Residency Requirement

The College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University are committed to the Benedictine value of community living. By living in community, residents develop as socially conscious, collaborative leaders. They effectively navigate diverse, participatory environments of mutual respect and serve the needs of their community. Residents learn essential skills to care for their personal and shared environments. They also learn to manage personal needs and expectations with community standards. The learning in this residential setting is an invaluable experience, and the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University requires that all full-time students live in college housing.

Residency Requirement Exemption Requests 

Exceptions to the residency requirement are reserved for students who request, and after review of the request, are approved for an exemption due to meeting a criterion for exemption or a unique circumstance that is incompatible with living on campus. Exemptions to the residency requirement are extremely limited. All exemption requests are reviewed by a committee, including verification with necessary institutional offices for applicable criteria.

Submitting a request for exemption does not guarantee a student will receive an exemption. Decisions regarding exemption requests will be sent to the student via their CSB|SJU email.

Be aware that any exemption offered will likely result in a reduction to financial aid. Any questions about this must be directed to the Office of Financial Aid prior to seeking an exemption.

Request for Exemption – General

Students who meet one or more of the following criteria may request an exemption from the residency requirement:

• Students who are married or have dependent children living with them.
• Students who are over the age of 23 on the first day of fall semester or have attended 8 or more semesters as full-time college students.
• Part-time students – those enrolled for less than 12 credits for fall semester. This is intended for those graduating mid-year who have fewer than 12 credits to complete or limited to other unique circumstances.
• Non-degree-seeking students, including continuing education students and St. John’s Prep School students.
• Students enrolled in post-baccalaureate programs.
• Students with military service veteran status.
• Students registered for a minimum of 12 credits for an internship, clinical experience, or student teaching and:
  • The internship, clinical experience, or student teaching location must be more than 30 miles from CSB and SJU campuses. (Documentation required)
  • The student will be living 30 miles or more from CSB and SJU campuses for the sake of the internship, clinical experience, or student teaching. (Documentation required)

To request an exemption from the residency requirement due to meeting one or more of the above criteria, please complete the Request for Residency Requirement Exemption Form.

Request for Exemption – Unique Circumstances

Students may request an exemption due to unique circumstances. Requests based on the inability to select desired housing in the room selection process, including local living, will not be considered.

This exemption is limited to students who demonstrate significant, extenuating, unforeseeable circumstances that can be documented and verified.

In their request, students need to provide their anticipated off-campus housing plan.

To request an exemption from the residency requirement due to unique circumstances, please complete the Request for Residency Requirement Exemption Form.

EXEMPTION DENIAL APPEAL PROCESS

Students whose requests for exemption are not granted have the right to file a written appeal of the decision within three (3) business days of receipt of notification of the outcome of their request. A student may submit an appeal of the exemption determination for any of the following conditions:

• Alleged procedural errors which substantially affected the review of the request
• Newly discovered or previously unavailable information of substance that would likely affect the decision

Students must submit their request for appeal to the using the Housing Exemption Appeal Form.

Request for Exemption – Timeline Returning/Continuing Students

Requests submitted early will be reviewed during their designated committee review dates. Requests completed after submission dates will not be considered.

Request for Exemption – Timeline New Enrolled Students

Requests submitted early will be reviewed during their designated committee review dates. Requests completed after submission dates will not be considered.