Attention Rising Seniors,
We hope this message finds you well and that you have enjoyed a successful start to the Fall 2024 semester. We write to you today to share some important information to be aware of regarding on campus housing for the 2025-26 academic year.
As a residential college, Ithaca College requires all students to live on campus during their first three years, before being eligible to pursue off-campus housing options during their senior year. You are receiving this message because our records indicate that you will be eligible to live off campus during the 2025-26 academic year. In our experience, the fall semester is typically when students interested in living off campus during the next academic year begin to explore and solidify their housing plans. We are reaching out to you to make sure you have important information about your housing and financial aid so that you may be fully informed as you plan for the upcoming year.
Understanding Your Financial Aid
As a rising senior, if you continue living on campus you will continue to receive the Residential Experience Grant. If you decide to move off campus, the $2000 Residential Experience Grant will be cancelled. Please see more information about thisscholarship by visiting our Scholarships webpage on the Tuition and Financial Aid website.
Signing Up For Housing
In February 2025, you will be contacted by the Office of Residential Life with instructions to sign up for on campus housing for the 2025-26 academic year. As a rising senior, you will not be required to live on campus and will also have the opportunity to declare your intention to move off campus at that time.
Senior Housing Deposit
As you plan ahead for on campus housing selection, it is important to know that a non-refundable housing security deposit of $500.00 will be required for rising seniors. This deposit serves to secure your space in on campus housing and to ensure that participants in the senior on campus housing selection process intend to remain on campus. It is unfortunate, but we see students sign up for on campus housing, while having already committed to off-campus housing; a practice that takes highly valued housing spaces away from students who have a legitimate desire to continue living on campus.
How will this work:
- The $500 deposit is not an extra fee, but rather, something that is paid early and offsets that amount from your later fall housing-related charges.
- The housing deposit will be applied in mid-March after a brief 7-10 business day grace period to opt out of on-campus housing after housing assignments are sent out to rising seniors.
- The housing deposit is paid through Student Financial Services and will be dueMay 15, 2025.
We recognize that an unexpected change in your student status may arise after you pay the housing deposit. Given this, refunds will be available for the following reasons:
- Students Impacted by an Unexpected and Documented Medical Leave of Absence
- Students Impacted by an Academic or Judicial Withdraw from the College
- Students Who Lose Financial Aid Due to Insufficient Grades
In an effort to help us plan for housing selection and demand for various housing options for the 2025-26 academic year, we kindly ask that you take a moment to complete a brief one-question survey linked below. This survey is anonymous and will not affect any impact to your housing status, but simply seeks to measure the general demand for on-campus and off-campus housing for next year amongst our rising senior population.
Rising Senior Housing Survey
You may learn more about the housing selection process by visiting Residential Life’s Continuing Student Housing webpage. If you have any questions regarding these updates, you may contact us at housing@ithaca.edu and sfs@ithaca.edu.
Thank you for your attention to these important updates.
Sincerely,
Laura Davis
Director for the Office of Residential Life and Student Conduct and Community Standards
Barbie Bargher
Director of Student Financial Services