Residential Living and Learning

University Three-Year Residency Requirement

Stetson University prides itself on being a residential university. The University is concerned not only with the formal education of its students, but also with their total development as persons.  This effort toward personal growth and development is realized largely through the residential living experience. Approximately 1,800 undergraduate students reside on campus in university facilities. Graduate students may be housed if space is available. We do not offer any family housing at this time.

The Department of Residential Living and Learning (RL&L), located in University Hall, is committed to providing a healthy, inclusive, and safe environment that supports the growth and development of all students. Programs and activities within the residential areas attempt to extend students’ learning outside of the classroom and promote their responsibility of being members of the community in which Stetson students live. Members of Residential Living and Learning have been specifically trained to provide an environment on campus where students may feel welcomed and supported in their academic endeavors.

Therefore the University maintains a three-year residency requirement for all undergraduate students, including transfers and international students. However, new incoming transfer students who enter Stetson with 30 or more credit hours may be exempted from the Requirement. A transfer student is defined as a student that has graduated high school and attended a college or university. Newly graduated high school students with dual enrollment credits are not considered transfer students.

Learn more about Stetson's Three-Year Residency Requirement.

Residential students are responsible for policies and information found in the Guide to Residential Living.

Requests for Residency Exemption

While Stetson does have a three-year residency requirement for all students, those meeting certain criteria can be exempt from the residency requirement. If you meet one or more of the exemption criteria below, you are eligible for an exemption to the residency requirement. 

Exemption Criteria:

  • The student has earned 22.5 units (90 credits) or more by August 1 prior to the beginning of the academic year.
  • The student is an incoming transfer student with 30 or more credit hours.
  • The student is married or is in a same-sex domestic partnership by August 1 (documentation required).
  • The student is 22 years of age or older by August 1.
  • The student resides with immediate family (defined as parent(s), grandparent(s), guardian(s) or sibling(s) not also enrolled at Stetson University) within the approved 45 mile proximity to the campus. Proof of immediate family member residency is required.
  • The student is participating in a University-approved, off-campus internship/program that requires them to live outside the local area.
  • The student can present compelling and extenuating circumstances as to why living on campus will be detrimental to their overall academic success.

To be approved for a residency exemption, students must submit the Request for Residency Exemption found on Housing Central. Once the request is submitted, it will be reviewed by the staff within Residential Living and Learning (RL&L). The final decision will be communicated to the student via their Stetson email. Students enrolled at the University that do not adhere to the University Residency Requirement by living off-campus without prior approval from RL&L and fail to physically occupy their rooms as determined by the RL&L staff will be considered as failing to comply with the Residency Requirement and will be subject to both financial and possible disciplinary consequences.

To learn more about the Residency Exemption process visit our Living Off Campus website.