FAQs

• Returning students can participate in online room selection in March if they have a complete application by the application deadline.
• New students who submitted their Housing application by June 15 will receive their Housing assignment in early July. Their assignments will be sent to their Radford email accounts (@radford.edu).
• Students who are bound to the Housing contract and do not participate in online room selection, including all new students, will be notified of their room assignment via an email to their Radford email accounts (@radford.edu) the beginning of July.
• At that time, students will also receive the name and contact information of their future roommate. There are a handfull of exemptions to this due to recent legislation passed in the Viginia Commonwealth, some students have opted out of having their contact information shared. 
• Assignment emails will be sent to Radford email accounts (@radford.edu), so please be sure to check it frequently! 

The last day you can change your application information is June 1st.

• Room assignments for new students entering in the fall are made according to the date the housing deposit or confirmation is received. 
• Students indicating interest in Living Learning Communities (see next question) may not necessarily be assigned according to deposit date. Some students make their housing deposit as early as January. 
• Returning students who apply by the fall application deadline are able to participate in online room selection.  Returning students who apply after the deadline will be assigned by Housing and Residential Life with new students.

• Living Learning Communities offer you the opportunity to live with other students with similar interests. These residence halls have specific majors and/or participation in academic programs. 
• The Office of Housing and Residential Life does not select the students who are eligible and accepted to live in the Living Learning Communities. Information about the application process and Living Learning Community team leader contact information may be found at the Learning Community link. Selection is competitive and requires meeting academic requirements when applicable. 

• Muse Quad contains two residential communities within the same building, which are overseen by two coordinating professional staff members. 
• Main Quad includes Jefferson, Madison, Norwood, Tyler, and Washington Halls.  
• Moffett Quad includes Bolling, Draper, Ingles, Pocahontas, and Moffett Halls.  
• Governor’s Quad includes Floyd, Peery, Stuart, and Trinkle Halls. 
• See a map of campus.

To request a specific person as a roommate, you will both need to put your requested roommates nine digit Student ID number on the online application where specified. 

All requests must be mutual, and received in the Office of Residential Life by 5 p.m. on July 1 for consideration.  While we cannot guarentee any request will be granted, we will make efforts to honor as many as we can.

No, suitemates cannot be requested.

All housing assignments are done with regard to when the University receives student’s housing deposits and completed applications. For roommates the person with the later date of deposit will be used to determine your order in the housing assignments process. We believe that students consider who their roommates are as being more important than the locations of their rooms. In some cases, this means that the later date of deposit will result in a person not getting a first choice, such as a Living Learning Community. Therefore, students interested in Living Learning Communities should indicate if the community is more important than a requested roommate under the Living Learning Community section of the Housing Application.  

All residence halls are smoke-free living environments, and smoking must be done at least 25 feet from the residence halls.  We ask students to tell us their smoking habits due to the high number of people who dislike or are allergic to the smoke which clings to clothing after smoking.  Your honesty will help us make better placements. 

As noted above, placements are processed on a first-come, first-served basis. Spaces in air-conditioned buildings are limited, so not all requests can be fulfilled. 

Room assignments are frozen through the first two weeks of each semester. At this point, residents may request room changes. However, approvals are contingent upon availability and need. Please note that the room change freeze may last longer if any trippled rooms exist, as de-tripling rooms is our first priority.

Returning and Transfer students can request a Super Suite or Deluxe Super Suite on their housing application. There are a limited number of these rooms available on campus. Criteria used for placement are:

• Date of deposite (we will use the latest date if requesting with a roommate(s))
• Ability to fill the unit (Super Suites house four (4) residents, Deluxe Super Suite house either four (4) or five (5) residents)
• Total number of credit hours (includes all group members).

Students must be eligible to live off campus and must submit a Request to be Released from the On-Campus Boarding Policy/Residential Student Agreement along with any required documentation to the Office of Housing and Residential Life. The release request form is on the application in your Housing portal. Supporting documents should be attached there.  Incomplete requests will not be considered.

Around the start of July you will receive your room assignment and instructions on how to sign up for your move-in date and time.

Yes. Moving bins/carts will be available for students to use during Fall semester move-in during August. Moving bins/carts will not be available at other times of the academic year or Spring semester move-in. 

Your coach will be provide you with your move-in information.

Students must arrive according to the move-in schedule posted. An early arrival request form will be posted on the OneCampus Housing portal when available. Exceptions are rarely granted and are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Students not required to be on campus are charged a nightly fee and could be required to stay in a temporary room until their room becomes available.

Move-in days are typically busy throughout the day so it's hard to estimate when "down times" will occur. You should plan on having a busy day regardless of when you arrive.

When you arrive on campus you will be instructed on where you are able to park and for how long.

Rooms are furnished with one bed, desk and chair per resident. A double dresser to share or smaller dressers for each resident are also provided. A double-room used for single occupancy will likely be furnished for two residents. Windows are fitted with blinds. 

A cable-ready television outlet, telephone jack and at least two ethernet computer hookups are also supplied. Our halls also have wireless network access. 

We recommend that everyone bring extra-long twin sheets (sometimes sold as "college size"). Our mattresses are longer than traditional twin mattresses so these tend to fit the best, especially if you have egg-crate or other padding on your bed. You can find long linens in many stores or you can order them through the university-sponsored College Linens Program. They offer over 40 color combinations of high quality linens and accessories. Plus, some of the proceeds are used to support the Residence Hall Association and programming in the residence halls.

All beds in the residence halls can be lofted or bunked. During move-in please request a loft kit at your building's front desk. After move-in, please submit a Fix-It request.

All of our residence halls are furnished with extra-long beds. Students over 6' 2" tall living in these buildings may request that an extra-long bed be placed in their room during the online application process, and we'll make sure have an extra-long mattress in your room when you arrive.

Residence Hall rooms have TV cable outlets and ethernet/telephone ports. Rooms also have wifi available.

Room sizes vary but a 10'x15' carpet will fit into all of our residence hall rooms.

The carpet provided through the website is from a trusted vendor who works with the university. It is quality carpet, fits appropriately in the rooms, and will be in the room when you arrive to minimize hassle on move in day!  In case you want to bring your own carpet, our rooms will accommodate up to 10'x15'.

All campus operated apartments and residence halls, except Muse Hall, are air conditioned.

No. Window and portable air units are not allowed in the residence halls. If your building is not air conditioned, we recommend you bring a fan to keep the air circulating.

Fire code forbids students from hanging curtains in their rooms. You can hang a valance if you wish (maximum 8" long). You can find more information about curtains and window decorations by viewing our What to bring page.

Yes, but realize that space is limited so you should talk to your roommate first. Also, the university will not remove any furniture that comes with your room. So, you'll need to find space for it, too.

Residents who choose not to request a roommate are assigned randomly. Additional details about room assignments.

Most students do not have a specific roommate preference when they come to Radford University. If you do not preference a specific person, a person will be placed randomly with you based on some of your answers to the Roommate Matching Questionnaire located on the online housing application.

Students may indicate their requested roommate on the Requested Roommate page of the online housing application. Please use the numeric nine digit student identification number of your requested roommate in the indicated area. New students may edit this information after they have submitted their application until 5 p.m. on July 1, 2019. Requests must be mutual from both students and submitted by the required deadline for consideration.

The answer to this question depends on the set of roommates. Many times, people choose someone who is familiar, but not really known well, because it provides a sense of security. If you are considering selecting a roommate, please make sure you ask questions in depth about his or her personal habits. These are the most important factors for roommate success. For example, two people may describe themselves as “morning people.” However, a person who wakes at 6 a.m. daily has a different perspective than the person who considers 10 a.m. early.

Certainly, choosing a friend as a roommate can be a comfort when you are moving to a new situation. Radford University offers you the opportunity to meet people and make friends with people from around the world. When you are in college, you will see that people can change in ways you never anticipate. Friends often learn they have similar interests but they do not live well together because of differing study, cleanliness or social habits. Students living in different halls provide a place to go when you need some time away from your room and can help your friendship.

All housing assignments are done with regard to dates of housing deposit. For roommates, the person with the later date of deposit will be used to determine your order in the housing assignments. We believe that students who have requested specific roommates are more concerned with who they live with than the location of their room. In some cases, this means that the later date of deposit will mean that a person will not get a first choice, such as a Living Learning Community, that they would have gotten on their own. Therefore, students interested in living in a Living Learning Community should indicate if the Living Learning Community is more important than their requested roommate in the Living Learning Community interest page of the online housing application.

It is possible to change rooms on campus, with certain limitations. In order to complete all our administrative processes, we are not able to accept housing preferences after 5 p.m. on July 1, 2019.  Room changes may not occur until after the first two weeks of school. From July 1, 2019 until the end of the second week of classes, we are in an intensive process of verifying and sharing data. Therefore, we are unable to make any changes until the end of the second week of classes. At that time, our priority is to move students out of tripled rooms. We encourage students to work together to make the most of their living arrangements. Room changes are possible, but they are dependent on available space and timing considerations.

In most cases, we do pair new students together. However, space considerations can mean that some new students are placed with returning students. Our goal is to place people together with similar class ranking (such as a new student with a sophomore). No matter their placements, new students will live in a building with other new students who are going through similar transitions.

Students may answer the questions on the Roommate Matching Questionnaire. After you have completed and submitted your online application you should see this link, “Find a Roommate”. You may answer one to three questions and enter search. This search should bring up the first names and answers of possible roommate matches. You may email the student and get responses back in the “My Messages” area of the application page.

• You should contact your roommate and ask. While email is nice, a phone conversation is much quicker and is typically more productive.

• Yes. We provide you with each other's contact information the first week of August so you can get in touch before moving in. Remember, you'll be living with this person in a small space so you want to start off on the right foot.

• Social networking sites are a great way to interact with people but they don't tell the whole story about a person. Don't judge or make assumptions about your roommate based solely on their online persona. You should contact him or her directly.

• How do you know for sure? Don't be so quick to judge your roommate. There is a freeze on switching rooms for the first two weeks of the semester so try to work it out. If you are both having issues once you've moved in talk to your RA. Your RA is the first step in resolving roommate conflicts.

• Ingles, Madison, Moffett, Jefferson, Norwood, Washington, Draper, Bolling, and Pocahontas Halls have private bathrooms in each room. All other halls are suite-style, with two rooms sharing one bathroom.

• Living with someone requires open communication and compromise. If you are concerned, talk to your roommate when you both move in and establish mutual expectations for cleanliness. Your RA will help you with this process.

• Some people have limited email access during the summer or have junk mail filters which prevent them from responding or receiving your emails. Call them on the phone. If you still cannot get a hold of them, let us know and we can help.

• Keep an open mind and communicate your concerns if you have any. Your RA is a great resource if the two of you aren't getting along. It's important to remember that not all roommates become "best friends" but can have a great year living together.

Yes, but realize that space is limited so you should talk to your roommate first. Also, the university will not remove any furniture that comes with your room. So, you'll need to find space for it, too.

In most cases, yes. Microwaves must be 700 watts or less and are allowed in all halls except Muse Hall. The university does allow students to have microfridges from My MicroFridge in all residence halls, including Muse Hall, as they are designed for residence hall use and are safe for older electrical systems.

Yes. Refrigerators should be 2 amps or less and not greater than 3 cubic ft. (e.g., don't bring a fridge that belongs in your kitchen at home). Each resident may have a refrigerator.

No. Toasters, grills and hotplates are not allowed in the residence halls. Every hall has at least one full kitchen with a stove for residents to use for cooking.

Only fish, aquatic turtles, and frogs that live underwater permanently are allowed in the residence halls.

Firearms are not permitted in the residence halls. Your firearm(s) can be brought to campus, but all firearms must be stored in the RU Police Department gun safe. They will NOT store ammunition, however. Ammunition and firearms are forbidden in the residence halls and on campus. So, you must make arrangements to store ammunition off-campus with a friend or at an off-site storage area. Contact the RU Police Department to make arrangements to have your firearm(s) stored. Space is limited and stored on a first-come, first-served basis. Contact the RU Police Department BEFORE coming to campus.

Yes, but fire code only allows 10% of walls to be covered with posters and other combustible or  flammable materials. Residents should consider other ways of decorating such as using shelving.

Resident Assistants will be handling the check-in process during move-in throughout the day. Chances are you will meet them when you check in or as you are unpacking your room.

The number of RAs on each floor will vary depending on the building. RAs typically are responsible for 30 - 50 residents.

We begin our RA selection process during the Spring semester. Keep your eyes open for advertisements or ask your RA for information.

Each building is managed by a Resident Director or Area Coordinator to whom the RAs report. Resident Directors are full-time professionals who have residential life and student development expertise and live in the building. Any concerns about an RA should referred to the Resident Director/Area Coordinator of your building.

Resident Directors are full-time professionals who are responsible for one or more residence halls or apartment areas managed by the university. RDs supervise the RAs, oversee the administration of the residential area, promote student development, and provide resources. They are responsible for the overall well-being of their residential community.

There are three Assistant Directors in the department. They are full-time professionals with Master's degrees and significant residential life experience. They are each responsible for an assigned portion of the campus, supervise the RDs from those areas, and also oversee large-scale processes within the department.

Call or email us at the central office and we can help you out. Our email address is res-life@radford.edu, our phone number is 540-831-5375.