Housing Policies

Residency Requirement

Living on campus is an important part of your overall success as a BGSU student. It has been proven students who live on campus have a higher GPA – and persistence towards graduation – faster than their peers who live off campus. Because of this, Bowling Green State University’s Board of Trustees has set a Residency Requirement that states a student must live on campus their first two years. The Residency Requirement is enforced unless one or more of the exemption criteria are met -or- the student has an approved housing appeal.

Housing  & Dining Agreement

The On-Campus Housing and Dining Agreements below reviews the terms and conditions of occupancy in the University residence halls between the room occupant and Bowling Green State University. All residents are expected to review and understand the obligations outlined in their agreement.

For every room selection process, the Housing and Dining Agreement must be accepted in the Housing & Meal Plan Application, located in MyBGSU. Students under the age of 18 at the time of completing the application are required to have their parent/guardian sign the agreement with them. Once a student has completed their Housing & Meal Plan Application, they have accepted the terms and conditions of the On-Campus Housing and Dining Agreement for the entire academic year.

We supply the most current agreement on this page for review before and after the selection process.

Standard Exemptions, Appeal Process & Cancellations

In rare circumstances, the Office of Student Housing grants requests to release students from their On-Campus Housing & Dining Agreement.

Housing Exemptions

Below are exemptions that need to be met by Aug. 21 for Fall 2023, Jan. 7 for students starting Spring 2024, and Aug. 25 for Fall 2024.

  1. You have completed four semesters of on-campus residency
  2. You have attained junior level status (60 credit hours and above)
  3. You will turn 20 years of age by start of academic term
  4. You will be commuting daily from the permanent home of your parent or legal guardian within a 50-mile driving distance of BGSUs main campus*
  5. You are married (proof of marriage required)
  6. You are a parent with custodial care responsibilities (proof of custodial care required)
  7. You have fulfilled one of the requirements to be considered an Independent Student (as determined by the Office of Financial Aid)
  8. You have completed 12 months of consecutive Active Military Service
  9. You are transferring to BGSU, has been out of high school for a minimum of two years and have completed at least 12 credit hours at an accredited institution of higher education post high school graduation

Note: If you meet one of these exemptions, there is no need to do anything else. The Office of Student Housing will pull this information from your records and waive the Residency Requirement for you.

*The Office of Student Housing considers the permanent home address of the Student’s parent(s) or legal guardian(s) to be the address of record on file with federal, state and local tax agencies and where a minimum of one of the Student’s parent(s) or legal guardian(s) resides. Students who qualify to reside off-campus under this clause do not need to request housing. Please note that providing false information to the University is a violation of the Student Code of Conduct.

Helpful tip: The Office of Student Housing cautions you against entering into an off-campus housing agreement until you are certain you meet the first three exceptions –or– have received an official notice that your appeal of the Residency Requirement has been approved.

Housing Appeals

There are three types of appeals that will be considered for exemption from the On-Campus Housing & Dining Agreement. These conditions may exempt a student and each requires a Housing Appeal to be submitted. In each case, students will be asked to provide extensive documentation and rationale supporting their request.

Medical or Disability Appeal

When a student believes they are unable to fulfill their On-Campus Housing & Dining Agreement obligations due to a disability or medical condition, they may pursue being released from the Residency Requirement.

Federal law defines a disability as a “physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.” If, after receiving the completed documentation from a student’s physician and it is determined that the Office of Student Housing and the Office of Accessibility Services cannot accommodate a student’s disability with on-campus housing, the student will be released from the Residency Requirement.

Financial Hardship Appeal

When students believe they are unable to fulfill their On-Campus Housing & Dining Agreement obligations due to a significant change in their own, their parent(s) or legal guardian(s) financial situation, they may pursue a release from the Residency Requirement. It is the responsibility of the student to quantify how the change in their financial situation is beyond their control and severe enough to prevent them from meeting their financial obligations to Bowling Green State University.

Personal Appeal

When students believe they are unable to fulfill their On-Campus Housing & Dining Agreement obligations due to other extenuating circumstances beyond their control, they may pursue being released from the Residency Requirement.

Filing a Housing Appeal

  1. Submit an initial appeal request. Please note: you will need to sign in with your BGSU login information to complete this step. 
  2. Type a specific statement identifying what has changed in your situation.
  3. Complete and return any additional documentation required for your specific type of appeal to the appropriate office. This documentation will be emailed to your BGSU email address and will come in the form of a PDF file. If additional documentation in not received within 30 days, the appeal will become inactive.
  4. Students will be notified in writing, via their BGSU email, of the outcome of their appeal. Please note that this process can take up to 4 weeks.

If appeals are granted, the student may receive a refund according to the Forfeiture Schedule located on the Refund Schedule page.

File an Appeal

2024 Spring Housing Cancellations  |  Oct. 23 – Jan. 8

The spring cancellation form, which can be found by login into your Housing Portal and selecting “Manage My Housing” at the top of the home page, should be completed by students who are not returning to BGSU for the spring 2024 semester. The Office of Student Housing will verify the information provided before cancelling a student's spring housing. Processing of these cancellation forms will not begin until Nov. 1. If you have questions, please contact the Office of Student Housing at housing@bgsu.edu or 419-372-2011.

If you are living in a Greek affiliated townhouse, please contact your chapter president or house manager to cancel your spring housing.

Although you can request to cancel your spring housing application up until the start of the semester, your belongings will need to be moved out by 10 a.m. on December 9.

Special Accommodations

The Office Accessibility Services and the Office of Student Housing work together to coordinate housing accommodations for students with disabilities and chronic health conditions. Students who would like to request a housing accommodation, first must be registered with Accessibility Services and then fill out the Specialized Housing Accommodations Form and return it one of two ways:

    Email | access@bgsu.edu
    Fax | 419-372-8496

Accessibilty Services Information & Forms

Updated: 03/11/2024 12:56PM