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Housing for New Students

McKendree Housing Application for new first-year and transfer students opens February 1 for the Fall 2025 term!  

Let's get you registered for housing.

APPLYING FOR HOUSING

1.  Submit your $400 Campus Resident deposit ($200 for the Housing Fee and $200 for the Tuition Fee).  There are several Payment Options available.

2.  The day after the deposit is processed by Student Financial Services (and after the application is open date has come) the Housing Application will become available.  It is best to have the deposit paid at least two business days before February 1 to ensure that it is processed in time to give the student access to the housing application at midnight on opening day.

You can either go to mycampus.mckendree.edu or click on MyMcK from the top right-hand corner of the McKendree home page.  Click Here to see instructions for getting to your Housing Application.  

What can you do before the application opens?

3.  Complete the appropriate campus housing application - sign the Housing Contract Terms and Conditions, indicate your personal preferences for housing and a meal plan selection, and also give information about yourself for roommate searches as well as contact information for a Legal Guardian/Parent and at least one Emergency Contact. 

        • NOTE 1: If the student is 17 or younger at the time of the application, the Legal Guardian/Parent will receive an email (as per the contact information provided on the housing application) that they will need to complete and sign off on the Terms and Conditions since the student is not yet a legal adult.
        • NOTE 2: The University is not liable for students' personal property. However, the application will include an option to purchase insurance through GradGuard. While this is not a requirement, it is strongly recommended that you have some form of coverage.

          If you do not wish to purchase insurance, simply select "Decline Coverage" and then "Remind me about my quote later." You will also have the option to delete outreach emails related to the quote at any time.

          Although purchasing insurance is not mandatory, we highly encourage you to secure some form of coverage—whether through GradGuard, a homeowners policy, or another provider.

Applications can be revisited, edited, and submitted without the student's place in line being affected with a deadline of May 31; on June 1 and after, please email reslife@mckendree.edu your requested change.

Room Selection for Incoming Housing applicants will begin in Mid-June and continue through Fall Move-In. Room selection timeslots will be assigned to all completed applications. Timeslots will be assigned based on the housing application completion date, with the earliest timeslots going to those who submitted a completed Housing application first.

Before room selection begins, consider the Campus Housing rates. We want you to be educated on your options so that when room selection begins, you can make the best decision for you based on your goals and needs. For more information about housing options, please visit the Residence Life Website: Housing Options and Rates.

While students are not guaranteed a specific accommodation, room, or roommate(s), every reasonable effort will be made to honor their preferences and requests for housing.

4.  If you are an incoming student for the Fall term, once the application is submitted, you will be able to search for a roommate or accepting a request from another to be roommates.  Spring term applicants will not be able to search for roommates due to the amount of filled spaces; please email our office if you have a specific roommate request.

5.  Housing assignments for the Fall term start being selected in mid-June.  Those who completed the application first, will have the earliest timeslots.  The Office of Residence Life will send additional information about how to select your housing placement via McK Email in late May.

Housing assignments for the Spring term are sent out in early January based on placement availability and on the following criteria:

1st - date and time of received, fully completed application

2nd - indicated housing preferences based on availability

3rd - roommate requests that are mutually agreed upon by all parties, and 

4th - other preferences/profile informatoin provided on the application.

Reminder: Students are never guaranteed a specific building, room, or roommate(s), but every reasonable consideration will be given to students' preferences and requested for housing.    

After housing assignments are announced students will be able to join a Waiting List if they did not receive the housing preference they desired most.

 

NEED TO UPDATE YOUR HOUSING PREFERENCES?

If you need to change or update the information or preferences your originally provided on your application, you can revisited, edited, and submitted without the student's place in line being affected with a deadline of May 31. On June 1 and after,  please send an email to reslife@mckendree.edu. 

McKendree University strives for inclusion. All assignments are made without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, sex (including sexual harassment), pregnancy, age (40 and over), order of protection status, marital status, sexual orientation (including gender-related identity), military status, unfavorable military discharge, disability, arrest record, and familial status in compliance with the Illinois Human Rights Act (775 ILCS 5/). The University rejects all requests for assignment changes based on those reasons.

This commitment aligns with the mission of McKendree University to prepare our students for leadership roles in our society. To achieve this end, we encourage broader vision, enriched purpose, engagement with community, commitment to responsible citizenship, openness to new ideas, and dedication to lifelong learning.

We cherish our historical relationship with the United Methodist Church and its tradition of Judeo-Christian ideals. Therefore, we encourage an atmosphere of open dialogue, free inquiry, and mutual respect, conducted among students from diverse backgrounds.

 

NEED A SPECIFIC ASSIGNMENT DUE ACCOMMODATION?

McKendree University works to serve and advocate for students with disabilities, ensuring equal access to educational opportunities and programs while promoting self-advocacy and independence. If you feel you require a housing accommodation or assistance animal while attending the University, it is advised that you submit a request with the Office of Disability Services. If approved, the Office of Disability Services will inform Residence Life of your requirements and we will work with you to ensure they are met.

 

LOOKING TO LIVE OFF CAMPUS?

All full-time undergraduate students of McKendree University are required to live in campus housing. However, students who meet one of the exemptions of the Residency Requirement Waiver can be approved to live off campus.  This form lets you apply to have your housing requirement waived so you can live off-campus.  You can only access this form through your ResLife Portal - Click here to see how. 

The Form will open on November 1 for the Spring Semester and February 1 for the Fall Semester.

Waivers must be submitted on or before January 1 if applying to live off campus starting in a spring term and on or before July 1 if applying to live off campus starting in a fall term.