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Housing FAQ

By living in our residential communities, students are not only supported in their academic pursuits, but are also challenged to grow as individuals who will be successful in assuming their civic responsibilities after their Saint Louis University experience.

SLU’s Department of Housing and Residence Life is dedicated to making that process as smooth as possible. Should you have additional questions, please contact us at 314-977-2811 or reslife@slu.edu.

General Questions About SLU Housing

How is housing assigned to incoming students?
First-year students indicate their housing and roommate preferences on the housing contract that is available via mySLU after a tuition deposit is made. Every effort is made to accommodate those preferences as assignments are made over the summer.

When do returning students apply for housing?
Upperclassmen can start to sign up for housing as early as fall of the previous year. Students are contacted at their SLU email account with notifications about the returning student housing process. Assignments are made in the spring.

Can I tour a residence hall room at SLU?
You can tour a dorm room at SLU during your visit to campus or during SLU 101. Floor plans and more specific information are available here.

What furniture comes standard in a room?
Each person is provided one bed (9-inch memory foam mattress sizes: standard-size twin in Marguerite and extra-long twins in all others), one desk, one desk chair and one dresser. Some buildings have rooms with built-in closets or movable wardrobes. The apartments have additional furnishings.

Are reassignments given for roommate disagreements?
There is a brief period during the fall and spring semesters when current students can meet with residence hall coordinator to discuss room reassignment options. Typically, room reassignments are not made outside of this period.

Roommate conflicts and disagreements are normal and expected to occur from time to time. SLU’s residence hall staff members will work with roommates who are having difficulties communicating or getting along by helping draft a roommate agreement or resolving conflict through mediation.

Moving In and Out

When is move-in?
At. SLU, Fall Welcome begins five days before the beginning of classes. Residence hall floor or apartment area assignments will determine which day a student will move in during that time. More details are available as Fall Welcome approaches.

Can beds be lofted?
Loft kits are available through Bedloft.com. Futons, microfridges and additional items also can be rented or purchased there.

What items are not allowed in SLU’s residence halls?
A full and complete list of restricted items is available in the Housing and Residence Life Handbook.

When is checkout after final exams?
Students are expected to checkout within 24 hours of their last final exam, and all students are expected to move out by 8 p.m. on the last day of final exams. Students who are unable to checkout at that time should contact their residence hall coordinator to request an extension.

Can items be stored over the summer?
Hazzard Moving and Storage provides a summer storage plan through which students can leave packed items in their residence hall room at the end of the year. Hazzard will remove them and store them for the summer, and then deliver them to the student’s fall room assignment.

How are damages handled?
Damages or checkout fees determined to be the responsibility of a student may be billed to the student's University account. Any damage appeal must be submitted via our online form, which is only active during the appeal period after each semester.

Residence Hall Hours and Safety

How secure are SLU residence halls and apartments?
All of our residence halls and Marchetti Apartments are locked 24 hours a day. Visitors must check in at the front security desk and be escorted at all times. (The Village and Grand Forest Apartments do not have front desks.)

Security cameras monitor the buildings and can be accessed by hall staff and SLU’s Department of Public Safety. Sprinklers and smoke detectors are present in all apartments and residence halls.

How are SLU residence halls and apartments staffed?
More than 300 staff members, including resident advisers, security desk staff, learning community mentors, professional live-in residence hall coordinators, graduate hall coordinators, campus ministers and administrative support staff help provide support for your student living on campus.

What are the standards of conduct in SLU’s residence halls?
We expect students to be responsible and involved citizens in their residential community. Each student living on campus should review the most recent Housing and Residence Life Handbook and the Student Handbook of Community Standards (Code of Conduct).

Do SLU residence halls have a curfew? What is the policy on guests in the rooms?
There is no curfew. Different residence halls have different policies regarding visitation, but all buildings have the same visitation times.

All guests must be registered at the security desk and be escorted at all times.

What needs to be removed from rooms during breaks?
Generally, nothing needs to be removed from SLU residence halls during Thanksgiving, winter and spring breaks but we do recommend students take home any valuable items.

Are there any options for housing during academic breaks at SLU?
Only SLU’s campus apartments and Marguerite and Spring halls stay open during Thanksgiving, winter and spring breaks. If you need to stay on campus during breaks, it is highly recommended that you request to live in these facilities.

Meals, Mail and Employment

Can SLU meal plans be changed?
Meal plan changes may only be made within the first three weeks of each semester. To change your meal plan, log into your mySLU account, select the "Tools" tab, select "Banner Self-Service", select the "Student" tab. Click on "Meal Plan Change Request." Your meal plan options will be listed in the drop-down menu.

Is there a price difference between the All Access, Block 125, and Block 80 meal plans?
These three meal plans each offer a different combination of dining hall meal swipes and Flex dollars for you to choose from. First time freshmen are automatically enrolled in the All Access plan; all other students living in the residence halls can choose from any of these three plans, which are included with the cost of room and board. For an additional $170, the Block 25 voluntary meal plan provides 25 more meal swipes that do not expire.

What is the difference between "meal swipes," "Flex" and "Bonus Flex"?
A meal swipe can be used at SLU’s all-you-care-to-eat Grand Hall dining hall, as well as Reinert dining hall, Billiken Club and Grill, Qdoba, Grill Works and Subway, where you may swipe for meal exchanges from 5 to 10 p.m. on Monday through Thursday. Flex points are used to purchase food at all DineSLU retail locations and transfer from the fall semester to the spring semester. Any remaining Flex at the end of the spring semester will be forfeited. Bonus Flex is purchased in addition to a meal plan and does not expire.

Where can I add Billiken Bucks?
Students, parents and guests can add Billiken Bucks and Bonus Flex 24-hours a day using a credit or debit card. You can also check meal plan, Flex and Billiken Bucks account balances, and view transactions.

How do students living on campus receive mail?
All residential students receive their mailbox assignment with their room assignment. You may may keep the that same mailbox for the entire time you live on campus. Students who live off campus can pay for a mailbox at the rate of $40 per year.

SLU student mail is delivered to the mailroom at the rear of the Busch Student Center via Student Mail Services. Mail should be addressed using the following format:

Student first and last name
20 N. Grand, MSC Box ________
St. Louis, MO 63103

Students who receive a package will get a slip in their mailbox and can pick up the item from the mailroom.

Can students work at SLU’s residence halls?
SLU employs many students as resident advisers, front desk staff and more. Visit Career Services for a listing of available positions.