UA requires that all first year, full-time students live on campus for the entirety of their first year to provide students with a comprehensive educational experience.
UA’s freshman residency program applies to all students who are college students for the first time. Dual enrollment credits from high school do not impact the duration of the freshman residency program. The Freshman Residency Requirement applies to first-year students admitted through Undergraduate Admissions. Students admitted through distance learning/UA Online aren’t subject to the freshman residency requirement.
We require all full-time freshman students live on campus, unless they meet at least one of the following criteria for exemption:
The exemption committee reviews requests that do not meet the above criteria. Other criteria considered include:
We do not automatically grant exemptions and consider each as it is submitted. It may take up to four weeks to receive a response, depending on time of year and whether the request requires committee review. The deadline to request an exemption for Fall 2025 is July 15, 2025.
Please note, exemptions are only available for incoming freshmen prior to move-in/start of the school year. After move-in, a first year student who wishes to request to cancel their contract must complete a contract cancellation request and is no longer eligible for an exemption.
The exemption request form is available when the housing application opens for Fall. To access the exemption request form, go to your myHousing portal and log in with your myBama account when prompted. From the home page, select the “Housing Application” button, then click on the “Freshman Exemption Request” at the bottom of the next page. Exemption requests for Fall 2025 that are submitted in Fall 2024 or early Spring 2025 will be considered by March 2025. The deadline to submit an exemption request is July 15, 2025.
