Exemptions

UA requires that all first time, full-time students live on campus for the entirety of their first year to provide students with a comprehensive educational experience.

Duration of Requirement

• Students first enrolling in the summer: required to live in the residence halls for summer, fall, and spring semesters.
• Students first enrolling in the fall: required to live in the residence halls for fall and spring semesters.
• Students first enrolling in the spring: required to live in the residence halls for spring semester.

Exemptions

We require all full-time freshman students live on campus, unless they meet at least one of the following criteria for exemption:

• Live within 60 miles of UA with lineal relatives (parent, grandparent) or legal guardian
• Live in Tuscaloosa property owned by a parent (proof of ownership required)
• Married and/or have dependent children in residence

The exemption committee reviews requests that do not meet the above criteria. Other criteria considered include:

• Military veteran
• Compelling individual circumstance (committee reviewed)

We do not automatically grant exemptions and consider each as it is submitted. Generally, HRC notifies students whether the exemption is granted in 2-4 weeks (processing time varies due to holidays/University closings), but requests are considered within one week as the deadline approaches. The deadline to request an exemption for Fall 2022 is July 15, 2022.

Apply for Exemption

The exemption request form is available when the housing application opens for Fall 2022. 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.