Information for families with students currently abroad/away

In this Issue: today we talk about housing considerations forstudents currently abroad, or away (in a program like Wake Washington), likely P’26s

We have a good number of current juniors (‘26s) who are studying abroad/away this fall. Our P’26 families may have questions about the housing process for their students’ return. 

Students returning from the Fall 2024 semester abroad/away will go through one of three pathways to secure their housing for the Spring 2025 semester.

1. Students currently living on campus may pull them into vacancies in University housing.
2. They may enter the Off-Campus Lottery to request permission to live off-campus before fulfilling their residency requirement.
3. If neither of the above, they will select housing as a part of our Spring-Only Housing Selection. 

With the help of my colleagues in Residence Life and Housing, we’ve provided some of the commonly asked questions and answers below.

Can my student live off campus?

• Wake Forest has a six-semester residency requirement, so students returning from abroad must live on campus unless they have fulfilled that requirement. Most students returning from abroad/away should expect to live on campus for Spring 2025.
• As part of the Spring 2025 Housing Process, students may choose to enter the Off-Campus Lottery—in groups of up to four—by the November 3 deadline. This indicates a desire to live off-campus before fulfilling the residency requirement. As the Office of Residence Life and Housing finalizes the number of students able to live on campus for the spring semester, they will use random selection to release the appropriate number of students.
• Students with less than six semesters of housing credit should not plan to live off-campus unless released in writing from the residency requirement by the Office of Residence Life and Housing. If a family rents or leases an apartment or house off campus and their student has not been approved to live off campus, that family will still be required to pay for a residence hall room as part of the residency requirement.
• Updates about Spring Housing Requests and the Off-campus Lottery will be communicated by November 22 to students @wfu.edu emails.

How will housing be selected?

• All students studying abroad/away in Fall 2024 will be assigned a selection time on December 11. Selection times are assigned randomly based on housing credits (# of semesters in housing, with credit given for study abroad); they are not tied to GPA. Students will enter their Housing Portal at their selection time on December 11 to select their room based on what is available. 

Does Wake Forest hold double rooms open for juniors returning from abroad/away?

• Wake Forest does not hold double rooms open in preparation for spring. This year, about 200 beds will be available in Polo Hall, plus individual bed spaces in other residential communities left by students who go abroad/away in the spring, transfer, take a semester off, etc. 
• With 700+ students abroad/away this fall, we anticipate empty rooms or units will be selected quickly. Students need to have various plans, including several back-up options. 

What are the chances my student will get to live in a double room with another friend who has also been abroad/away?

• Students who go abroad/away in the fall do so having been told that there will be limited options to live with roommates of choice during the spring semester. It is more likely that students returning from a fall semester abroad/away will be filling in an empty bed in an existing room, not living in a double room or suite/apartment with their best friend(s).

Where will the open individual beds be?

• Where beds become available varies yearly, so our office can’t predict where those spaces will be. On December 6, we will publish an availability list that can be accessed within the Housing Portal. This dynamic list will indicate all available spaces for selection and updates about every 15 minutes throughout the selection process as spaces are chosen.

My student is involved in Greek Life. What are the chances they can move to the fraternity/sorority hall upon returning from abroad/away in the fall?

• Fraternities and sororities assign members to their blocks through internal processes. Your student should check with their organization to see if they can move onto the hall. If space is unavailable, the student will undergo the regular selection process outlined above.

What if my student has a disability-related accommodation request?

• The Housing Accommodation Review Committee reviews disability-related accommodations and makes recommendations to Residence Life and Housing. Learn more about the process at rlh.wfu.edu/accommodations. The student completes this request process, including submitting supporting documentation, within the Housing Portal. For the spring semester, students should complete their request – including supporting documentation – for disability-related accommodations by November 15th. 
• Please note that release from the residency requirement is generally not considered a reasonable accommodation. Students must explain their specific housing needs (for example, access to a kitchen, limited-use bathroom, etc.). 

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Students abroad/away will receive further information from Residence Life and Housing at their WFU email address as selection progresses. Please encourage them to check their WFU email regularly so they do not miss important housing selection messages.