American University Freshman Dorms: Your Guide to On-Campus Living

Embarking on your college journey at American University (AU) is an exciting time, and where you live plays a significant role in your overall experience. This guide provides essential information about AU's freshman dorms, the housing application process, move-in procedures, and community living expectations.

Securing Your Spot: Application and Deadlines

To secure your preferred space in AU's freshman dorms, it's crucial to act promptly. Here's a breakdown of the application timeline:

Submit Enrollment and Housing Deposits: Submit your enrollment and housing deposits to the Office of Admissions as soon as possible.
Housing Application Opens: The housing application will open at noon on Thursday, April 2, 2026 for students who have already submitted a housing deposit with AU Admissions. You can apply through the AU Housing Portal.
Priority Deadline: The housing application priority deadline for first-year students is Friday, May 8 at noon.
Exemption Requests: Students interested in applying for an exemption to the residency requirement must do so immediately following the completion of the application. The deadline for most exemption criteria is June 1, 2026.

Exemptions to the Residency Requirement

While AU requires first-year students to live on campus for their first two years, there are avenues for exemption:

Disability Accommodations: Students with disabilities may request an exemption from the housing requirement by completing the University's disability accommodation process through the Academic Support & Access Center (ASAC).
Religious Accommodations: Students who have sincerely held religious beliefs may request an exemption from the housing requirement by completing the University's religious accommodation process through the Kay Spiritual Life Center.

Finding Your Roommate and Selecting Your Home

The roommate matching process and room selection are important steps in preparing for on-campus living:

Roommate Matching: Roommate matching begins at noon on Monday, May 11, 2026. You can match with 1-3 roommates through the AU Housing Portal.
Room Type: The vast majority of available first-year rooms are traditional double rooms.
Matching Options: You'll have the option to match with someone you know or search for a potential roommate using the roommate profile questions collected in Step 1.
Room Selection Timeslot: You will select your Home at AU in early June. You'll be assigned a timeslot (the time you can begin to select your room) between June 1-June 8, 2026.
Timeslot Priority: The earliest timeslots are given to Early Decision students, and then all regular decision students are randomly assigned a timeslot.
Room Selection Deadline: Using the AU Housing Portal, you'll select a room when your timeslot begins and must select a space by 5 PM on Monday, June 8.

Community Living and Expectations

American University places a strong emphasis on community development, civility, and responsible behavior. Several guidelines and agreements are in place to ensure a positive living environment:

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Community Standards: Community standards have been established in the residence halls with a combination of the Student Conduct Code, specifically the Residence Hall Regulations, and the Housing License Agreement.
Guest Registration: Residents are required to register all guests at their area front desk.
Roommate Agreement: This agreement is designed for assigned residents of a shared space, whether that be a traditional, suite, or apartment style space, to facilitate communication with one another.
Open Communication: Parties should not assume that everyone will naturally fall into a rhythm of cleaning. Nor should parties assume that feelings are known before they are clearly and appropriately articulated.
RA Support: If a breakdown in communication and shared living expectations occurs, your Resident Assistant (RA) may use this document to guide the discussion they facilitate between applicable parties.

Move-In Day: A Smooth Transition

AU is committed to making sure your Move-In Day goes smoothly! There will be movers and volunteers to help unload, staff to point the way, hand-outs, and more.

Pre-Assigned Timeslots: Each student will be pre-assigned a move-in timeslot (the date and time to move-in) based on their residential classification (i.e. First-Year, Sophomore, Transfer, Upperclass).
Alternate Move-In: If this date does not work for your plans, you can elect to move to an alternate day or time.
Hangtag: Once you receive your move-in timeslot, you'll receive a hangtag in your AU Housing Portal with your move-in date and time.
Changing Timeslots: Once students receive their timeslot, they can switch to any open move-in timeslot through the Housing Portal. Please note that earlier time slots are limited for all students.
Restricted Dates: Move-in dates between August 17 - 21 are restricted based on residential classification (see below).
Early Arrival: In addition to the specific groups listed below, the early arrival date (August 16) is only available to incoming first-year and transfer students who are unable to move in on either Sunday (August 17) or Monday (August 18). Only available to incoming first-years and transfer students whose assigned move-in date is not feasible under any circumstances.

Residence Hall Amenities and Restrictions

Students live in a variety of residence halls, and each hall has specific amenities. It's important to be aware of what you can and cannot bring:

Restricted Items: Certain items are restricted in your room but can be used in your lounge space.
Prohibited Items: Others are completely prohibited in your hall and on campus.

Example: Anderson Hall

Anderson Hall houses over 770 residents and has a traditional residence hall design with fully furnished double and triple rooms. Shared hall bathrooms are just on the north and south side of the building. Each floor community has a central lounge space with a kitchen, lounge furniture, and television for students to study or socialize with their community. Decorative and additional items can be purchased from the HRL coordinated vendors through our Personalize Your Room webpage. In-hall staff include resident assistants (RAs) and community directors (CDs). Andersons' RAs live on each floor, acting as peer educators and helping residents transition to university life and connect to their community.

Who is Considered a First-Year Student?

First-Year students are defined as those who have been directly admitted to an undergraduate degree program at American University and have not attended another postsecondary institution (not including dual-enrollment credits completed during high school tenure). The housing status will be parallel to how the Office of Admissions has classified an incoming student.

Residency Requirement: Why Live On-Campus?

Housing & Residence Life recognizes the benefits of living in on-campus residence halls, such as higher retention rates and graduation rates. All incoming first-year students will be required to live on campus for their first two years as part of AU's residency requirement.

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Other Student Classifications

Transfer Students: Transfer students are defined as those who have been directly admitted to an undergraduate degree program at American University and have previously attended another postsecondary institution. The housing status will be parallel to how the Office of Admissions has classified an incoming student.
Graduate Students: Graduate students are defined as those who will be enrolled in an on-campus graduate program for the 2026-2027 academic year.

Students enrolled in an on-campus undergraduate or graduate program at American University are eligible to live on campus. All residence halls are open over Thanksgiving and Spring Breaks, but will close for the Winter Break period. Only one residence hall will be open over Winter Break.

Accommodations and Themed Communities

Medical Accommodations: Students seeking a medical accommodation for a single room should reach out to the Academic Support and Access Center. A limited number of double-as-single rooms will be made available to the general population incoming students during room selection. Requests for medical accommodations must be processed by the Academic Support & Access Center. The priority deadline to submit documentation to ASAC is May 2026 for first-year students and July 2026 for transfer students [dates subject to change].
Themed Communities: Our Themed Communities are residential cohorts in designated floors/halls designed to celebrate the diversity of our students, and create supportive and inclusive environments to thrive.

Roommate Relationships: Building a Positive Living Environment

We encourage you to talk with your roommate - avoid using social media as the only means to get to know each other. Create time to interact with your roommate over the phone, Facetime, or Zoom. Do not just text! Find common interests or take the opportunity to learn about something new to you that your roommate enjoys and can teach you about. You and your roommate(s) will share a unique relationship during your time together. You may not always get along with each other, care to spend a lot of time together, or become good friends, but you will share part of your lives with each other.

Room Changes

Before move-in: Due to high occupancy on campus, there will not be vacancies to change around students after the initial assignment.
After move-in: A room change freeze is active the first three weeks of the semester as housing confirms arrivals and assignments.

Personalizing Your Space

Well, that's up to you! But for some AU-specific ideas, you can check out the Best Nest Contest images.

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