Off-Campus Authorization
Undergraduate Residential Requirement & General Information
The residential experience is understood to be an integral part of receiving a Vanderbilt education. Our commitment to the residential experience is clearly expressed in the university’s residential requirement that was established by the Board of Trust:
“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 off campus is granted at the discretion of the Director of Housing Assignments and Operations in special situations or when space is unavailable on campus.”
IN ALL CASES, STUDENTS REQUESTING OFF-CAMPUS AUTHORIZATION SHOULD NOT MAKE OFF-CAMPUS LIVING ARRANGEMENTS UNTIL THEY HAVE BEEN OFFICIALLY AUTHORIZED TO RESIDE OFF CAMPUS BY THE DIRECTOR OF HOUSING ASSIGNMENTS AND OPERATIONS. CONTRACTS BETWEEN STUDENTS AND OFF-CAMPUS LANDLORDS AND AGREEMENTS BETWEEN FRIENDS TO SUBLEASE A SPACE OFF CAMPUS ARE NOT VALID REASONS FOR GRANTING REQUESTS FOR OFF-CAMPUS AUTHORIZATION.
For the 2024-2025 academic year:
- Rising 4th-year students or greater are eligible to apply for off-campus authorization.
- Rising 3rd-year students are eligible to sign up for the off-campus authorization waitlist.
- Rising 2nd-year students are not eligible to apply for off-campus authorization or sign up for the off-campus authorization waitlist. All 2nd-year students will reside in on-campus housing.
2023-2024 Off-Campus Authorization Application Process
Housing and Residential Experience is no longer considering requests for 2023-2024 off-campus authorization.
2024-2025 Off-Campus Authorization Application Process – Rising 4th-Year Students or Greater
Housing and Residential Experience anticipates granting off-campus authorization to approximately 650 students for the 2024-2025 academic year.
A random selection process (lottery) is used to grant off-campus authorization. Applications are prioritized as follows:
- First Priority Group: Students entering their 4th year of study or greater with authorization to live off campus for the current (2023-2024) academic year who properly re-apply for 2024-2025 off-campus authorization.
- Second Priority Group: Students entering their 4th year of study or greater for the fall 2024 semester without 2023-2024 off-campus authorization.
How to Apply:
- Step 1 (REQUIRED): Students must complete the Housing Registration online in the Housing Portal between January 8, 2024 at 12 a.m. CST and January 12, 2024 at 6 p.m. CST.
- Step 2 (REQUIRED): Eligible students must complete the Off-Campus Housing Application in the Housing Portal between January 16, 2024 at 12 a.m. CST and January 18, 2024 at 6 p.m. CST.
- Step 3 (OPTIONAL): Applicants in the second priority will have the option to form a roommate group in the Housing Portal with other applicants from their priority group between January 16, 2024 at 12 a.m. CST and January 18, 2024 at 6 p.m. CST.
Late applications will not be considered.
Roommate Groups (Second Priority Group Applicants Only):
After submission of the Off-Campus Housing Application, applicants from the second priority group can form a roommate group with up to two (2) other applicants from their priority group. Forming a roommate group links applicants together in the random selection process. Properly formed roommate groups are either granted or denied off-campus authorization as a group. Students interested in residing off campus with friends are strongly encouraged to form a roommate group. Point average is utilized in the random selection; therefore, individual applicants and roommate groups have the same level of priority.
Off-Campus Authorization Random Selection Process:
Housing and Residential Experience anticipates granting off-campus authorization to all applicants in the first priority group.
After applications are considered from the first priority group, a random selection will be conducted utilizing the point average of all individual/group applicants from the second priority group. As rising 4th-year students or greater, all applicants have 4 points in the housing assignment process. Therefore, individual and group applicants have the same level of priority in the random selection process.
Off-Campus Authorization Random Selection Process Results:
Off-campus authorization decisions for the 2024-2025 academic year will be announced via email on January 19, 2024. Students should not commit in any way to an off-campus property until they have written authorization to reside off campus. Vanderbilt will not reimburse students for application fees and deposits for off-campus accommodations. Students who are denied off-campus authorization are required to participate in the on-campus room assignment process that will begin in late January 2024.
Students who are approved to reside off campus but want to decline the offer in order to reside on campus may do so by January 26, 2024 at 12 p.m. noon CST without penalty.
Additional Information:
Students who intend to study abroad, participate in an out-of-town internship or Capstone, or take a leave of absence for the fall 2024 semester are not eligible to reside off campus and should not request off-campus authorization. Students granted off-campus authorization forfeit their authorization for the entire 2024-2025 academic year if they decide to study abroad, participate in an out-of-town internship or Capstone, or take a leave of absence for the fall 2024 semester, and will be required to reside on campus if they return to Vanderbilt for the spring 2025 semester.
2024-2025 Off-Campus Authorization Waitlist – Rising 3rd-Year Students
In the event that Housing and Residential Experience needs to grant off-campus authorizations, the waitlist will be utilized if the initial applicant pool of rising 4th-year students or greater is exhausted. All rising 3rd-year students are eligible to submit an Off-Campus Housing Waitlist Application.
How to Apply:
- Step 1 (REQUIRED): Students must complete the Housing Registration online in the Housing Portal between January 8, 2024 at 12 a.m. CST and January 12, 2024 at 6 p.m. CST.
- Step 2 (REQUIRED): Eligible students must complete the Off-Campus Housing Waitlist Application in the Housing Portal between January 16, 2024 at 12 a.m. CST and January 18, 2024 at 6 p.m. CST.
- Step 3 (OPTIONAL): Applicants will have the option to form a roommate group in the Housing Portal with other applicants between January 16, 2024 at 12 a.m. CST and January 18, 2024 at 6 p.m. CST.
Late applications will not be considered.
Roommate Groups:
After submission of the Off-Campus Housing Waitlist Application, applicants can form a roommate group with up to two (2) other applicants. Forming a roommate group links applicants together in the random selection process. Properly formed roommate groups are either granted or denied off-campus authorization as a group if the waitlist needs to be utilized. Students interested in residing off campus with friends are strongly encouraged to form a roommate group. Point average is utilized in the random selection; therefore, individual applicants and roommate groups have the same level of priority.
Additional Information:
At this time, there is no specific date for when students may be granted off-campus authorization via the waitlist. Students who submit an Off-Campus Housing Waitlist Application must participate in the housing assignment process and secure on-campus housing. Doing so will not remove students from the waitlist.
If additional off-campus authorizations are needed, a random selection will be conducted utilizing the point average of all individual/group applicants. As rising 3rd-year students, all applicants have 3 points in the housing assignment process. Since point average is utilized in the random selection, individual applicants and roommate groups have the same level of priority in the process.
If additional requests are granted, students will be contacted via email. Students should continue to check their email regularly, including over the summer months. If requests are granted, students will be provided with a specific timeframe to finalize their decision and confirm if they would like to accept the offer.
Prohibited Properties
Undergraduate students authorized to live off campus may not reside at certain properties. The landlords of these properties have failed to support University efforts to enforce good neighbor standards of behaviors by their student tenants. If you live in any of these proscribed properties, your off-campus authorization for the entire academic year will be voided and you may be required to live on campus
As of this writing, students may not live in the following properties during the current academic year:
- 3706 Benham Avenue
- 2527 Blair Blvd.
- 3104 Blakemore Avenue
- 2405 Fairfax Avenue