Exploring Housing Options at Eastern Michigan University

Eastern Michigan University (EMU) provides a variety of housing options designed to cater to the diverse needs and preferences of its student body. From traditional residence halls to apartment-style living, EMU's Housing & Residence Life aims to create a supportive and student-centered environment where students can thrive academically and socially. The "Welcome Home" initiative has brought transformative changes, including new apartments and renovated residence halls, enhancing the on-campus living experience.

Benefits of On-Campus Living

Living on campus at EMU offers numerous advantages. Research indicates that students who reside in university housing tend to achieve higher GPAs, engage more actively in campus programs and organizations, maintain stronger connections with professors and classmates, exhibit greater enrollment persistence, and express higher satisfaction with their overall college experience. In addition to academic and social benefits, Housing and Residence Life at EMU hosts numerous programs each month during the academic year, including social programs focusing on community building, life skills and personal wellness, and educational programs centered on academic success.

Housing Application Process

To begin the on-campus living experience, students must complete a housing application and pay a $150 application fee. This fee is mandatory for all students, regardless of scholarship or financial aid status, and is required to start the housing application process. The fee is not a deposit or prepayment, is not charged to the student account, and cannot be waived. The housing application accepts credit cards and debit cards that work without PINs. The system will not accept debit-only cards (PIN required for use) or prepaid cards.

Students aged 18 or older will complete an electronic version of the Housing & Dining Contract directly within the application process, requiring no additional signatures beyond the student’s own acknowledgment. Students under 18 must have a parent or legal guardian co-sign the Housing & Dining Contract before proceeding. Legal guardians should ensure their student understands the terms and conditions of the contract, as students will be held accountable for complying with these terms.

Forming a Roommate Group

Students have the option to form a group to participate in the Room Selection lottery together. The group's lottery time is determined by averaging the attempted credit hours of all members of the group. It is crucial to decide who will be the Group Leader, as this person is responsible for creating the group in the application, adding other students, verifying the group, and selecting bed spaces for all group members. Group members must log in and complete their personal applications after the Group Leader selects bed assignments.

Housing Options

EMU offers a range of housing options, including residence halls and apartments. First-year students have specific requirements and options, while upper-class and graduate students have additional choices.

Residence Halls

Residence halls provide a strong sense of community and are a popular choice for many students.

First-Year Student Residence Hall Options

First-year students are generally required to live on campus unless they commute from a parent's permanent address within a 50-mile radius of the university. Eligible first-year students can reside in double rooms in Walton, Putnam, Phelps, Sellers, Wise, and Downing Halls. A double is a room that you will share with a roommate, and share common spaces like a bathroom, with another set of two students. This means that four students are assigned to each double suite - two students per room. Wise Hall is the only residence hall that is different. Students do not have suite-mates in Wise due to the community bathrooms. Students who choose to live in Wise will share the bedroom with another student, and share the community bathroom with the floor.

First-year students who require a single room for medical reasons must work with the Disability Resource Center (DRC) as early as possible to be approved for this room type. Approved students will be offered a converted single (double room designated for one occupant) in Walton, Putnam, Phelps, Sellers, Wise, or Downing Hall.

Upper-Class and Graduate Student Residence Hall Options

Upper-class students are eligible for doubles in Downing, Walton, and Sellers Halls, as well as singles in Wise Hall and the Village. All graduate-level students are eligible for any space on campus, except for Phelps and Putnam.

Read also: A Detailed Look at ECNU

Residence Hall Room Rates

Room rates vary depending on the hall and room type. For example, the base rate for a double room in Wise Hall was $3,090 per semester in 2025-2026 and $3,195 per semester in 2026-2027. Single rooms in Wise Hall were $3,950 per semester in 2025-2026 and $4,040 per semester in 2026-2027. Base rates for double rooms in Phelps, Sellers, Downing, Walton, and Putnam Halls were $3,990 per semester in 2025-2026 and $4,125 per semester in 2026-2027.

Apartments

Apartment-style living offers more independence while still providing the convenience of on-campus housing.

Apartment Eligibility

To be eligible for Cornell Courts, 601 West Forest, Lakeview, or Westview, students must have reached 25 or more attempted credit hours at the time of room selection. First-year students are not eligible for the Village, Cornell Courts, 601 West Forest, Lakeview, or Westview, regardless of attempted credit hours. Students who participate in dual-enrollment programs or ECA while in high school are considered first-year students.

Apartment Options

Apartment options include Cornell Courts, 601 West Forest, the Village, Lakeview Apartments, and Westview Apartments. The Village offers double rooms, single rooms, and small single rooms (where one bedroom is smaller and billed at a reduced rate).

Meal Plans

Meal plans are an integral part of the on-campus living experience, especially for first-year students and those residing in residence halls.

Read also: ESU Tuition Guide

Meal Plan Requirements

All first-year students living on campus are required to purchase a meal plan through the housing application, regardless of where they live. Upper-class students who live in any of our residence halls (Walton, Sellers, Wise, and Downing) are also required to purchase a meal plan via the housing application. Students living in the Village or apartment options (Lakeview, Westview, Cornell, or 601 West Forest) are not required to purchase a meal plan.

Meal Plan Selection

Students do not select their meal plan until after they book/reserve their housing or are assigned to a space by Housing. It is important to wait until this point in the process to make the meal plan selection.

Important Considerations

Housing Accommodations

EMU is committed to providing inclusive housing options for all students. Residents must be prepared to live in shared spaces with students who have emotional support animals (ESAs), service animals, or other housing-related accommodations. Students with approved ESAs and service animals can be assigned anywhere on campus and at any time.

If a resident has a severe phobia or allergy to animals commonly used as ESAs or service animals, they must register and be approved for accommodation through the Disability Resource Center to avoid being assigned to a space with approved ESAs or service animals.

Room Selection Lottery

The room selection lottery is a process where students are assigned a time to select their housing based on their student type (graduate/undergraduate) and total attempted credit hours. Graduate-level students are placed first in the lottery, ranked by their total attempted credit hours. For students in groups, their lottery position is determined by averaging the attempted credit hours of each group member.

Renewing Your Space

Students may have the option to renew their current housing assignment for the following academic year. However, Housing reconfigures spaces on campus before the selection process begins, which may involve rearranging or repurposing rooms and buildings. Certain bed spaces, such as ADA spaces, spaces in staff suites, and student-athlete designated spaces, are not renewable.

Welcome Home EMU Plan

The Welcome Home EMU Plan is a transformative initiative designed to create affordable, quality housing for students while ensuring long-term sustainability and seamless integration of facilities services with Housing and Residence Life. This plan involves a public-private partnership (P3) and includes the construction of new student living facilities and improvements to existing housing.

New Construction and Renovations

The Welcome Home EMU Plan includes the construction of two new student living facilities: Lakeview Apartments (a 400-bed apartment-style residence hall) and Westview Apartments (a 300-bed apartment community). Improvements to existing housing include new air conditioning, enhanced WiFi, updated lounges, study spaces, and community kitchens, new common area furniture, refreshed bathrooms, floors, and windows, new energy-efficient LED lighting, and new recording/podcasting rooms.

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