Housing and Residence Life

Residential students who have not completed three years living on-campus are expected to participate in housing selection.

Rising fourth-year and fifth-year students may participate in housing selection.

To be eligible to participate in the 2024-25 housing selection process, students must:

• Read, agree to and electronically sign the 2024-25 Housing and Dining Services Contract on or before Friday, March 1, 2024.
  • Students who submit a contract late may not be permitted to participate in room selection and they will be administratively assigned by University Housing.
• Register as a full-time undergraduate (12 credits or more) for the fall 2024 semester.
• Be in good standing with the Business Office. Any delinquent accounts may cause you to be ineligible to participate in the housing selection process.

• The contract is for one complete academic year.
• We expect students will participate with honesty and integrity during the housing process.
• University Housing reserves the right to interpret any and all rules as it relates to the housing process.
• These rules pertain to the 2024-25 housing selection process only.
• Students who currently live off-campus are not eligible to participate in the housing process. They may sign their contract online and room assignments will be considered after the selection process has concluded. 
• Students who were unable to select their preferred or backup room type should contact housing for assistance.
• Students who want to have a random roommate or random room assignment should contact housingdamin@cnu.edu to notify us of this and include any housing preferences you would like us to consider.

Deadline: Friday, March 1, 2024

To sign your contract:

• Visit myCNU, 
• Select MyLinks,
• Select Housing,
• Login using the link at the top right corner,
• Then click Live on Campus in the menu at the top of the page and follow the prompts. 

Other tasks (if applicable):

• Renew or request housing accommodations through Accessibility Support
• Return completed Room Retention Request Forms
• Apply for a James River Theme Unit designed for 10-15 people which includes a full kitchen and two bathrooms in the unit where each bathroom has multiple fixtures. 

Note: The online contract process may remain open for late contracts, however participation in roommate searches and room selection may be restricted. If the online contract process is no longer available, please submit a contract acceptance form to housingadmin@cnu.edu from your university email.

March 19 through March 22, 2024

Time tickets are sent to your university email address the evening of March 14, 2024.

Room availability is published the afternoon of March 18, 2024 and will be updated throughout the selection.

Selection Sequencing and Timeframes

March 19, 2024, starting at 11 a.m
Rising seniors who are current PLP, Honors, Commitment to Serve Scholarship recipients, and Community Captains
March 20, 2024, starting at 7a.m.
Rising juniors who are current PLP, Honors, Commitment to Serve Scholarship recipients, and Community Captains
March 21, 2024, starting at 7a.m.
Remaining rising juniors
March 22, 2024, starting at 11a.m.
Remaining rising seniors and fifth year students

Reminders/Notes

Timeslots are extended this year and selection covers multiple days to allow you more time to adjust roommate groups to match availability, ask questions if needed, and to allow updates throughout the process. If you have conflict with your time ticket, please contact Housing Administration at housingadmin@cnu.edu for assistance. 

Many units are 4-person units. If you are not finding your preferred room type, be prepared to adjust your roommate groups quickly while room selection is open. 

A few alternative options to keep in mind:

Groups of five or six may want to consider James River apartments where some units include one or two shared bedrooms. These units will be available through the regular room selection process. 

Groups of two should plan to work with another group of two in order to fill a full four-person apartment, or consider James River apartment spaces. 

Contact housingadmin@cnu.edu with any questions.

March 26 through March 28, 2024

Time tickets are sent to your university email address the evening of March 14, 2024.

Room availability is published the afternoon of March 25, 2024 and will be updated throughout selection.

Selection Sequencing and Timeframes

March 26, 2024, starting at 11 a.m
Students who are both PLP and Honors
March 27, 2024, starting at 7a.m.
PLP, Honors, Commitment to Serve Scholarship recipients, and Community Captains
March 28, 2024, starting at 7a.m.
Remaining rising sophomores

Reminders/Notes 

Time tickets are extended this year and selection covers multiple days to allow you more time to adjust roommate groups to match availability, ask questions if needed, and to allow updates throughout the process. If you have a conflict with your time ticket, please contact Housing Administration at housingadmin@cnu.edu for assistance. 

Most units are 4-person units. If you are not finding your preferred room type, be prepared to adjust your roommate groups quickly while room selection is open.

If your preferred room type or building is not available, it is often better to still make a selection during the room selection process.

Contact housingadmin@cnu.edu with any questions. 

Students who did not select a room will be placed based on time ticket order and remaining availability.

If you did not find your preferred space and would like to change units in the event your preferred space becomes available please email housingadmin@cnu.edu.

Students eligible to participate in the Housing Process will receive an individual appointment time (AKA a time ticket). Appointment times are randomly generated and indicate the date and time during which that student can log into the online housing portal and make the room selection for their roommate group. Appointment times will be generated and sent in a message to the student's CNU email address.

Students who choose not to join a roommate group will still receive an appointment time. Please email University Housing if you choose not to join a roommate group and include any roommate and room preferences. University Housing will manually complete room assignments for students who prefer a random room assignment.

If you have a conflict and must switch your time ticket with a member in your group, you may make that request by emailing housingadmin@cnu.edu.

Students should determine with whom they would like to live and form a group through the online housing portal used to sign their contract. Once time tickets are issued, students should compare individual appointment times and determine who in the group has the earliest date and time. This is the time the group will log into the online housing portal and make a room selection.

Groups must consist of students with the same legal sex.

Rising third-,fourth- and fifth-year residents cannot form groups with rising second-year residents.

Any group member can select a room on behalf of all members of the group; however, all members must have requested and confirmed one another.

Students are encouraged to have alternative group plans at the time of room selection. In the event their preferred room size is unavailable at the time of selection, an alternative option will be needed. Students will not be permitted to forego their housing obligation because their preferred room configuration was unavailable.

During the housing process, all apartments and suites must be filled to 100% capacity. For example, a group of three students must select a three-person unit and will not be given the option to select a four-person unit. Students will select an individual space (room) within a suite- or apartment-style unit and must occupy the selected space.

Rising third- and fourth-year residents will select from apartment-style units in James River Hall, CNU Apartments, CNU Village, Rappahannock River Hall and Presidents Hall. The optimal group size is four students, although two-, three- and five-bedroom units are available in small numbers.

Rising second-year residents will select from suite-style units available in:

• Potomac River Hall South and James River Hall (optimal group size of four)
• Warwick River Hall (optimal group size of four, with some five- and six-bedroom options)

During the housing process, room availability changes as units are selected. There is the possibility that units that match your group size are no longer available when you go to make a selection.

If a group is unable to select a room because there are no available units for the group size, the group members will have to:

• Break into smaller groups
• Add another student, or group of students, to create a larger group
• Request to be placed as individual students in accordance with the procedure below

Information regarding residence halls, room layouts and floor plans are available on the Residence Halls page.

Students who are not part of a group may request to be placed as an individual in any available space as determined by University Housing. At the conclusion of the housing process, open room spaces will be filled in the order of the student's time ticket and room assignment preferences will be considered when making a room placement.

Room retention allows current residents living in certain locations the opportunity to keep their current unit and room assignment through the summer and for the following academic year. Retention policies are revised periodically and may change.

Room retention from spring 2024 to fall 2024 is available to current spring 2024 residents living in East Campus and Rappahannock. Students in these locations may submit a room retention form for their unit provided they meet the full criteria listed in the form.

Eligibility highlights for 2024:

• Rapahannock, Harrison, Jefferson and Madison may be retainable when the unit is being retained by at least 51% of its intended occupancy
  • Extended Apartment Style Retention Form
• Remaining East Campus locations may be retainable when the unit is being retained by 100% of the current occupants and there are no vacant beds in the unit.
  • Apartment Style Retention Form
• Note: Retention eligibility criteria varies from building to buliding and from year to year.

The time between occupancy periods is not already included in academic year housing and dining contracts. When students request and are approved to retain, they add this occupancy period to their contract which is billable for all residents in a retained unit. Please review your respective retention form for additional details and cost information.

Residents who are approved to retain must remain in the same currently assigned unit and bedroom and cannot switch rooms. In limited locations, residents may be eligible, and responsible, to fill any beds not retained in the unit. When a unit is retained, the retaining residents are required to keep common areas of the unit clean and ready for any new resident joining the retained unit. Move-in for any new resident joining the retained unit will be the fall move-in date for that building. Early arrival for a new resident may be considered but cannot be guaranteed.

Note: Room retention options and contract terms are reviewed annually by University Housing. Eligibility and requirements to retain are determined based on the anticipated housing needs of the university. Therefore, the room retention options and contract terms may be subject to change and may or may not be different in any future housing selection process.

Retention, Eligibility, retainable buildings, and requirements are subject to change.

Units in Greek Village or CNU Landing may be eligible for retention provided the students in the unit meet the same retention eligibility requirements and the students are assigned to the same unit through the Greek room assignments process.

Special-interest housing in James River Hall is available for Recognized Student Organizations (RSOs) and groups of students who share common interests and whose stated goals and objectives can be enhanced through a shared living environment.

Three theme units are located in James River Hall and can be single or mixed-gender. Each unit is designed to accommodate 10 residents as single rooms, or you can increase the occupancy up to a maximum of residents (5 double rooms and 5 single rooms). Theme Units remain part of the larger residence hall community and are bound by the same policies and regulations.

Priority consideration will be given to RSOs and groups of students in good standing who demonstrate a history of success and positive contributions to the Christopher Newport University community. Student academic success and past behavior may be taken into consideration when making roster selections for the special-interest housing/theme units. Letters from faculty/staff/advisers in support of the RSO or group are encouraged but not required.

Any individual wishing to occupy a theme unit must submit the corresponding Housing and Dining Services Contract. A Theme Unit Application must also be submitted to the Office of Residence Life in DSU 3125, according to the prescribed contract acceptance due date listed in the application.

For questions, or for the theme unit application, please contact reslife@cnu.edu.

Students who are participating in a university-approved study abroad program, or eligible internship, are held to the same three-year residency expectation and are offered housing upon their return to the university.

Students studying abroad or participating in an eligible internship during the spring semester are eligible to participate in the housing selection process if they meet these requirements:

• Programs approved by the Office of Study Abroad and International Programs, or provide proof of an eligible internship.
• Submitted a contract acceptance online by the due date listed above.

Students who will participate in a fall study abroad program or eligible internship do not participate in the housing selection process. Upon returning to campus for the following spring, students are expected to complete their three years living on campus and must submit a contract acceptance form to housingadmin@cnu.edu. While we are unable to hold a specific room or guarantee a specific room type for that following spring term, University Housing will work with your preferences to help find the best match with the available spaces.

Reminder: Students who are studying abroad or participating in an eligible internship during housing selection must complete the steps by the due dates above, and they must confirm all members of their roommate group through the online housing portal.

Students who will graduate in December of the next academic year can participate in housing selection as long as they have met the eligibility requirements. They are required to submit a Withdrawal From Residential Housing Form to University Housing by December 1 in order to cancel their contract for the spring semester and required to vacate at the end of the fall semester.

Please refer to the Housing and Dining Services Contract for additional details and terms applicable to December graduates.

Rising second- and third-year students who have not received an exemption must participate in the housing process even if they are still pursuing a fall internship or their plans for next year are uncertain. This requirement is to ensure a housing assignment is in place in the event the internship or other plans do not occur.

Students expected to live on-campus who do not select a room during the housing process will be administratively placed in a space. These students will not be given the option to request a roommate or select a residence hall. These students will be assigned based on their residential year and will be notified of their placement by University Housing.

Students who have completed three years living on campus or received an exemption and complete the contract or submit a Contract Acceptance Form but do not select a room during the housing selection process will be assigned as spaces become available.

Students who have completed three years living on campus or received an exemption and wish to cancel may do so per the terms of the housing contract. Full cancellation terms can be found in the Housing and Dining contract.

Summer housing information for students who are not retaining their unit, or who are not approved to retain, may request summer housing in James River Hall. Summer housing is typically in apartment style or theme units to also have access to a kitchen.

Timeframes for summer housing are flexible to support your needs for the timeframe between housing contract occupancy periods. Depending on a current room assignment and the fall room assignment, students may be required to move rooms during the summer.

Additional summer housing details, including the summer contract acceptance form, are typically published in late-March each year and are available using the Summer Housing page.