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 14:  2025-2026 Housing Agreements become available in the Housing Portal for First Year Students
• June 16:  Housing Agreements Due to receive a Selection Date & Time
• June 18: Housing Selection Dates & Times and "Browse Rooms" feature available in the Housing Portal
• June 18: Honors Housing information emailed to students in the Honors program
• June 21-29:  Orientation
• July 7-10: First Year Student Housing Selection Process
• July 14-18: Administrative Placements completed for students who did not complete a selection

• 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
   
• Housing Options: View all housing options for First Year students.
   
• Selection based on Roommate Group:
  • Selecting as an Individual
  • Selecting with a Roommate Group of 2 people
  • Selecting with a Roommate Group larger than 2 people (Suite-Style & McShain 3-person rooms only)

Residence Life offer a virtual walk-through of the Housing Selection Process in the Housing Portal at the following date/time. A recording of this session will be posted after it's complete:

Housing Selection Walk-Through: TBD

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

First Year Housing Selection Zoom Q&A Link (password: Hawks)

• Dates/times TBD

If your selection time is TODAY:

• Connect with a Residence Life Staff member during active selection times over Zoom.
  • First Year Housing Selection Zoom Link (Password: Hawks)
• Call our office at (610)660-1060.

If your selection time is later this week

• Email us at reslife@sju.edu.

The following email was sent to all students who have completed a Housing Agreement in the Housing Portal.

Dear ________,

Your Housing Selection Date & Time has been assigned for your selection of your 2024-2025 housing assignment. Selection times for incoming first year students begin on Monday, July 15th and end on Friday, July 19th, beginning at 9:00 am and ending at 6:00 pm each day. 

Your Housing Selection Date & Time is: _______________ (times may be listed in military time).

You may also view your selection date and time through the Housing Portal available through your To Do list on the Nest. Your selection date and time can be viewed in the "Room Selection Information" step. If you are not able to access the Housing Portal through the To Do List, you may follow the Instructions below to access this information in The Nest:

1. Log in to The Nest (nest.sju.edu) using your SJU username and password.
2. Find the "School Services & Resources" section at the bottom of the page.
3. Under the "Housing & Dining Services" section, click on "Housing & Dining Application."
4. Once within the Housing Portal, select the 2024-2025 Academic Year.

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.

• 3-Person Rooms - McShain and Sourin have 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 3rd if you are interested in living in any of these specific communities located in Villiger or McShain Halls.

As we approach the Housing Selection Process, we encourage you to visit our website to view additional information and resources about the Housing Selection Process including tutorials and Q&A opportunities with our team via Zoom. More information can be accessed through the link below:

SJU - First Year Housing Selection Resources & Information

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

Sincerely,

The Office of Residence Life

Sent to all students who are participating in the Honors Program.

Dear _______________,

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.

The 4th Floor of McShain is also home to the Emerging Leaders Residential Learning Community (RLC). If you select Honors Housing, you also have the opportunity to join the Emerging Leaders RLC and benefit from the programming and experience offered through this RLC. More information about the Emerging Leaders RLC can be found at the following link:

Emerging Leaders RLC

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. Administrative Placement with the Emerging Leaders Residential Learning Community: If you have a requested roommate who is NOT a part of the Honors program, they should apply to the Emerging Leaders RLC by the July 3rd deadline. Once they are accepted, we would be able to assign you and your requested roommate into a space on this shared Honors/Emerging Leaders Floor. 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.
   
    
3. 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 15-19).

Please complete the following Honors Preference Form by 5pm on July 8th to indicate your preference from these options.

Honors Preference Form

Please note that after 5 PM, July 8th, 2024, 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 2024-2025. 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!

-The Office of Residence Life

Sent to students who indicated an interest in this community within the Housing Portal.

Hello, ______________________,

We have received your interest in the Gender Inclusive Housing option for the 2024-2025 Academic Year. Depending on the interest for Gender Inclusive Housing from incoming first year students, we are planning to designate a Gender Inclusive Suite within LaFarge Hall.

Below is a link containing some additional information about Gender Inclusive Housing, including the Gender Inclusive Housing Agreement that includes our expectations of those living in this community. 

Gender Inclusive Housing Information

Although the Housing Selection Process is not scheduled to occur until mid-July, we are starting to reach out to students who are interested in specific housing options, such as Gender Inclusive Housing, to make sure that we are accounting for an appropriate number of spaces. If you wish to confirm a placement in the Gender Inclusive Suite, please respond to this email and attach the Gender Inclusive Housing Agreement (this can be a scanned or photo document). Please respond by 5pm on Monday, July 1st, to confirm your interest.

Also, to help with our planning, please include in your response if you are interested in living with a roommate or if you are seeking a single room accommodation. If you are interested in having a roommate, do you have a known roommate you plan to select with or are you looking for a roommate?

We will be in contact with you with more details as we get more information from others who are exploring this option. Please do not hesitate to contact our office if you have any questions in the meantime!

Sent to students with an active selection time for July 15-19

We enjoyed seeing you last week at Orientation! As we move toward the Housing Selection Week (July 15-19), we wanted to send you some information to help answer some frequently asked questions that we received during Orientation!

Roommate Groups:
Incoming first year students may select as individuals or with a roommate group. First year students do not need to fill a space to capacity in order to select housing.

If you are planning to make a selection with a roommate group, make sure that you and your roommate are connected in the portal before you select housing. Below is a tutorial on how to create a roommate group and connect with a roommate in the portal. 

Selecting as an Individual

Selecting with a Roommate Group of 2

Selecting with a Roommate Group larger than 2 people (Suite style only)

Due to the size of the incoming class, everyone will be assigned a roommate. Our office does reserve the right to consolidate spaces in the same building and floor during housing selection. If that is the case, we will notify students through email of any updates to their room assignment.

Below is some additional information about making a selection as we get closer to housing selection.

• Whoever has the earliest selection time in the group can make the selection for the group.
• Check the “Browse Rooms” feature in the housing portal both before and throughout housing selection, so you are aware of what your options are when you are selecting.
• Make sure to have backup plans if your first choice is not available. We recommend having at least two back up plans.
• If you select into a space that is fully vacant, another student may select into the space with you. If no one selects into your space, our office will administratively place a student into the vacancy at the end of the process. 

Bed-Related Questions:
We receive MANY questions about furniture and specifically, the beds. We currently have a mixed inventory of bed types, some of which are adjustable and some that are not. Currently, McShain is the only first year building that does NOT have adjustable beds, due to the additional storage provided by the large closet. The clearance under the beds in McShain is typically between 10”-14” which is sufficient for the flat, under-bed storage bins. The 3-person rooms in McShain have all moveable furniture and do have adjustable beds since there is no closet built into these rooms.

Rooms in LaFarge, Sourin, and Villiger have beds that are adjustable. The height range possible under these beds ranges from 10” on the lowest setting to 22” on the highest setting.

Mattresses are generally standard twin size. We are beginning to transition to XL mattresses over the next few years. Most students will still have standard twin beds, but some will have XL. We suggest that students purchase XL linens; these should fit both standard and XL mattresses.

Students who are 6’2” or taller may request an extra long bed through the following link. Requests must be received by August 1st.

Extra Long Bed Request Form

Quick Links Resource & Info:
To make it easier to find information quickly, we have created the following Quick Links page for incoming first year students. On this page, you will find information about the Housing Selection Process, Dining Services, Move-In Information, and Important Dates for the upcoming semester. We recommend that you bookmark this page for future reference to have easy access to this information whenever you might need it.

Incoming First Year Students - Housing Quick Links

Additional Resources, Upcoming Info Sessions & Q&A Hours:

In preparation for the Housing Selection Process, we are highlighting the following links and resources to help you be ready for your selection date/time. 

• The Housing Portal Tutorial shows the selection process in a step-by-step format, including screen images of what you will see as you make your selection
• Join us for a virtual information session where we will do a full walk-through of the Housing Selection Process. If you aren’t able to attend live, a recording of the session will be posted to the Quick Links page.
  • Housing Selection Walk-Through Info Session - July 9th, 5:30pm-6:30pm
• Have questions and want to chat with a Residence Life Staff Member? Hop on our Zoom Q&A link below between 2pm-4pm on July 3rd, July 5th, July 10th, and July 11th.
  • Housing Selection Zoom Q&A (Password: Hawks)

Sincerely,

The Office of Residence Life

reslife@sju.edu | (610) 660-1060