Commuter Eligibility
All William Jewell College students are required to live on campus unless authorized to commute. Please see the qualifying criteria for living off-campus. Students living off campus, in violation of this college policy, are charged the standard residence hall double-room rate and disciplinary action is possible.
All students are required to live on campus, except when meeting one or more of the following conditions or exceptions:
- 23 years of age or older before August 1 of the academic year in question
- married and/or have children and/or other legal dependents living with you
- enrolled in less than 12 credit hours
- have an earned bachelor of arts or science degree
If you want to appeal for an exemption to the residency requirement, the Exemption Application to Campus Residential Policy form must be submitted to the Office of Student Affairs. An appeals committee will then consider your request to move off-campus and communicate a final decision to you. The form is due within two (2) weeks or ten (10) working days of your intent to change to commuter status.
It’s very important to check with the Financial Aid Office to find out how changing to commuter status is going to affect your aid package. Living off campus can create a reduction to your financial aid package since financial aid is based on the cost of living on campus. Make sure your decision to move off-campus is the best one for you!
Important Reminder: A student’s financial aid award is based on information provided on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by the student (and student’s parent(s)/guardian(s), if applicable), which may include living arrangements while attending William Jewell College. As such, the College must have an adequate system to identify conflicting information, and must resolve any conflicting information concerning a student’s financial aid eligibility. If a student is suspected of misreporting information to increase student aid eligibility or to fraudulently obtain federal funds, the student will be reported to the U.S. Office of Inspector General.
Transfer Student Residency Policy
Effective July 1, 2022, for students enrolling for the first time in on or after August 2022.
Transfer students who have earned 48 hours or more of college credit post-high school graduation from another institution prior to first-time enrollment at William Jewell are exempt from the residency requirement with the following exceptions:
- Transfer students who receive and accept Scholar-level performing arts or debate scholarships
- Transfer students participating in the Honors Institute
- Transfer students participating in varsity athletics
Transfer students who meet the criteria for exemption and who wish to live off campus must complete the exemption application prior to first time enrollment.
Financial Aid
Institutional aid awarded to students who elect to live off campus will be adjusted upon the approval of an exemption. The standard formula for calculating institutional aid provided to students includes the cost of campus housing and meal plans. Institutional aid will be recalculated based on the proportional reduction of institutional charges when a student chooses to live off campus. Students living on campus who request to live off should consider the impact on their institutional aid with the Financial Aid Office before applying. The determination by the Financial Aid Office will be considered final, and individual departments may not override this decision. The Financial Aid Office reserves the right to determine the institutional funding based on extenuating circumstances.
Commuter Meal Plan
If interested, you may purchase a Commuter Meal Plan which allows you to eat one (1) meal a day (any 5 meals a week total) on campus. This form must be submitted to the Office of Student Life as well.
Questions about any of this information can be directed to the Residence Life Staff.