Housing & Residence Life Exemption and Termination Process
Overview
Ohio University requires all first- and second-year students to reside on campus and participate in a meal plan for two full academic years (fall/spring/fall/spring semesters). Students wishing to be exempted from university housing and/or meal plan must meet at least one of the criteria below and submit the appropriate forms for review and approval prior to the deadline.
If a student is seeking an exemption/termination from residing on-campus, Housing and Residence Life strongly recommends that an off-campus lease is not signed until an official notification of approval (via email) is made by Housing and Residence Life. Students who are required to reside on campus, and have signed an off-campus lease prior to receiving an exemption, will not be granted an exemption from housing based solely on an off-campus lease.
Forms must be completed and submitted 45 days prior to the start of the semester to avoid accruing charges. Any submissions after the 45 days prior to the start of the semester must submit all required forms and documentation no later than the first Monday of the semester. Those who submit a request within 45 days of the start of the semester will be subject to the refund schedule for housing and dining charges.
All forms and documentation must be received prior to the review, at all levels, for full consideration.
Please note, this is not an accommodation process. For information on how to request accommodations due to a disability, contact Student Accessibility Services.
Exemption Criteria
If you know which criteria you will be submitting an exemption for, click the links below. The links will bring you to the explanation of the process as well as to the required forms.
Age : Commuter : Financial Hardship : Married or Single Parent
Meal Plan Change/Exemption: Part-Time Student : Veteran Status : Other
If you need to explore the criteria further to determine which one(s) you wish to apply for, review the options detailed below.
Those seeking an exemption/termination must demonstrate that they meet one of the following criteria. Students should review the following criteria to determine which one(s) are applicable. After review, the student should advance to the 'Process' section for further information as well as links to the required forms and supplemental documentation for the request.
Please be aware that requests for housing exemptions based on medical reasons cannot be submitted through this process. If you would like to seek an exemption from housing due to medical reasons, you must register with Accessibility Services. Accessibility Services will assess whether any housing accommodations are necessary and, if so, whether those accommodations can be met through on-campus housing.
Age: 23 Years and Older
Students who are enrolled, and are 23 years and older, would not be required to reside on campus based on the OHIO housing requirement.
Commuter
To commute to the Athens campus, the student must reside with their parent(s) or a legal guardian whose permanent residence (as defined by University guidelines) is within 50 driving miles of Athens (1 Park Place, Athens, OH). A “permanent residence” is defined as a dwelling that has been owned, maintained and inhabited for a minimum of 24 months by the parent or legal guardian. The address must be the same as what is listed on the student admissions application. If the family has changed residences since the admission application, verification of ownership/residency and employment must be provided.
The student should complete the Commuter Student Contract via their Housing Self-Service. Only if the Commuter Student Contract is denied can a student request to commute via the Housing Exemption and Termination process.
Financial Hardship
A student requesting an exemption/termination based upon financial hardship must provide documented evidence of extreme financial difficulties or a change in finances by providing copies of the most recent financial aid verification / awards. If a FAFSA is not on-file, then copies of the most recent federal tax return, evidence of recent employment termination, evidence of extreme hardship (i.e.: death of a primary income provider, medical expenses exceeding insurance maximum coverage, etc.) must be provided. Documented information must be accompanied by a completed Housing Exemption Financial Aid Information Form.
Requests for residing off-campus for financial savings is not a valid reason for a financial hardship.
Married or Parent
The student must submit a copy of their marriage certificate or child’s birth certificate along with a copy of the most recent tax return showing that child(ren) as a dependent. The spouse or child must reside with the student within the 50-driving mile commuter radius in order to qualify for this exemption.
Meal Plan Change/Termination
Meal plan contracts are binding for the full academic year, or the remainder thereof, and students are required to fulfill this obligation. Once a student has committed to a Culinary contract, changes to that contract are only granted based on extenuating circumstances.
Requests for meal plan changes or exemptions based on medical reasons cannot be submitted through this process. If you would like to seek a meal plan exemption/change due to medical reasons, you must register with Accessibility Services. Accessibility Services will assess whether any meal plan accommodations are necessary and, if so, whether those accommodations can be met.
If you are seeking a meal plan change/exemption due to other reasons, such as financial, etc. please complete the listed forms.
Part-Time Student
If a student is enrolled for 11 hours or less for each academic semester for both fall and spring, or a student is enrolled part-time (5 hour or less) during a summer session they may meet the requirements for a part-time student exemption. All semester class registrations are subject to random validation.
Please be aware that a student who resides on campus in the fall semester does not qualify for a spring semester exemption due to part-time enrollment status as the housing contract is binding for both fall and spring semesters.
Veteran Status
Student must submit a copy of their DD-214 discharge papers. Eighteen (18) months of active duty is required to be exempt from the residency requirement.
Other
If the student's rationale for their request doesn't align with the provided choices, and isn't for medical reasons, the student can choose 'Other.' To complete the request, the student must include supporting documentation along with a personal statement and the request form.
Process
Forms must be completed and submitted with the necessary documentation 45 days prior to the start of the semester to avoid accruing charges. Those who submit a request after 45 days prior must submit no later than the first Monday of the semester and will be subject to the refund schedule for all housing and dining charges.
The exemption process has three levels that each have submission deadlines and review periods.
Level 1: Initial Review
Students seeking an exemption or contract termination will need to complete the corresponding form packet depending on the reason for request. If a student is citing multiple reasons for their requests, a packet for each reason needs to be completed to ensure the proper documentation is submitted to review the request.
Staff will assess the request form and documentation submitted within 3 business days. If the forms are incomplete, or additional documentation is needed, the student will be emailed. The student has 14 days to submit requested materials before the request is considered inactive.
Level 1 Request Review Information
Once the completed packet is submitted, a committee of Housing and Residence Life staff will review. A decision will be rendered and sent to the student’s OHIO email account.
Students should allow 14-21 days for the initial review and decision.
Required Form(s)
Below are the reasons for request and corresponding forms and documentation that need to be completed. If the request is being made for multiple reasons, the packet for each reason should be submitted.
- Age: 23 Years and Older
- Commuter
Only complete if you have completed a Commuter Student Contract on your Housing Self-Service page and it has been denied. - Financial Hardship
- Married or a Single Parent
- Exemption Form
- Personal Statement
- Marriage Certificate or Birth Certificate (provide a copy)
- Meal Plan Change/Exemption
Only complete these forms if the reason is NOT medical. For further details on how to proceed if for medical reasons, see Note below*. - Multiple Reasons
- Use the forms required from the applicable Exemption Criteria
- Part-Time Student
- Veteran Status
- Exemption Form
- Personal Statement
- DD214 (provide a copy)
- Other
Please note that 'other' should not include medical reasons, as all medical exemption requests must be submitted through the Office of Accessibility Services.- Exemption Form
- Personal Statement
- Supplemental documentation that supports the request reason
*Note Regarding Medical Requests for Housing and Meal Plans
Requests for housing exemptions and meal plan change/exemptions based on medical reasons cannot be submitted through this process. If you would like to seek an exemption from housing and/or the meal plan due to medical reasons, you must register with Accessibility Services. Accessibility Services will assess whether any accommodations are necessary and, if so, whether those accommodations can be met through on-campus housing/dining.
Submission Directions
Complete the request forms online. All supplemental documentation or completed PDF forms can be submitted by any of the following:
- Emailing housing@ohio.edu
- Faxing the forms to 740.593.4089
- Delivering to the Housing and Residence Life office (Living Learning Center 215)
Level 2: Appeal Level 1 Decision to the Appeal Board
If a denial is issued at Level 1, students can appeal the decision. An appeal must be made within 3 business days of the Level 1 decision.
All documentation from Level 1 will be provided to the Appeal Board, but the form linked below needs to be completed to make the request to appeal. Students are allowed to provide additional documentation for Level 2 with their request. Any additional documentation must be received prior to the scheduled Appeal Board meeting.
The Appeal Board meets once a month, so students should allow up to 4 weeks for the appeal board meeting. Housing staff will schedule the meeting with the student via email.
The decision of the Appeal Board will be sent to the student’s OHIO email address and will be made within one week of the scheduled meeting.
Appeal Board Meeting Information
The Appeal Board is comprised of University members from multiple offices across campus. The appeal meeting will be scheduled for twenty minutes. Students will have ten designated minutes in the meeting to explain their request to the board. The remaining time will be for any questions and explanation of the appeal process.
Students can have a parent, guardian, or other party present at the appeal meeting. The student must be present and cannot be represented by another person. In addition, if a student does not attend their scheduled appeal board meeting, the board will review the request in their absence.
Required Form
To request an appeal to the Appeal Board for a Level 2 review, students need to complete the appeal form below:
- Appeal Form
- OPTIONAL- any additional documentation not submitted at Level 1 (provide a copy)
All documentation previously submitted will be shared with the Appeal Board once the appeal form has been received and appeal meeting scheduled.
Submission Directions
Complete the request forms online. All supplemental documentation or completed PDF forms can be submitted by any of the following:
- Emailing housing@ohio.edu
- Faxing the forms to 740.593.4089 or
- Delivering to the Housing and Residence Life office (Living Learning Center 215)
Level 3: Appeal Request to the Office of the Vice President of Student Affairs (VPSA)
If a denial is issued at Level 2, students can appeal the decision.
VPSA Appeal Information
The request for Vice Presidential review must be received within 3 business days of the emailed decision provided by the Housing & Residence Life Appeal Board. The Vice President of Student Affairs, or their designee, may or may not elect to review the appeal request. The student requesting the review will be notified of any decision within a reasonable period.
The VPSA office will review all previously submitted documentation from Level 1 and Level 2 (supplied to them by the Housing and Residence Life office), as well as any additional documentation submitted by the student with the Level 3 request form. Student's must go through Level 1 and Level 2 before being able to appeal to the VPSA at Level 3.
The review made by the VPSA office will not include a scheduled meeting. Any information/documentation that the student wants to be considered must be sent with the request for the appeal to the VPSA.
Decisions made at Level 3 are the final decisions for the request.
Required Form
To request an appeal to the VPSA for a Level 3 review, students need to complete the Appeal form below:
- VPSA Form
- OPTIONAL- if additional new documentation is being provided that was not shared during Level 1 or Level 2, submit with the request for Level 3 for consideration and review.
Submission Directions
Complete the request forms online. All supplemental documentation can be submitted by any of the following:
- Emailing the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs
- Delivering to the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs (Cutler Hall 212)