Apply for Housing - Fall 2026: Northern Kentucky University, Greater Cincinnati Region

Fall 2026 Application Timeline and Instructions

Our Fall 2026 timeline is designed to give you a timeline of our housing application process.

December 1 – 2026-27 Housing Application Opens for all Current and Incoming Students
January 14 – Housing Renewal Event in Norse Commons
January 19-25 – Same Room Selection - Retainer Process Available
January 27-30 – Suite Selection Available
February 2 – Room Selection Opens for All Students with confirmed contracts
May 31 – Last day to cancel the housing contract without any cancellation charges
June 1 – Housing cancellation fees apply
June 30 - Last day to select your housing space
July 1 - Housing Auto Assignments begin
July 15 (approx) - Fall 2026 Tuition, Room and Board Charges Applied to Student Account
August 13 – University Housing Move-In Day!

2026 - 2027 Residence Hall Information

First Year Residence Halls

Upper Division Residence Halls

Combined Residence Halls (First Year and Upper Division Students)

Kentucky Hall

New Residence Hall

Callahan Hall*

Norse Hall*

University Suites*

Buildings with the asterisk (*) next to them indicate those are the communities that will remain open during the Winter Break Period. Any student living on-campus during the winter break period will be required to pay the winter break fee. Winter Break fees are determined and are subject to approval by the NKU Board of Regents.

Housing Application Instructions

For students to complete their housing application, students will need to complete the following forms.

Housing Contract – Students will sign the housing contract confirming their commitment to on-campus housing for next year.
- To gain access to the housing contract, students need to have accepted and confirmed their attendance to NKU.
Update Personal Information for Roommate Preferences – Information the student will fill out about their demographic and personal information for future roommates to select.

Students can find the housing application by going to the Housing Portal link or by clicking the gold "Housing Portal" button.

Housing Renewal Events

If you are current resident with us, the University Housing will be hosting a Housing Renewal Event January 14th from 5:00-6:00 PM.

Look for our table inside Norse Commons for pop-up tabling events as well, where you can stop by and win a prize!

Additional information about our renewal events will be posted on our Instagram page @nku_housing.

Housing Contract Information

When signing the University Housing contract, the student agrees to live on-campus for the entirety of the 2026-2027 academic school year.

By agreeing to live on-campus, the student is agreeing to the following disclosures.

First-Year Residency Policy (only for incoming and new first-year students to NKU)
Housing Eligibility Policy
University Housing Cancellation Policy
Abiding by the NKU Student Code of Conduct and University Housing Policies

Students and families are welcome to review the housing contract by going to the University Housing and Dining Contract and Terms webpage.

Housing Eligibility Requirements

In order to qualify for University Housing, on-campus residential students must meet both of the following requirements:

Residential students must be enrolled in at least 1-credit hour(s)
Residential students must pay the entirety of their university balance prior to moving into the residence halls for the fall and spring semesters or be enrolled in the university Installment Plan and make the scheduled payments per the Installment Plan agreement.

Students who qualify can apply their financial aid to housing fees after tuition payments have been satisfied. Students and/or their parents/legal guardians will be responsible for the remainder of the university balance prior to moving into the residence hall assignment.

First-Year Residency Requirement

All first-year students are required to live in University Housing for their first full academic year.

It is highly encouraged that incoming first-year students review the first-year residency requirement by going to the First-Year Residence Requirement webpage.

Students are responsible for understanding this information and following this university requirement or will be subject to additional cancellation and other housing fees.

Room Selection Information

Residential students will have the opportunity to select their own roommates and room spaces. Below are important dates to remember for the room selection process.

January 19-25 – Same Room Selection (if applicable keep your current room)
January 27-30 – Suite Selection (know who you want to live with? Stop by the housing office and secure your space and roommates!)
February 2 – Room selection portal opens for all New Incoming First-Year and Transfer Students (individual room selection, first-come first-serve)
June 30 – Last day to select your room
July 1 – Auto-Assignment begins
Room Change Requests – After the first few weeks of school, the Housing office accepts room change requests, find the form in your Housing Portal.

For Incoming First Year Students, Housing will send out information in late January 2026 about how you can select your room for the next academic year.

For our current/returning students, Housing will send out information about how you can select an upper division housing space for next year.

Roommate Selection Information

Residents who complete their Roommate Profile in the Housing Portal can be matched with a random roommate.

This is our standard roommate matching process. You do not need to select a roommate, but by completing your Roommate Profile in the Housing Portal, you can influence who you are paired with based on your preferences.

Instructions on how to complete your Roommate Profile

Log onto your Housing Portal
On the left hand side, go to the My Info and Roommate Profile tab and click it
Once in your My Info and Room Profile tab, click on the My Info tab.
Fill out all the information in your My Info tab that asks questions that you would ask a future roommate.
You're Done!

When you select a bedroom space, you will find the name your future roommate and from there you can look for their roommate profile information.

Tips for contacting future roommates

The hyperlink for your room space will contain their NKU email that you can use to contact your roommate
Reach out via social media (instagram, facebook, etc.)

Know Who You Want to Room With?
The sooner you select your space, the more options you’ll have. Available rooms will appear in your housing portal through June 30th. If you’re hoping to live with a specific roommate, look for rooms with two open beds, which you can identify by the room number.

Please note that rooms fill quickly and may only have one bed available. If you’d like to change roommates after move-in, room change requests open a few weeks into the semester, pending availability.

Housing Cancellation Information

The terms of the Housing Contract begin when a student is admitted to Northern Kentucky University and continues until the residence halls close at the end of the spring semester; unless cancelled by NKU or the student prior to check-in, cancelled by breach, termination by University Housing in accordance with this Housing Contract or by an approved Housing Contract Cancellation after check-in (see Schedule of Charges and Deadlines). Exceptions or changes to this Housing Contract are not valid unless the Director of University Housing or their designee has confirmed them in writing.

Fall to Fall Contract Information

What is the Fall-to-Fall Contract?

University Housing is offering a Fall 2026 to Fall 2027 where current residential students can apply to live on-campus for the full calendar year.
The Fall-to-Fall contract will cover the Fall 2026, Spring 2027, and Summer 2027 terms.
Students who choose to be part of the fall-to-fall contract will not need to apply for winter break housing or pay for the winter break fees.
Students can begin applying for the fall-to-fall housing contract on December 1, when all of the housing applications open.

Who qualifies for the Fall-to-Fall contract?

Returning NKU students are eligible to sign the fall-to-fall contract, which can be found by going to the Housing Portal (left side gold button).
Incoming new students do not qualify for the fall-to-fall contract.
Returning students who have a current contract and wish to be part of the fall-to-fall contract can do so based on space availability.

Where will the Fall-to-Fall community be housed?

Norse Hall and Northern Terrace will be the homes of the fall-to-fall contract for the next academic year.

What is the rate of the fall-to-fall contract?

The housing rate will be based on the room type a student chooses for the upcoming academic year.
Information about our rates can be found by going to the Housing and Dining Rates webpage.

2026-2027 Schedule of Charges and Deadlines

Cancellation Date	Resident Financial Responsibility	Meal Plan Credit
Academic year and Fall to Fall cancellations prior to May 31, 2026	Resident is responsible for 0% of fall semester housing fees
Academic year and Fall to Fall cancellations between June 1, 2026 and June 30, 2027	Resident is responsible for 25% of fall semester housing fees
Academic year and Fall to Fall cancellations between July 1, 2026 and July 31, 2026	Resident is responsible for 50% of fall semester housing fees
Academic Year and Fall to Fall cancellations between August 1, 2026 and August 13, 2026	Resident is responsible for 75% of fall semester housing fees
Academic Year and Fall to Fall cancellations after August 13, 2026	Resident is responsible for 100% of fall semester housing fees and 0% of spring semester housing fees	Resident will receive prorated meal plan credit through November 1
Academic Year and Fall to Fall cancellations for spring term before November 1, 2026	Resident is responsible for 100% of fall semester housing fees AND 0% of spring semester housing fees	Resident is responsible for 100% of the meal plan costs for the fall term and 0% of the meal plan costs for the spring term
Academic year and Fall to Fall cancellations between November 1, 2026 and November 30, 2026	Resident is responsible for 100% of fall semester housing fees AND 25% of spring semester housing fees	Resident is responsible for 100% of the meal plan costs for the fall term and 0% of the meal plan costs for the spring term
Academic year and Fall to Fall cancellations between December 1, 2026 and December 31, 2026	Resident is responsible for 100% of fall semester housing fees AND 50% of spring semester housing fees	Resident is responsible for 100% of the meal plan costs for the fall term and 0% of the meal plan costs for the spring term
Academic Year and Fall to Fallcancellations for the spring term between January 1, 2027 to January 10, 2027	Resident is responsible for 75% of spring semester housing fees	Resident is responsible for 100% of the meal plan costs for the fall term and 0% of the meal plan costs for the spring term
Academic Year and Fall to Fallcancellations for spring term after January 11, 2027	Resident is responsible for 100% of spring semester housing fees	Resident will receive prorated meal plan credit through March 1. Meal plan cancellations received after March 1 the resident is responsible for 100% of meal pan cost.

Cancellation Charges - Summer	Resident Financial Responsibility	Meal Plan Credit
Summer Housing and Fall to Fall cancellations prior to April 1, 2027	Resident is responsible for 0% of summer term housing fees	0% of the summer meal plan
Summer Housing and Fall to Fall cancellations between April 1, 2027 and April 30, 2027	Resident is responsible for 25% of summer term housing fees	0% of the summer meal plan
Summer Housing and Fall to Fall cancellations between May 1, 2027 and May 8, 2027	Resident is responsible for 50% of summer term housing fees	0% of the summer meal plan
Summer Housing and Fall to Fall cancellations on May 9, 2027	Resident is responsible for 75% of summer term housing fees	0% of the summer meal plan
Summer Housing and Fall to Fal lcancellations after May 9, 2027	Resident is responsible for 100% of summer term housing fees and 0% of spring semester housing fees	Resident will receive prorated meal plan based on usage

Housing Application Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Do first-year residence halls have single rooms available?

Yes! Single spaces can be found in Kentucky Hall - Bluegrass and Laurel wings.

Do transfer students qualify for upper-division housing?

Transfer students who meet the threshold for sophomore standing and above qualify for upper-division housing. Transfer students who have less than 29 credits are still considered first-year transfer students and will qualify for first-year housing.

Are students required to have a meal plan?

Yes, all students living on-campus are required to have a meal plan. Meal plan options can be found by going to the NKU Campus Dining webpage.

Are first-year students required to live on-campus?

Yes, all first-year students are required to live on-campus unless they meet the exemption criteria, which can be found on the First-Year Residency Requirement webpage.

Can my financial aid help pay for housing and dining fees?

Yes; however, financial aid will be applied to university tuition and fees before housing and dining costs. Students whose financial aid does not cover their entire student balance are responsible for paying these costs prior to moving into the residence halls.

Are pets allowed on-campus?

At this time, only approved Emotional Support Animals (ESAs) and Service Animals are allowed on-campus. Students can visit the Student Accessibility Services webpage for more information regarding ESA and Service Animal requests.

Housing: Future Residents

Apply for Housing - Fall 2026

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University Housing