Residence Life

• Become a part of the Red Flash family.  Dine in Torvian and walk to the Stokes Athletic Center to cheer on our nationally ranked volleyball team.  Meet classmates in the Library and Learning Commons for a group study session.  Embracing the community that you will call your home away from home is easy at Saint Francis University when you immerse yourself in daily life.   
• Proximity.  One big benefit of our campus community is that everything is situated around a beautiful, walkable campus.  No doubt you will enjoy the surroundings and the ability to quickly access faculty, places to dine, grab a cup of coffee or participate in a pickup game of ball. 
• Services. Living on campus means your residence facility becomes your home away from home.  You will have everything you need in your residence hall.  Laundry facilities are centrally located and by using the Laundry Alert app you can monitor your laundry via your personal device.  With wireless internet across campus and printers centrally located, you’ll find you are connected anywhere and everywhere.   Looking for a bite?  If you feel like having a quick snack and don’t want to walk to Torvian, there are shared kitchen facilities in most residence space.  And don’t forget the study lounge and hang-out space steps outside your door!
• Transition to Independent Living. Part of the student development process is the move towards living away from your family.  Living in a community teaches you a lot about yourself, how to communicate and what it means to cooperate with others.  Having a roommate has many benefits including helping you to expand your social skills. 
• Boost your academic prowess.  Join a late night cram session.  Take advantage of the Writing Center in prepping to turn in your mid-term paper.  Meet your Chemistry lab tutor for a cup of coffee – all within an easily walkable residential campus.  

To receive Saint Francis University Institutional Aid (institutional merit aid, athletic scholarship, University grants, endowed university scholarships, etc.) full-time dependent (determined by Federal guidelines) undergraduate students must do one of the following:

• Live in University owned or operated housing includes residence halls, University owned apartments/houses/townhouses, and University operated rentals.
• Commute from primary home of parent or legal guardian as long as the home is within a 40 mile radius of the campus.
• Be registered with the university as a dependent of a current SFU employee and receiving tuition remission benefits.

To be eligible for institutional aid, students who commute from the home of a parent or legal guardian or are dependents of a SFU employee and receiving tuition remission benefits must be registered with the Office of Residence Life and approved as a commuter.

 For full details, please contact the Office of Financial Aid at 814.472.3010.

Our Residence Life staff is very committed to your success. We provide staffing in the residence halls which includes 44 Resident Assistants and 4 professional live-in staff members. We are on duty 24-7-365, whether it is something as small as you locked yourself out of your room or you need immediate help with an issue, we are there ready to serve you.

 What is the timeline for applying for housing?

Incoming students will be notified when they can complete the Roommate Questionnaire in conjunction with summer orientation information.  Students are housed in order of when their tuition deposit is received.  If you already have someone in mind to live with, you can note it on the form.  As long as both of you list each other, we will house you together.  If you do not have a roommate in mind, don’t worry!  Our office uses the answers on the Roommate Questionnaire to place you with the best possible match for your roommate.  Students attending Summer Orientation and Academic Registration (SOAR)  will receive their housing assignment and roommate contact information at SOAR.  

Returning students are notified by the Office of Residence Life in late March/early April when the Online Room Draw process begins and housing assignments for the next academic year are made at that time.

Are singles available?  

While designated private rooms are mostly only available to junior and senior students only, students can mark their request for a single room on the Roommate Questionnaire.  We keep a wait list for these requests and will notify the students if an opening occurs.  Students and parents should note that single/ private rooms are charged an additional amount.   We do recognize that students may have a medical need for a single room, and can make accommodations as space allows.  If your son or daughter needs an accommodation for housing, please contact the Office of Residence Life at 814-472-3029 for further information.

What should I bring?

We put together a packing list to help you get ready for life on campus. If you forget anything, we provide transportation to Walmart and other shopping areas on weekends.

Packing List

As with everything we do, our residence hall programs are very intentional based off of needs assessments performed each semester.  Every month, in every residence hall, you will have a program center around each of the topics: F-Faith, L-Leadership,A-Academics, S-Service and H-Health.