FAQs and Important Dates

• by April 1 - Summer Housing Application opens
• May 31 – Summer Move-In
• June 1 – Summer Meal Plans begin
• July 25 - Summer Session move out by 10am.

• August 13-16 – Residence Hall move-in
• August 14 – Meal plans begin
• August 26 – House Calls
• September 8 – Room Change Requests open for the semester at 2:00 PM
• September 4 – Last day to lower meal plans
• October 13 – Fall 2027 Reapplication (for current residents) opens at 2:00 PM
• October 27 – Fall 2027 Housing Application (for new students) opens @ 10:00 AM
• November 16 – Room Change Requests close for the semester at 2:00 PM
• November 21 – Residence Halls close for Thanksgiving Break @ 10:00 AM
  • • BS, FR, WE, WO / Break Housing Resources
• November 27 – Residence Halls open at 4:00 PM
• December 11 – Meal plans end
• December 12 – Residence Halls close for Winter Break
  • • BS, FR, WE, WO / Break Housing Resources

• January 16 – Residence Halls reopen at 8:00 AM and Meal Plans begin
• January 31 – Last day for Apartment reapplication
• February 4 – Room Change Requests open for the semester at 2:00 PM
• February 6 - Last day to lower meal plans
• February (TBA) – Apartment assignments sent to campus reapplication students
• March 8 – Room Change Requests close for Spring Break at 2:00 PM
• March 15 – Residence Halls close for Spring Break @ 10:00 AM.
  • BS, FR, WE, WO / Break Housing Resources
• March 21 – Residence Halls reopen at 8:00 AM
• March 23 – Room Change Requests re-open at 2:00 PM
• March 31 – Last day to select a Residence Hall room for Reapplication
• April 12 – Room Change Requests close for the semester at 2:00 PM
• May (TBA) – Summer Housing Assignments emailed
• May 15 – Meal Plans end and Dining Dollars expire
• May 15 – All Residence Halls close at 10:00 AM and Meal Plans end

All students in the state of Missouri need to have met the meningitis requirement. Vaccination records need to be sent to Magers Health and Wellness Center and can be emailed to MagersMedicalRecords@MissouriState.edu or faxed to 888-586-1348.

In some cases, a student with a disability may have a service or assistance animal reside with them in the residence hall. Students with significant animal allergies should contact the Disability Resource Center and discuss housing accommodations for their allergies.

If so, please register with the Disability Resource Center which includes providing disability/medical documentation, meeting with an Access Advisor, and working with them to complete the Housing Access accommodation request process. All accommodation requests for Residence Halls must be made through the Disability Resource Center. MSU reviews requests for reasonable accommodation at any time, however, provision of the accommodation is best served when the request is completed prior to housing assignments being released.

Deferred Housing Deposit

Pell Eligible students have a benefit of being able to defer their housing deposit to be paid as part of their student account at the start of the semester they will live on campus. The $100 deposit amount is added as a charge to the student account on the first of the month that the student will start living on campus (August 1 for Fall, January 1 for Spring, June 1 for Summer).

If you have applied and been Pell Eligible, you will automatically see the option to defer your deposit in the housing application. If you wish to defer, you will click the checkbox under Option 1 on the screen and click “finish” at the bottom of the page.

• My.MissouriState.edu, Campus Life tab, Housing card, Housing Application link, Pay My Housing Deposit.

Summer Housing Incentive

Residence Life, Housing and Dining Services offers free housing for Summer 2026 if a student meets ALL the following criteria:

• Is Pell Eligible.
• Completes on-campus Housing contracts for Spring 2026, Summer 2026, and the entire 2026-2027 academic year.
• Is enrolled in 3 credit hours (half-time enrollment) during the full summer term at Missouri State University.
• Note – A Meal Plan is required* when living in Summer School Housing and would not be free (includes the meals-per-week and Dining Dollars you choose for the summer term).
  • *a meal plan is not required for students living in Sunvilla or Monroe.

This is an additional incentive for students who choose to re-apply to live on campus. We hope this supports a student’s academic journey by allowing them to stay in Springfield and help offset costs that would have otherwise been spent on summer housing. Below are a few commons questions.

How does this work financially?

• If a student meets the criteria, a housing credit will be applied to their University Account that will offset the charge of a shared room (not private room) for the following time frames:
  • Spring intersession (May 9 - May 31).
  • Full Summer term (May 31 - July 25).
  • Fall intersession (July 25 - August 13).
• Students will initially be charged the cost for each of the summer terms and will be sent communication from Residence Life asking if they understand the criteria for free summer housing. After agreeing to the terms laid out in the email communication, a credit for the shared room rate will be added to the student account to offset the initial housing charge.
• If a student preferences and is assigned a private room in the Summer School residence hall, they will pay the difference between a shared room and private room; Residence Life will still credit the account the shared room rate.

Where will students be living in the summer?

• If a student resides in Sunvilla or Monroe during the Spring 2026 semester, they will remain in their current apartment. For Summer 2026, Hutchens House is utilized for all other summer school students.

What if I want a private room?

• Students that wish to live in a private room will still be required to pay the difference between a shared rom rate and private room rate.

What if I don’t meet the criteria listed above? What if I drop below 3 credit hours or cancel/break my 2026-2027 on-campus housing contract?

• If a student does not meet the criteria above, they would be charged for summer housing similar to any other student living in summer school housing and would not receive the housing credit to offset the cost.
• If a student cancels or breaks their Summer 2026 or 2026-2027 housing contract at any point, they will be retroactively charged for all applicable summer terms.

How do I sign up for this great opportunity?

• Complete the appropriate housing contracts in My Missouri State.
• Meet with your Academic Advisor to talk about summer courses you can take and register for at least 3 credit hours.
• Reach out to Financial Aid with questions about financial aid or Pell eligibility.

This program is re-evaluated annually. Residence Life will reach out to all eligible students toward the end of the spring semester with information regarding this incentive and additional eligibility requirements, if applicable.

A Meal Plan and Dining Dollar package are both required for students living in our residence halls and are optional for our students living in our apartments and off-campus. To see Meal Plan and Dining Dollar options, visit our Rates Page.

All our residence halls and apartments provide 24-hour staffing of the front desk (except during some extended break periods). All front desks are equipped with several items for student check-out, such as vacuums, games and recreational equipment. Residents are able to print up to 350 print outs to the front desk each semester, for free. Along with the front desk, the residence hall directors, assistant hall directors and resident assistants live in each residence hall to provide immediate emergency staffing support; there is always someone on-call. Emergency work (no heat/AC depending on time of year, suspected mold, water leaks, etc.) are also completed by custodial and maintenance staff 24 hours a day, and those concerns should be directed to the front desk.

All our residence halls and apartments use an access card system that allows only residents to enter their building. All exterior doors require access card use 24/7 (except for special events such as move in, and where dining halls are open). All guests must enter through the front doors of the building unless accompanied by a resident using their access card.

A lost access card should be reported to your front desk immediately. Replacement cards cost $25. If a lost card is found within 90 days, the card can be returned for a $20 refund.

If you are participating in a Study Away experiecne for FALL and looking to live on campus when you return for SPRING you will need to competle a housing applicaion when it opens in October during your Study Away. You will receive your housing assignment before classes begin in January.

If you are participating in a Study Away experiecne for SPRING and looking to live on campus when you return for SUMMER you will need to competle a housing applicaion when it opens in April during your Study Away. You will receive your housing assignment in May.

If you are living on campus during Fall, participating in a Study Away experiecne for SPRING and looking to live on campus when you return the STARTING NEXT FALL you will need to competle a housing applicaion when it opens in October before your Study Away. Remember that housing contract are for full academic years, fall and spring. You can pick your own assignment until March 31. If you do not select your own space we will assign you based on information in your application.

You will also need to complete a Spring Planning Form, sent to your email and available on our website, before you depart campus in December.

Academic Advisors that would like to be better informed about the University Housing Policy, housing practices and how academic choices could impact a student's eligibility for housing may consult the Academic Advisor Guide for more information.