Admitted Student FAQ

How do I apply for housing? Interested students can request a housing contract and information on our Residence Life web page by clicking on Applying for Housing. Complete the request form. As soon as the Residence Life Office receives your request indicating
an interest in our residence program, you will receive a link via email
to the Residence Life Contract and Roommate Survey which you must
complete and return to us with the required $150.00 deposit.

What are the costs for room and meals for the year? The University has set charges that can change yearly. We ask that you look at the University web page for current pricing. Go to Prospective Students, Costs, Room and Board Rates. In addition to room and meals, there is a per semester RESNET fee that covers the operation of Internet, cable TV, and phone service in the residence halls.

How are housing assignments made? Residence Life assigns freshmen with other freshmen for the first semester. New freshmen cannot request to live with an upper class student, as we encourage all new students to connect with their other incoming classmates. If you and another freshmen student you know would like to be roommates, you both will need to request each other by name and ID # on your housing contracts. Requests that are not mutual cannot be considered. Requests of this kind need to be made by July 1st for consideration.

Students who do not have specific roommate requests are assigned by the Residence Life staff utilizing the Roommate Questionnaire we ask you to complete with the contract. There is no guarantee the match will be perfect; however, we consider assignments by academic major, music preferences, and lifestyles you have shared with us. If you do not complete the information page, then you are randomly assigned.

Can I request to live in a specific residence hall? Residence Life does not guarantee requests for buildings. Many of our communities house a mix of freshmen through seniors. Four of our residences, Heritage, Pioneer, High Mountain West, and White Halls are reserved for upper class students only. Some of our residence halls have academic communities as part of our ‘living/learning village’. Students are assigned to these in High Mountain East as recommended by the Honors Program faculty. Assignments to most communities are based on the date the housing deposit is received in our office with the completed contract.

Can I request a specific roommate? You can request a friend to be a roommate, however, the request must be mutual and you both must make the request formally on the housing contract in the space indicated.

When do I hear about my housing assignment? Information about your assignment and the move-in instructions are mailed to new students during the first two weeks of August. We provide your roommate’s William Paterson University e-mail address so that you can establish contact with your roommate prior to getting to campus. Students also use web contact sites – however, we caution students on the use of these sites and ask that you not prejudge a person based on information obtained through personal profiles. Making contact with your new roommate yourself is the best way to establish a dialogue, and you may find things in common you did not see on the web.

Housing and Room Options

How does Residence Life decide who will be roommates? Residence Life pulls together all applicants for housing and categorizes each student’s interests as provided on the Roommate Questionnaire. We attempt to make good matches based on common interests. However, students personal habits and interests can change after experiencing college life – and what someone checked off on the questionnaire in the summer prior to the start of college, may no longer apply as the semester proceeds. Because of this, our office does consider room change requests from students after a short waiting period. Students themselves often find the best roommate pairing.

What chance do I have of getting a single room? We have very few single rooms on campus. Many of our single rooms are awarded to students presenting a strong medical need for one that is documented by a doctor or official organization. All requests are reviewed with the Office of Disability Services and the Health and Wellness Center. We encourage students seeking special medical accommodations while living on campus to contact these offices first before asking Residence Life to assign a single. Single rooms not given to medical need are offered through a lottery process to the general resident population during Room Selection in the spring.

Can I be assigned to an apartment? Our apartments on campus, Heritage and Pioneer Halls, are for upper-class students only. New transfer students may request to live there, and will be assigned if there is availability. Students must have obtained junior class status (58 credits) and be at least age 20 by September 1st of the academic year.

What is provided by the University in each room? Each residence hall room is furnished with a bed, wardrobe (including drawers), desk, chair, and curtains. The rooms are not carpeted. Students often bring small area rugs. All beds are extra long, and require the larger size linens. We do not allow extra furniture in your rooms, except for the following items: small bookshelves (no taller than 3 ft), two-drawer metal file cabinet, blow up chair/mattress, and standard size drafting board tables, if required by your major.

What other services does Residence Life provide in the halls? Our residence halls are overseen by live-in, professional hall administrators (Resident Directors) and student Resident Assistants 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Residents can contact these individuals for information, concerns, or emergencies.

All residence halls have laundry facilities, and the cost is free to residents. Students can place requests for repairs in their room/bathroom through their hall offices. The offices are open 7 days a week (limited hours on the weekends) for students to come in and ask questions. Mail is delivered to the residence halls, and distributed to hall mailboxes by the personnel working in the offices.

Network and Hardware Services provide support to students with setting up their computers at the start of the year, and continue to be available to troubleshoot any problems they may face later on. You can read more about their services and computer requirements to connect to our University Network on the web page. Go to Enrolled Students, Communication and Electronic Services, ResNet Access. The residence halls also have cable TV connection (basic channels) and on campus telephone service.

Do the residence halls have air conditioning? All our facilities have air conditioning. The University turns on the air conditioning around May 15th, and turns it off in early October. Students may bring fans to regulate the room temperature at other times. The heat is turned on October 15th, and is on through early April. Space heaters are not permitted.

Can I smoke cigarettes in my room? All of the residence halls are smoke-free communities.

Meal Service

Do I have to select a meal plan? All students living in communities on the lower campus (High Mountain East & West, Hillside, Century, Towers, Matelson, and White) must be on a meal plan. Select a meal plan on your Residence Life Facilities Contract. Students in the apartments (Heritage & Pioneer) have the option to be off the meal plan since the apartments have kitchens in each shared unit.

How does the meal plan work? Students can choose a variety of meal plans to best suit their eating needs. The meal plans are comprised of two different types – the meals that are deducted from your card, and the plans that are meals and cash on one plan. There are 19 meals served in a week (3 per day M-F and 2 each, brunch and dinner, on the weekend). Students can choose this full 19-meal plan or lesser versions of this in the 15 and 10 meal plans. The second type allows a student the choice of meals and cash (debit value) that can be used in the bookstore, off campus restaurants, and other stores near our campus. Students can also have a basic meal plan and add money to their Pioneer Express card to use at vendors off campus and our bookstore.

What is Hospitality Services? Hospitality Services is the department that oversees food services, the University Commons food court, and the Pioneer Express account. This office administers the University’s one card program that allows a student to use the same photo ID for meals, residence hall access, vending machines, and Pioneer Express debit accounts. More information is on their web page – go to Campus Life, Dining Services.

Can I change the original meal plan I wrote on my contract? Students can request a change to their meal plan by contacting Hospitality Services at 973-720-2672.

Safety and Security

How safe are the residence halls? Residence hall reception desks are staffed 24 hours a day by university personnel (a combination of student staff and a guard service). Residents must present their valid William Paterson ID to the guard to gain entry to their buildings. Non-resident WPU students and other guests of our resident students must be signed in at the desk as visitors and the residents must stay with their guests while they are in the residence hall. Our Residence Life Handbook details the specific hours of visitation and the policies regarding visitors.

Can my friends stay overnight if they visit the campus? In most residence halls, overnight visitors are allowed on Friday and Saturday nights, and residents must follow the Guest and Visitation Policy as outlined in the Residence Life Handbook. The exceptions are the Heritage, Pioneer, and White Halls, where overnight requests can be submitted in advance for any day of the week.

I understand that I need to have my William Paterson ID with me all the time- Why? Adults should always carry ID with them. On campus, the University ID is needed to enter the residence halls, access your Pioneer Express dollars, borrow books at the library, and utilize some other services and functions sponsored by the University. Your photo ID is to be presented when asked for by University Police and Residence Life staff.

Life On Campus

Can I bring a car to campus? The University has a policy that does not allow first time freshmen to have a car on campus for the first year. Once a student has achieved 23 credits (the sophomore year), they can request from the Public Safety office a parking permit. Transfer students need to be transferring in with 23 credits or more to acquire a parking permit.

What will my mailing address be? Mailing addresses for each building are different in that there is a PO Box specific to each area. Once you are assigned to your building, you can look for the correct address. Packages delivered by USPS, UPS, FEDEX, and DRL, should be addressed to the student and addressed to P.O. Box ____, 300 Pompton Road, Wayne, NJ, 07470.

"Mail should be addressed as follows:

Overlook North or South
Name
WPUNJ
P.O. Box 944
Wayne, NJ 07474-0944

Matelson Hall
Name
WPUNJ
P.O. Box 922
Wayne, NJ 07474-0922

High Mtn East or West
Name
WPUNJ
P.O. Box 939
Wayne, NJ 07474-0939

White Hall
Name
WPUNJ
P.O. Box 940
Wayne, NJ 07474-0940

Pioneer or Heritage Halls
Name
WPUNJ
P.O. Box 888
Wayne, NJ 07474-0888

Hillside Hall
Name
WPUNJ
P.O. Box 921
Wayne, NJ 07474-0921

Century Hall
Name
WPUNJ
P.O. Box 923
Wayne, NJ 07474-0923

What happens on move-in day? You will receive complete instructions from Residence Life regarding move-in day at Orientation and again when you receive your assignment letter. Move-in day can be busy with everyone moving in to their room. We will offer some suggestions about packing and getting your personal items unloaded and into your new home. Most importantly, your tuition term bill and your housing/meal costs will need to be either fully covered by financial aid, loans, or paid in full before you are allowed to access your room. Please do not wait until the day you arrive to settle expenses.

What happens if I move into my room and my roommate and I don’t get along? We ask that you give the relationship time before you rush to ask to move. Residence Life needs to verify who has actually shown up to move in to their assignments. This can take some time, so we have a freeze on room change requests for two weeks after our opening day. After you give the pairing a chance to work (we try to assist you with Roommate/Suitemate Agreement tools that the Resident Assistants help you to complete), you can then speak with your RA or RD about availability of other spaces. Mutual swaps with another student are the easiest for us to do – you and your suitemate decide to switch within the suite. You ask the RA for assistance with this. No student is to switch on their own without Residence Life approval. The change will be considered invalid and possibly reversed back to the original assignment.

Is storage available in the buildings for extra items like bicycles and suitcases? Our buildings do not have extra storage areas for personal items. Everything must be stored somewhere in your room. If possible, let your family take back home suitcases and storage containers after they have been unpacked.

Are the residence halls/apartments open during the holidays? The residence halls are closed during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend and a winter break period that extends into January. We are open during the Easter/Passover holiday, and closed for a spring break in March. If you need our residence halls opening and closing dates in advance for travel arrangements, please call the Residence Life Central Office at 973-720-2714. The University’s Academic Calendar can be viewed on our Home Page.

Related Links

Admitted Student FAQ