Housing & Residential Life

The Housing Application for Fall 2023 is now open.

Residence hall move-in is tentatively scheduled for August 19-22, 2023.

For the 2023-2024 academic year, students are required to live on campus unless they meet the exemption requirements for off-campus housing. Students who require an exemption due to financial reasons may fill out the financial hardship form.

The priority housing deadline for new students is June 9. The priority housing deadline for returning students was March 19. All applications received after the deadline will be placed on a housing waitlist. Housing assignments will be sent to students’ Poet email account between May 1 and May 5.

To request housing accommodations or medically-related housing/meal plan exemptions please contact Student Accessibility Services (SAS) directly via email or 562.907.4825. Please do not send any medical documentation/emails to the Housing office, all accommodation approvals are through SAS. The SAS priority deadline is March 5.

Students who do not meet the off-campus requirements, the financial hardship criteria, and are not requesting medical accommodations but wish to petition the residency policy to live off campus may contact the Director of Housing & Residential Life, Joseph Melendez at jmelendez@whittier.edu.

Tentative timeline for lottery numbers and Housing Selection Dates (all status ranges are based on current credits completed and internal defined ranges)

March 5 Deadline to submit accommodation request to SAS
March 19 Priority housing selection deadline
March 27 – 29 Students emailed their timeslot/lottery number
April 4 – 5 Themed Community Selection Date
April 10 Senior/Junior status (>74 credits) Selection Date
April 12 Rising Juniors (44-73 credits) status Selection Date
April 14 Rising Sophomores ( < 44 credits) status Selection Date
April 15-16 Make-up weekend (open to all students for last minute selections)
April 17 (or later) Students who do not have an approved exception, and are required to participate in housing, will be charged a double room and 15 (flex) meal plan
May 1 - May 5 Housing assignments will be sent to students’ poet email account

Please contact Housing & Residential Life via email if you have any questions, comments, or concerns. We will do our best to return voicemails, but highly encourage students to email rather than call.

Residential students may move in on either date but must do so between the 12 p.m. - 4 p.m. timeframe.

If you have any questions or cannot move in during the approved timeframe contact Residential Life.

All residential students (and anyone assisting them with move-in) will be required to present a negative COVID-19 PCR test result received within 24 hours of the move-in date. No more than three (3) individuals can accompany a student during move-in. All individuals must be 12 years or older.

Example: If you plan to check in on Friday, August 19, you may need to test Wednesday, August 17 in order to ensure you receive your results Thursday or Friday before checking in. Verify turnaround times at your local pharmacy or testing facility. No home tests will be accepted.

We urge you to get tested before arriving on campus. Testing sites in Los Angeles County, California, and outside California continue to provide tests at low or no cost.

Students and/or guests who cannot present a negative PCR test result at check-in will be asked to test on campus before gaining access to the residence halls. This will delay your move-in process. Onsite COVID-19 testing will be conducted in the area between Deihl Hall and the Science & Learning Center from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Students who test positive for COVID-19 on-site will not be permitted to move into their residence hall room. Students may choose to either isolate off campus (at their own expense) or utilize an assigned on-campus isolation space in accordance to the isolation/quarantine protocol/policy. Once the student completes their isolation period and is cleared by the Student Health & Wellness Center, they may then move into their 2023-2024 academic year housing assignment.

Note: Because individuals recently infected with COVID-19 may continue to test positive after they are no longer considered infectious (after Day 10 from symptom onset or positive result), beginning August 1 all residential students and athletes must report a new COVID-19 infection using the Student Health Screening so the College can evaluate when they are clear for campus access.

Please call the Student Health and Wellness Center at 562.464.4548 with any COVID-19-related questions.

Proof of COVID-19 Vaccination

Any student who has not submitted proof of vaccination or has not received an exemption for the COVID-19 vaccine will not be able to access the residence halls. Please ensure that you have submitted your proof of vaccination before the move-in date.

Uploading proof of vaccination to the Student Health Portal

Go to My.Whittier.edu
Click on Student Health Portal under Quick Links
Click COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement
Upload proof of vaccine
Select the COVID-19 vaccine you received (Modern, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, or a WHO-approved vaccine and input the date(s) received).

If you encounter problems uploading your vaccination proof, call the Student Health and Wellness Center at 562.464.4548 for assistance. DO NOT submit by fax, email, or mail.

Thank you to all of you for working to keep our Poet Community healthy and safe. To learn more about our COVID-19 health protocols visit the webpage.