Off-Campus FAQs

Why is there an off-campus registration process?

Oberlin is a residential college and students are required to live on campus through graduation. However, our current student body exceeds the number of spaces available in housing. Therefore, a pre-determined number of students (based on anticipated enrollment and housing capacity) will be approved for off-campus housing status. Approval for off-campus housing status is based on both the number of semesters a student has been in residence at Oberlin College and a randomly assigned number.

Who is eligible to participate in the off-campus registration process?

Students who have 6 or more semesters in residence or who qualify for an exemption are eligible to register for off-campus. Students who are eligible will receive notification of their eligibility status through e-mail. Students who want to register for off-campus are required to attend one of the Mandatory Off-Campus Information Sessions and to register for off-campus on-line the by deadline posted on the Residential Education Housing and Dining Application Website.

What happens if I forget to register on line by the Registration deadline?

If you were in residence during the registration period and missed the deadline you are no longer eligible to register for off-campus housing status. If you were on a leave of absence and missed the Registration Deadline you may contact Sean Lehlbach in the Residential Education Office to discuss your options.

I did not receive notification of eligibility and think I am eligible. What should I do?

If you think that you have 6 or more semesters in residence at Oberlin College and did not receive notification from our office through e-mail please contact us immediately. You may call us at 775-8472, email us at resed@oberlin.edu, or stop by our office in Stevenson Hall-Griswold Commons. Our staff will happily verify your eligibility and help you through the next step in the process. If you are a transfer student then your transfer credit must be in by the Fall deadline for the registration process. If you did not enter Oberlin as a transfer student then transfer credit is not taken into consideration in calculating your semesters in residence.

Housing selection usually takes place in the spring. I am confused. What's going on? Should I be doing something now?

Only if you are eligible for off-campus registration should you be doing something now. Due to student suggestions about making off-campus housing plans before leaving for winter break or when taking an academic leave for the spring semester, the registration for off-campus begins in the fall semester.

I have heard that their will only be one round of notifications this year, why is this changed?

Based on student feedback and due to student suggestions about making off-campus housing plans before leaving for winter break or when taking an academic leave for the spring semester, the Res Ed Office has decided to make one round of notifications to the students who are granted off-campus status. This is to allow the majority of the students the best opportunity to see and potentially secure off-campus housing prior to going on a leave.

I have heard that I can register as a group for off-campus. How does the off-campus group registration work?

Only students who each have 6 semesters of residence at Oberlin College and who know that they are interested in potentially living together off-campus for the 2012-2013 academic year may register as a group. The group will randomly be assigned a number for approval for off-campus housing status. This means that a group will either be approved for off-campus housing status as a group or will not as a group. In order to register as a group, students must submit each others T-Numbers on the online web form by the deadline posted on the Residential Education Housing and Dining Application Website.

I have a friend who will have 7 semesters of residence and I will have 6. Why can't we group together?

Students with 7 or more semesters of residence at Oberlin College who register for off-campus will be among the first to be approved for off-campus status, along with students who qualify for exemptions. The group registration process is designed to allow students with 6 semesters who are in a more competitive field for off-campus status, to group together as an off-campus housing group. Read on for further details about how you can live off-campus with other students who have 7 semesters in residence or higher if you do not.

But we really want to live together off-campus. What should we do?

There are two options:

1. If you have 7 semesters of residence and you are interested in living with a group of students who have 6 semesters of residence, we recommend the following:

   1. The student with 7 semesters of residence, registers for off-campus as an individual;
   2. The group of students who have 6 semesters of residence register as a group.

   If the group of students with 6 semesters in residence is approved for off-campus housing status, then you may all live together as a group off-campus. If the group of students with 6 semesters in residence is not approved for off-campus housing status, then the student with 7 semesters must decide whether or not to accept off-campus status without the group. If the student with 7 semesters wants to live on-campus with the group with 6 semesters then that person will have to decline off-campus housing status and go through the on-campus the housing selection process with the group. We recommend that that student with 7 semesters accept off-campus housing status. Once a student declines off-campus housing  status, then there is no way to regain that status at a later date. However, there is no penalty for declining the off-campus status received at any time prior to the start of the on-campus housing selection process.

2. If you have 7 semesters and you are interested in living with an individual student who has 6 semesters of residence, we recommend that you both enter as individuals. If the student with 6 semesters in residence receives off-campus status, then you may both live together and will both have been granted off-campus status. If the student with 6 semesters in residence does not receive off-campus status, then the student with 7 semesters must decide whether to accept off-campus status or re-enter the on-campus housing selection process with that individual. Again, we recommend that that student with 7 semesters accept off-campus housing. If a student declines off-campus status, then there is no way to regain that status at a later date. However, there is no penalty for declining the off-campus status received at any time prior to the start of the on-campus housing selection process.

If a member of my group qualifies for an exemption to live off-campus does this affect our group status?

A student who qualifies for an exemption to live off-campus may only register for off-campus as an individual. This parallels the question above; students with exemptions should consider the same recommendations as students with 7 or more semesters of residence.

Is there an advantage to registering for off-campus as a group? Is the size of the group an advantage?

The advantage of registering for off-campus housing status as a group is that you and your friends won't have to guess whether you can live together off-campus. We can't make any guarantees as to what your status will be, but each individual needs to decide if it is more important to be a group or to receive individual off-campus housing status. Remember, once you are registered as a group, you may not register as an individual for off-campus housing status after the deadline posted on the Residential Education Housing and Dining Application Website. We have set the maximum group size at 8 students

I registered for off-campus as a group. What happens if one of my group members decides to leave our group or does not to enroll in the spring?

Your group may still be approved for off-campus housing status since you will be assigned one random number.  If the person leaving the group is not enrolled for the spring semester, that is, takes a personal or a medical leave, s/he is no longer eligible for off-campus housing status. If s/he is taking an academic leave for the spring semester then s/he is still eligible for off-campus housing status in the fall if your group is approved.

What if we have already signed a lease and have signed and accepted off-campus with Res Ed?

All off-campus housing status offers and acceptances are contingent upon continued enrollment in the spring semester. We want to make it clear that the early release process depends upon no changes in your enrollment status as an individual or as a group. So, to the best of your ability, be sure everyone in the group will be enrolled or on an academic leave if they will not be on campus in the spring.

If I apply as part of a group do we have to prove that we plan to live together? Do we have to show Res Ed a copy of our signed lease?

No. The group registration process is designed to help students who really want to live together do so. We trust that students who register as a group do so in good faith and will be living together off-campus.

I am eligible to register for off-campus but want to live on-campus. How does the off-campus registration process affect me?

The Res Ed Office needs to be aware of your intention for the 2012-2013 academic year housing selection process. Please complete your on-line intent form that shows that you plan to NOT register for the Off-Campus Housing Process. You may change your mind up until the deadline posted on the Residential Education Housing and Dining Application Website. Keep in mind this is your one-time opportunity to register for off-campus housing for the next academic year. The number of students who are approved for off-campus status in the ultimately depends upon the number of students who inform us of their intent to register or not register for off-campus housing potentially.