so a group of students signing up for a suite may not pull in two visiting international students and put them together in a double room as roommates. In addition, due to the increased cost of single rooms, visiting international students may not be placed in single rooms unless they specifically request it on their housing application.

A limited number of indoor bike storage spots are available to current Kalamazoo College students in good standing. The storage area is located on the ground floor of Trowbridge Hall and students with a reserved space will be granted swipe access to the building to access the bike storage area. Students can rent one bike space for the academic year and must park only in their designated rack space. Bikes must be registered through Campus Safety and storage space must be reserved and paid for through Student Development. Bikes must be locked while in storage with solid U-shape lock (see Campus Safety for specifications). For more information contact Louise Tennant-Filkins in Student Development.