Frequently Asked Questions

What does "Four-Class Hall" and "First-Year Hall" mean and who lives where?

Four-class halls house students who are first years, sophomores, juniors and seniors. Approximately half of the residents in four-class halls are first-year students. First-year halls (Boaz, McElvaney, Perkins and Smith) house only first year students. First year students may live in any four-class hall, or a first-year hall. Sophomores, juniors and seniors may live in a four-class hall, Moore Hall or the Service House.

Can I choose my roommate? How about suitemates?

If you know who you'd like to room with, you may indicate his or her name and ID number on the Application. Roommate requests must be mutual to be granted. Deadline for requests is June 1. Requests without an ID number cannot be processed. Requests received after June 1 are not guaranteed.

First year students may not request suitemates. Residents returning for the next academic year may sign up with suitemates during the reapplication process held in March.

Can I request a particular residence hall?

You may indicate up to two preferred residence halls. Assignment to a hall is by application date priority and depends on available space. Some halls are requested by more than four times the number of students the hall accommodates! Therefore, assignment to a preferred hall is not guaranteed.

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

Unless living with a parent or guardian in Dallas, first-year students are required to live on campus and complete 24 hours of SMU credit in the first two semesters. Students not completing 24 hours may be required to live on-campus a second year.

Is on-campus housing guaranteed?

For first-year students, housing is guaranteed because they are required to live on-campus. For other students, housing is not guaranteed until a hall assignment is made.

Is there housing for graduate students?

Yes, there is limited graduate housing. Single graduate students may live in Martin Hall. Married graduate students may live in Martin and Hawk, space permitting.

How are hall assignments made?

Assignments are made in application-date order beginning in June for the upcoming fall term. Assignments are made as much as possible using the preferences indicated on the housing application. Assignment to a particular hall or with a particular roommate is not guaranteed. All assignments are made on a space-available basis.

For first-year students, assignments are first made for incoming first-year students requesting a specific theme community, in application-date order (additional priorities and limitations apply, especially for the Honors Hall and Hilltop Scholars at Perkins Hall.) Second, assignments then continue in application date order for the remainder of incoming first-year students. 

What kind of computer do I need to connect to the SMU network?

Both Macs and PCs will work on the SMU network, but there are specific software and hardware requirements. See the Information Technology Services web site for more information.

Can I request a single room?

You may request a single room on the application. Singles are assigned using application date priority. There are usually only a few single rooms available for new residents.

Have a question we haven't answered here? Please let us know!