Policies

As you prepare for college, we would like you to consider living on campus in our residence halls communities. There are many benefits to living on campus including:

• No commute, no icy roads, and no parking hassles.
• Programs and activities help you adapt to campus life.
• Meals, study groups, labs, athletic activities are all right here.
• Everything is billed to your UC student account.
• You will make friends that could last a lifetime!

An important policy to note is the university’s live-on campus requirement:

Unmarried, first-year students under 21, whose parent’s or guardian’s principal residence is within 50 miles of the Uptown campus are excused, without special request, from the University housing policy if they live with their parents at home. Otherwise, a first-year student is required to live in the University Housing.

By submitting your housing application as soon as possible, you will improve the possibility of being assigned to one of your preferred housing choices. The process of submitting an application for housing has been greatly simplified by the use of the online application. You can access the online application, when available, on the Apply page.

• No commute, no icy roads, and no parking hassles.
• Programs and activities help you adapt to campus life.
• Meals, study groups, labs, athletic activities are all right here.
• Everything is billed to your UC student account.
• You will make friends that could last a lifetime!

Add up all the benefits of campus living, and the reason for UC’s housing policy is clear — residence hall living provides valuable experience and support that will foster your success here.

In fact, the university is so committed to supporting your success that all unmarried, first-year students, or transfer students with fewer than 30 credit hours, are required to live in the halls during their first year, unless they are residing with their parent(s) within a 50-mile radius of the Uptown Campus.

You may cancel your Housing Agreement by providing University Housing a written notice via mail, fax or email by the dates and under the conditions identified in your Housing Agreement. Written notice must include your full name and your Student ID number. It must also indicate whether you will still be attending UC.

Although all residents are expected to fulfill the terms of the Housing Agreement for the full academic year or the portion remaining at the time of assignment, University Housing realizes unforeseen circumstances may prevent a student from fulfilling the Agreement. University Housing will work individually with you if such circumstances occur. Petitions to be released from the Housing Agreement must be received in University Housing by November 30 to be considered for the spring semester. Any early release from the Housing Agreement results in a forfeiture of the $100 application fee.

Complete a Petition for Release in the housing application portal.

You should be prepared to document and then to discuss in specific terms the reason(s) you are unable to fulfill your contractual responsibilities.

All petitions must be received by the appropriate deadline, as indicated in your Housing Agreement. After the deadline, only those petitions submitted for the next term or for a condition that has occurred since the deadline will be considered for release.

You may terminate your contract for subsequent terms without cause upon payment of a termination fee of 50% of room price for each term remaining in your agreement and forfeiture of your $100 application fee.

The purpose of this policy is to define the manner in which University Housing will go to help transgender and/or gender non-conforming students obtain suitable, safe housing that is keeping with their gender identity/expression.

Transgender and/or gender-non conforming students are valued members of the university housing living community at the University of Cincinnati.

In meeting the needs of the incoming student, University Housing staff will recognize and respect the gender identity the student has established with Housing as part of their housing application. Staff will not ask for any more information than is required to meet the student’s housing needs, and all disclosed information will be kept strictly confidential. In order to provide support for the needs of current and incoming transgender and/or gender non-conforming students, University Housing strongly encourages potential and current residents to contact the Assistant Director of Resident Education & Development, Aleia White, early in the housing request process so that we may offer the widest range of possible housing options.  

The University Housing staff member will work with the students to find a residence hall space that best meets their needs, factoring gender expression, gender identity, comfortableness in transition and bathroom needs.

Room rates will be consistent with our other undergraduate population living in the residence hall communities.

The University of Cincinnati does not discriminate on the basis of disability, race, color, religion,national origin, ancestry, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, age, sexual orientation, veteran status or gender identity and expression in its programs and activities.

The university does not tolerate discrimination, harassment, or retaliation on these bases and takes steps to ensure that students, employees, and third parties are not subject to a hostile environment in university programs or activities.

The university responds promptly and effectively to allegations of discrimination, harassment and retaliation. It promptly conducts investigations and takes appropriate action, including disciplinary action, against individuals found to have violated its policies, as well as provides appropriate remedies to complainants and the campus community. The university takes immediate action to end a hostile environment if one has been created, prevent its recurrence, and remedy the effects of any hostile environment on affected members of the campus community.

UC is committed to the ideal of universal web accessibility and strives to provide an accessible Web presence that enables all university community members and visitors full access to information provided on its websites. Every effort has been made to make these pages as accessible as possible in accordance with the applicable guidelines.

Smoking and tobacco use are prohibited at all times in all facilities and grounds owned or leased by the University of Cincinnati. Tobacco is defined as all tobacco-derived or tobacco-containing products including, but not limited to, cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, vaporizing devices, cigars and cigarillos, hookah smoked products, pipes, oral tobacco (e.g., spit and spitless, smokeless, chew or snuff) and nasal tobacco (e.g., snus). It also includes any product intended to mimic tobacco products, contain tobacco flavoring or the smoking of any other substance which delivers nicotine. Additionally, using hookahs to smoke non-tobacco products is also prohibited. 

In Calhoun, Dabney, Daniels, Marian Spencer, Siddall, Stratford Heights, and Turner Halls no alcoholic beverages or alcohol containers are permitted on the premises. This includes cans or bottles used for decoration.

In all other communities, alcohol is permitted as stipulated in the University Alcohol Policy. Persons possessing alcohol must be 21; alcohol is permitted in the room or suite of the approved halls with the door closed. For residents sharing a suite/apartment with someone who is not of legal drinking age, alcohol must be contained in their bedroom and is not permitted in the common areas.

Individuals who bring alcoholic beverages into residence hall rooms or apartments must produce a valid driver’s license, state identification card, or similar government-issued identification upon request as proof of eligibility to possess or consume alcohol.  A Bearcat Card is not acceptable for this purpose. Fake IDs may be reported to police. 

Those found in violation of this policy must immediately dispose of their alcoholic beverages and/or alcohol containers when requested to do so by RED staff and other university officials. 

Please review the University of Cincinnati's Official Statement on Medical Marijuana and Frequently Asked Questions.

UC strives to provide a safe environment for its students, which requires that we ALL work together to help ensure that UC’s residence halls and other buildings are as safe as possible. Campus safety is a community responsibility. Please help UC keep our residence halls safe by handling your personal electronic devices with care and in accordance with their user manual to avoid risk of fire.

Additionally, you may not store electronic transportation devices, “homemade” battery powered or electronic devices, and any other flammable devices in the residence halls. As always, please continue to be mindful of the safety of others, as well as yourselves. Failure to uphold your obligations may result in disciplinary proceedings pursuant to the Student Code of Conduct.

Please contact the Office of Accessibility Resources if you require the use of a prohibited item in the residence hall to accommodate a disability.

If you have any questions about whether a device is permissible in the residence halls, please contact Resident Education and Development at 556-6476.