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Housing and Residential Experience

First-Year Student Housing

*Policies are subject to change due to health and safety protocols.

Residential Requirement

Vanderbilt University is a residential campus for undergraduate students, and the residential experience is understood to be an integral part of a Vanderbilt education. This commitment to residential education is clearly expressed in the University’s residential requirement:

“All unmarried undergraduate students are required to live in residence halls on campus during the academic year, May session, and summer sessions. Authorization to live elsewhere is granted at the discretion of the Director of Housing Assignments in special situations or when space is unavailable on campus.” (Student Handbook)

The Martha Rivers Ingram Commons

The Ingram Commons is part of the Residential College system. All first-year students are randomly assigned to one of the ten first-year houses on the Martha Rivers Ingram Commons. While the majority of spaces are double rooms, several of the houses contain triple rooms and a limited number of single rooms. View more information about the houses here.

A helpful guide that can assist you as you prepare for your move in can be found here.

First-Year Student Housing Application

The First-Year Student Housing Application will be available in the Housing Portal in early April 2025. Please note, students will not be able to access the Housing Portal until early April 2025. All incoming first-year students are required to submit an application. The deadline to submit an application is June 1, 2025. To complete the First-Year Student Housing Application, please log in to the Housing Portal with your VUNet ID and password after the application opens in early April 2025. If you have just recently claimed your VUNet ID, there will be a delay between claiming the VUNet ID and being able to log in to the Housing Portal.

Please see steps below for logging in and filling out the housing application. If you are unable to access the housing portal, please contact Housing.

  1. Go to the Housing website on a computer (not your cell phone)
  2. Locate “Important Information” on the right side of the website
  3. Click “Housing Portal”
  4. You will be prompted to log in with your VUNet ID and password. Please note, there is a delay of 5 business days between claiming your VUNet ID and being able to log into all systems. If it does not work initially or you receive a message that says “invalid password”, please try again in 5 business days.
  5. After logging in, you will be prompted to log in to DUO to authenticate your log in. Please make sure you have downloaded DUO prior to logging in. If you are running into DUO issues, please review this document.
  6. Once in the Housing Portal, click “Applications”
  7. Click “First-Year Student Housing Application”
  8. Sign the 2025-2026 housing contract
  9. After signing your housing contract, you will be redirected to sign up for renter’s insurance with GradGuard
    1. If you prefer to use a different insurance provider, you will have the option to decline coverage. Once you either purchase or decline coverage with GradGuard, you will be redirected back to the Housing Portal to complete your registration.
  10. Completing the living habits questionnaire
  11. Submit your application

Vanderbilt matches first-year students with consideration of their responses to a short list of questions included on the first-year housing application.  We believe an assignment process that facilitates diverse roommate pairings, rather than one in which students select their own roommates based on preexisting relationships, has important educational benefits and is consistent with the university’s commitment to fostering an inclusive campus community.

First-year students are permitted to submit roommate requests.  Prior to requesting a specific roommate, students are encouraged to have open and frank conversations regarding living habits and preferences.  Each student in the pair must request the other in order for the request to be considered.   Please note we cannot guarantee that roommate requests will be honored.  The deadline to submit roommate requests is June 15, 2025.

First-Year Student Move-In & Important Dates

First-year student move-in will occur on TBD. Students will be provided with a specific move-in time between 7 a.m. and 12 p.m. with their room assignment information. First-year international students should plan to move-in on TBD to participate in International Student Orientation. Room assignment information will be e-mailed to all incoming first-year students on or around August 1, 2025. Prior to move-in day, we will be preparing the halls for your arrival and as a result, will not be able to accommodate early move-in requests. Please plan your travel to Nashville accordingly. Additional information regarding the first-year move-in experience can be found here. 

As you plan for travel throughout the academic year, important dates can be found here. Information regarding break housing will be released prior to the start of each break period. Please contact Housing if you have any questions regarding upcoming dates.

Student Renter’s Insurance Requirement

As noted in the Housing Contract, the University is not liable for damage to property or injuries arising out of a resident’s occupancy of their assigned rooms, except if such damage or injury results from negligent acts or omissions by the University.

As a resident, you are liable to the University and others for loss or damage caused by your actions or those of your guests. You are required to maintain adequate property and liability insurance that includes the following:

  • Personal Property Insurance: covering the students belongings while on campus, with a limit adequate to repair or replace the student’s personal property in the event of loss, damage, or theft.
  • Personal Liability Insurance: with a limit no less than $100,000 and include coverage for student caused water damage or fire damage to adjacent spaces.

These insurance requirements are minimum requirements only. The university does not warrant or represent that this coverage will be adequate or sufficient to protect you or your guests from liability. We recommend that you discuss your specific insurance needs with an authorized insurance agent. Required insurance may be provided by a standalone Renter’s Insurance Policy or by endorsement or extension from a Homeowners Insurance Policy maintained by you or by a Parent/Guardian/Family Member.

Fully compliant renters’ insurance may be obtained from:

Official Notice

Admission to the University does not guarantee assignment to a particular type of room, residence hall, or area of campus. First-year students may be assigned to singles, doubles, or triples. Further, the University population is fluid, and demand for housing may change considerably in a relatively short time. In circumstances in which the number of first-year students enrolled exceeds the number of spaces for them on The Commons, it may be necessary to house students in alternative accommodations (such as study room on residential floors in first-year or upper-division halls or in other spaces available on campus) for a few weeks, for a semester, or for the entire first year.