First Year Student Housing

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Welcome Class of 2028 & 2030!

The information below is designed to answer any questions you may have about living on campus during your first year of college at Wilkes University. If you have a specific question and cannot find the answer, please feel free to contact us at 570-408-4350 or reslife@wilkes.edu.

Please note that incoming first-year students are required to either reside on campus or, if within 50 miles from campus, commute from their permanent home where they reside with their parents or legal guardians. Those selecting on-campus living must fill out the 2024-2025 Housing and Dining Contract by June 13, 2024 We will accept first year housing contracts later, but your University Fall Bill may not be accurate until housing assignments are released.

Wilkes University has a two-year residency requirement for all first-year and sophomore students.

In support of student wellness and adjustment to on-campus living, incoming first-year students are required to select the Colonel Gold or Colonel Gold Plus Plan for their first school year. Find out more on the Dining Services page.

In order to receive a housing assignment , you must complete a housing application. This application will require you to affirm the 2024-2025 Housing & Dining Contract. Once you complete the application, you will receive a copy of the Housing & Dining Contract sent to your Wilkes University email address. Applications will be available starting April 15, 2024 and are due by June 13, 2024.

HOUSING AND DINING CONTRACT (.pdf)

Please follow these step-by-step instructions on how to complete your housing contract.

  1. Log on to the Housing Self-Service page external website.
  2. On the new screen, select the Application tab on the side menu bar.
  3. Select 2024-2025 First Year Student Housing Application (Fall 2024).
  4. Follow the flow of the application, starting with an electronic signature and completing all questions.
  5. When your application is complete, select Submit. You should receive an email confirmation to your Wilkes University email. Save this email in the event there is an issue with your application!

If you are interested in selecting housing with several of your fellow students, you will need to create a roommate group before the deadline of July 19, 2024. Provided that roommate requests are mutual (i.e. you send a request to a fellow student and it gets accepted), then we will house that group together.

Please follow these step-by-step instructions on how to create a roommate group.

  1. Log in to the Housing Self-Service page external website.
  2. On the new screen, select the Roommate & Room Selection tab on the side menu bar, then Select Roommates.
  3. Search for your desired roommate(s) with a simple First Name/Last Name and email address search. Your desired roommate will NOT show up if they have not completed their housing application. Check with them to ensure they have completed this step if you do not see your desired roommate when searching.
  4. Repeat these steps for all desired roommates.

All requests will be sent via email to your fellow students. Requests will need to be accepted in order for the roommate group to be formed. Make sure that you check back to your housing portal to ensure your roommate requests have been accepted. All roommate groups must be finalized on or before July 19, 2024!

  • You are not required to form a roommate group in order to be housed. In fact, most students join us at Wilkes University without having a pre-determined roommate group. That is perfectly normal. For all of our students, if there are issues with your roommate, the Resident Assistant (RA) staff will help you work through them.

Students seeking a gender-inclusive roommate group or housing assignment should contact Residence Life at reslife@wilkes.edu to discuss this option.

The Office of Residence Life will alert all new students of their housing assignment and potential roommates by July 26, 2024. We will communicate this information to your Wilkes University email address. If you are not already, now would be a great time to start regularly checking that email. Once you have begun your Wilkes career, University officials will use this email to communicate with you important information!

Residence Halls Amenities FAQ

  • 1 twin bed (mattress and bed frame)
  • 1 desk
  • 1 desk chair
  • 1 dresser
  • 1 armoire or closet, depending on the room
  • Everything that a student finds in a room must stay in the room. Furniture may not be moved from the room, as there are no available storage spaces.

Mattresses in our residence halls are extra-long (36"x80"). Extra-long sheets are the best choice to ensure a good fit!

The Office of Residence Life has partnered with DormCo. to provide our students with a convenient, affordable way to purchase extra-long sheets and bedding items. Proceeds from this program go to the Inter-Residence Hall Council and are used for programming in the residence halls. Please visit the RHL website external website for more information!

The following appliances are permitted in our halls:

  • Alarm Clock
  • Coffee Maker (automatic)
  • Computer
  • Desk Lamp (non- halogen)
  • Fan
  • Microwave
  • Radio/ Stereo
  • Refrigerator (5.0 cu. Ft. maximum)
  • Television

Students are not permitted to bring the following:

  • Crock Pots
  • George Foreman Grill
  • Halogen lamps
  • Heating coils
  • Mini grills
  • Toaster Oven
We have either wireless network or a combination of wireless and ethernet ports in the residence halls. Further information will be given to the student when they arrive on campus during Welcome Weekend! Each residence hall is equipped with wireless internet as well.
Phones are not provided. In most cases, students use their cell phones.
Housekeepers are employed by the University to clean the common spaces: hallways, public bathrooms, and lounges. Any bathrooms that are NOT accessible from the common hallway will NOT be cleaned by our University Facilities staff. They are the responsibility of the student(s) sharing that bathroom.
Washers and dryers are located within the laundry rooms in the residence halls and they are free of charge! We strongly suggest using pod laundry detergent for the machines on campus.

Residence Hall Policies FAQ

Residential students are permitted to have visitors. All residence halls are locked 24 hours a day. Only residents of the building can gain access with their ID card or front door key. Visitors must be escorted at all times and residents are fully responsible for the behavior of their visitors. Additional information about the visitation policy is available in the Student Handbook.

In order to maintain our facilities and manage air quality for students with allergies, pets (other than fish in a 10-gallon or smaller tank) are not permitted in the residence halls.

In support of student health and safety, smoking and vaping are strictly prohibited in all buildings on campus. Smoking outside of University buildings must be a minimum of 6 feet from any entrances.

First-year students are permitted to bring a vehicle to campus. Students may park only in the lot assigned to them. Parking permits are required and applications will be available during the summer. We suggest parking at Ralston Field your first year! Parking is NOT guaranteed and students should not bring a car to campus if they are not issued a parking permit. Please visit our Parking Services page for more information.

Yes! All full-time undergraduate students in their first two years at Wilkes University, who do not commute from the home of their parent or legal guardian, must reside on campus. Students who have been at Wilkes for more than two years may reside off campus. A commutable distance is defined as being no greater than 50 miles away from campus.

Roommate Survival Check List

Listed below are a few common sources of roommate problems. Roommates should discuss these issues at the beginning of the semester, thereby avoiding communication breakdowns during the school year. Roommates must remember that compromise is essential and only by communicating with each other will roommates solve any problems.

  1. Daily schedule — sleeping times, quiet hours, TV viewing, mealtime, study conditions
  2. Housekeeping — making beds, vacuuming, picking up clothes, interior decoration
  3. Locks and keys — getting locked out, leaving the door open
  4. Visitation — friends in the room, parties, privacy, overnight guests
  5. Personal habits — exercising, watching tv while studying, etc.
  6. Phone use — taking messages
  7. Sharing — territorial imperatives, saying "please," respect for other's property
  8. Moods — grouchiness, silliness, depression, taking things out on your roommate, early morning person
  9. Values — prejudice, religion, philosophy, politics

The relationship you develop with your roommate will have a significant effect on your experience of residence hall living. Each residence hall student has the right to expect the following from his or her roommate:

  1. The right to read and study in one's room without unreasonable noise and other distractions.
  2. The right to sleep without undue disturbance from guests of roommates, noise, etc.
  3. The right to expect that a roommate will respect one's personal possessions.
  4. The right to live in a clean environment.
  5. The right to free access to one's room without pressure from one's roommate.
  6. The right to entertain guests with the expectation that guests will respect the rights of the host's roommate and other hall residents.
  7. The right to be free from intimidation and harm.
  8. The right to discuss grievances.

A resident student must accept the responsibility for confronting other residents when those residents have violated his/her rights. If a student has difficulty in doing so, the Residence Life Staff will gladly assist in such matters.