All Southern Polytechnic State University students who are enrolled for at least six credit hours are eligible to live on campus. First year freshman students are housed in Howell Hall and are only eligible to live in that facility. The reason for this is that Howell Hall is a classic, traditionally designed residence hall facility. This type of facility has been shown to be the ideal format for housing traditional age freshmen. Significant research has been done on college student housing, especially having to do with the impact of housing on the retention of students. What the research clearly shows is that:

1. Students who live in residence halls as a general rule perform at a higher level academically than their counterparts who live off campus or at home.

2. Freshmen who live in traditional residence halls are retained by the college they are enrolled in at a significantly greater rate than those who live in other types of college housing.

3. The college housing that has been shown to be the least productive academically and harmful to the retention efforts of institutions as it regards new Freshmen are private rooms and apartments.

The Residence Life staff at Southern Polytechnic State University exists to help students succeed academically at Southern Polytechnic. Housing new traditional age freshman in housing facilities that could potentially hinder their academic success and progress would clearly be counterproductive to that part of our mission. Therefore, only under circumstances that require the student to be housed in a private room that are due to a documented medical condition will traditional age freshman be housed in an apartment facility.

Students who are beyond their first year of college and new freshman who are not of traditional age (18 to 22 years) are eligible to live in either Norton Hall or one of the Apartment complexes. Students who are attending another University System institution who wish to live in Student Housing at SPSU are eligible to do so as long as they meet the same eligibility requirements as SPSU students. They must provide proof of their enrollment each academic term. They are also subject to all of the rules and regulations of both the Department of Residence Life and Judicial Programs, and of the University. Therefore, they are subject to identical treatment with regard to SPSU students under these policies, rules, and regulations.

There is one application form used to apply for a housing contract at SPSU. Whether you apply to be housed in a residence hall or in an apartment setting, the same application is used. A one time $135.00 application/reservation fee and a minimum $100.00 security deposit must be submitted with the application. The application fee is not refundable. It does, however, follow the student for their entire academic career.

Contracts for housing are offered based upon availability and the date that the application is received. Waiting lists are established for new freshmen, students who are beyond their first year of college and want to live in a residence hall setting, and students who wish to live in an apartment setting. Separate waiting lists are established in each category for men and women. Current residents are given preference and an opportunity to renew their housing contracts during the month of March each year. Students who fail to renew at that time will have their housing application changed to inactive status and will lose all rights of preference. They may reactivate their application at any time, however, the date that they notify the Office of Housing and Residence Life that they wish to reactivate their application shall be the date that is used to determine their placement on the appropriate waiting list for the type of housing they desire.

Housing contracts are always offered to Southern Polytechnic State University students before eligible University System Students. Therefore, it is unlikely that a University System Student will be offered a housing contract prior to the month of August. Student housing at SPSU was built to house SPSU students. Only when there is insufficient demand by its students for housing shall other University System Students be offered housing contracts.

Current and new students who wish to apply for housing on the SPSU campus may do so by either contacting the Office of Housing and Residence Life at (678) 915-7335 in order to have an application sent by mail, or they may use the link below to reach an application form that they may print out and send in to our office.

We strongly urge students who are applying for housing at SPSU to explore this website in depth. Students should make themselves aware of what it means to apply for housing, enter into a contract for housing, and what the expectations are for students who live on campus in terms of their behavior. Some additional links are provided below in order to facilitate your exploration.

• Housing Application Materials
• Apartment Housing Contract terms
• Residence Hall Housing Contract terms
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Residence Life Rules for Residence Halls
• Residence Life Rules for Apartments
• University Student Code of Conduct

Office of Housing and Residence Life
1100 S. Marietta Pkwy
Marietta, GA 30060-2896
Phone: 678-915-7335
Fax: 678-915-3413
Questions/Comments