Incoming First Year Students

Students may complete a housing agreement to participate in the housing selection process. Agreements should be completed online by logging into the New Hawks Portal or The Nest (nest.sju.edu). Follow the steps below:

1. Log into The Nest (nest.sju.edu) and go to the "Student Services & Resources" section.
2. Click on "Housing Application" to access the Housing Portal.
3. Once within the Housing Portal, select the appropriate academic year.
4. Items that are available to view and complete will have red text. If you find that you are not able to advance through the menu, look at the items that are available and be sure to click "Save & Continue" at the bottom of the page to verify that you have seen the information.*Please note that the housing agreement is a binding agreement for the entire academic year and students will not be released except for extraordinary circumstances.

If you are an incoming first-year student, you can complete the housing agreement on the New Hawks Portal by following the steps below:

1. Enter your username and password in the Secured Access Login box on The Nest home page.
2. Within the “New Hawks Portal," select “Complete Housing Agreement” located in the "To Do” List. Please note that the housing agreement is a binding agreement for the entire academic year and students will not be released except for extraordinary circumstances.

• On the designated date, students who have completed the housing agreement will be able to log in to the Nest to view their randomly assigned housing selection date and time.
• On this date, students can also begin to use the room search feature in the housing selection module in the Nest. This feature offers students an opportunity to view all available bed spaces. Once students begin making housing selections, fewer spaces will appear as available.

• Housing selection will occur for students by their class year. Selection typically occurs over the course of several dates.
• On their designated selection date and time, students will be able to log in and select a housing assignment through our online system.
• Please be aware, the Office of Residence Life cannot predict or control information shared through Facebook and other social media. All information regarding housing agreements, roommate profiles and housing selection can be accessed through the Nest. Outside organizations that are not accessible through this channel are not sponsored by or affiliated with Saint Joseph's University or the Office of Residence Life.

• Students who note a specific accommodation need within their housing agreement will receive an email with information about an administrative placement option for their specific need. You can learn more about the specific accommodation placement process below.
• Students who do not make a selection through the housing selection process will be administratively placed after the selection process is complete. This applies to any first- or second-year student and to any student with a completed housing agreement on file.

Hawk Hill

• May 13:  2026-2027 Housing Agreements become available in the Housing Portal for First Year Students
• June 15:  Housing Agreements Due to receive a Selection Date & Time
• June 17: Housing Selection Dates & Times and "Browse Rooms" feature available in the Housing Portal
• June 17: Honors Housing information emailed to students in the Honors program
• June 23-July 1:  Orientation
• July 13-17: First Year Student Housing Selection Process
• July 20-22: Administrative Placements completed for students who did not complete a selection

• Creating a Roommate Group: If you know who wish to live with, create your roommate group so you can select together.
   
• Housing Selection Portal Tutorial: Take a walk-through the entire selection process from start to finish through this tutorial.
   
• Finding your Selection Date & Time in the Housing Portal (available after June 17, 2026)
   
• Housing Options: View all housing options for First Year students.

Visit us in Zoom during the following times to ask any questions you might have about the Housing Selection Process.

Zoom Hours will be published in May 2026

If your selection time is TODAY:

• Connect with a Residence Life Staff member during active selection times over Zoom.
  • zoom info will be published in May 2026
• Call our office at (610)660-1060.

If your selection time is later this week

• Email us at reslife@sju.edu.

Hello,

Welcome to SJU and to Residence Life! We are excited that you will be joining us on-campus for the upcoming year! Below you will find some additional information about the Housing Selection Process, key dates, and helpful resources to get started.

Getting Started: Housing Agreements

Housing Agreements for the 2026–2027 Academic Year will become available on Thursday, May 14 in the Housing Portal within The Nest. The Housing Portal is where you will:

• Complete your Housing Agreement
• Select your housing assignment
• View your room, roommate, and dining plan information throughout the year

As a reminder, SJU has a 2-year Residency Requirement, which requires all first-year and second-year students who deposit as residential students to live in campus housing.

How to Access the Housing Portal

1. Log in to The Nest (nest.sju.edu)
2. Select the “Student” tab in the top-right corner
3. In the “Student Services & Resources” section, click “Housing Application” under Housing & Dining Services
4. Select “Housing & Dining Application” and choose the 2026/2027 Academic Year

Important Dates

June 15: Housing Agreement Deadline to receive a randomized Housing Selection date and time.

• Agreements submitted after June 15 will still be accepted, but students submitting later may receive a selection time toward the end of the selection week

June 17: Housing Selection Dates & Times available to view in Housing Portal

July 13–17: Housing Selection - During your assigned selection time, you will be able to choose your housing assignment.

Housing Information Webinar — TODAY!

To help you navigate the first steps of the housing process, we will be hosting a webinar:

TODAY, May 13 | 5:00–6:00 PM (Click HERE to join the webinar)

Join us for an overview of:

• Completing the Housing Agreement
• Searching for roommates
• Residential Learning Communities (RLCs)
• Using the Housing Portal

If you are unable to attend, a recording of the webinar will be posted on our website along with additional Housing Selection information, tips, and details about Residential Learning Communities.

Stay Connected

This email is being sent to both your SJU and personal email addresses. Throughout the summer, the Office of Residence Life will communicate important updates and information through your SJU email account only, so please continue checking it regularly.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact our office. We look forward to welcoming you to campus!

Sincerely,

The Office of Residence Life

Your Housing Selection Date and Time has been assigned. This randomly generated timeslot is when you will log in to the Housing Portal to choose your 2026-2027 housing assignment.

Selection times for incoming first-year students will take place:

• Monday, July 13th – Friday, July 17th
• Daily from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm

Your assigned Housing Selection Date & Time is: {RoomSelectionTimeslot}

How to View Your Selection Information:
You can access your details through the Housing Portal via your Checklist on The Nest. If you cannot access the portal through your To-Do List, please follow these steps:

1. Log in to The Nest with your SJU credentials.
2. Navigate to "School Services & Resources" at the bottom of the page.
3. Select "Housing & Dining Application" under the Housing & Dining Services section.
4. Open the 2026-2027 Housing & Dining Application to find your "Room Selection Information."

Additionally, the "Browse Rooms" feature is now available within the Housing Portal. You may use this to view additional details about the housing options available for selection, including floor plans and occupancy information. “Browse Rooms” is also very similar to the steps you will see when you are making your Housing Selection. Please pay attention to the following updates for housing options as you use this tool.

• All First Year Buildings are Traditional-Style. Traditional style buildings offer double and triple rooms off of a hallway corridor, sharing common bathrooms. As you look at rooms, be mindful of the location of available rooms in relation to lounges, hallway entrance/exits, and bathrooms to consider what your preferences might be.
• 3-Person Rooms - McShain has a limited number of 3-person rooms. These rooms are larger than the other rooms in the building and have a standard occupancy of 3 people. You can search for these rooms specifically in the “Browse Rooms” filter.
• Entire 1st floor of McShain - Women - In order to accommodate a higher ratio of female identifying students, the entire 1st floor of McShain is designated as female.
• Residential Learning Communities - Applications are due by July 6th if you are interested in living in any of these specific communities located in Sister Thea Bowman Halls.

Join Our Webinar Tonight
We are hosting a live session today, Wednesday, June 17th, from 5-6 pm, to walk through these new steps in the Housing Portal and answer your questions.

Housing Selection Webinar - June 17th, 5-6pm 

If you are unable to join, we will post a recording of this webinar on our website, along with additional Housing Selection Information and Tips and information about our Residential Learning Communities.

Please do not hesitate to contact our office if you have any questions!
 

The Office of Admissions has indicated that you have been accepted into the Honors program at SJU. As such, you are able to make a special request to be administratively placed into McShain Hall as an Honors Program participant. This option allows Honors students to live together and get to know one another on a personal level, outside of class time. McShain Hall is also the closest first year residence hall to Claver House, the hub of the Honors Program.

Please review the following options carefully and complete the Honors Housing Preference Form below:

1. Administrative Placement into McShain with another Honors student.  Our office is able to accommodate one mutual roommate request, however, this requested roommate must also be a part of the Honors program. If you wish to be assigned with a specific roommate, please make sure that you and your roommate have requested and accepted each other within the Housing Portal
   
    
2. No interest in Honors Housing: If you do not wish to be placed into Honors housing in McShain you may participate in the general Housing Self-Selection at your originally assigned time (between July 13-17).

Please complete the following Honors Preference Form by 5pm on July 6th to indicate your preference from these options.

Honors Preference Form

Please note that after 5 PM, July 6th, 2026, we will not be able to offer priority placement into McShain Hall. Similarly, we are not able to remove you from a room assignment once it has been made for 2026-2027. Therefore, you are encouraged to give this option careful consideration and thought before making a commitment.

As we continue to prepare and plan for the upcoming year, The Office of Residence Life will be sending additional information about housing options and updates so be sure to check your emails and please let us know if you have any questions!