A two-semester residency requirement at Indiana University of Pennsylvania has been implemented beginning with the 2006–2007 academic year.
The residency requirement has been implemented to:
- Support student academic success. Similar to national results, research at IUP indicates that students living on campus consistently achieve higher grades than their counterparts residing off campus. As an example, during the Fall 2004 semester, first-semester freshmen living on campus achieved an overall semester grade point average of 2.72, while students residing off campus achieved an overall semester grade point average of 2.16.
- Enhance student development. The residential experience allows students an opportunity to interact with peers and participate in a number of programs and activities that stimulate and challenge a student’s personal and intellectual growth and development.
- Assist students in making a smooth transition to university life. Research has shown that students living on campus are more satisfied with their living environment, are more satisfied with their college experience, and have a greater retention and graduation rate than their off-campus counterparts. The Office of Housing and Residence Life’s staff members are available to assist students and serve as a resource for students experiencing adjustment issues to college life.
In addition to the above, living on campus provides a number of other advantages, including the following:
- Close proximity to classrooms, dining halls, the library, and recreational facilities
- Fully furnished rooms with a number of amenities, including a high-speed Internet connection, cable television, and local phone service
- An opportunity to live on an academic specialty or special interest floor/cluster
- A living environment which emphasizes residential safety, including buildings locked 24/7 with card access, security cameras at exterior doors, alarmed exterior doors, and professional and paraprofessional staff that patrol within and around residential buildings, as well as sprinkler systems and smoke detectors in all student rooms and common areas
All freshmen are required to reside on campus. Exceptions to this requirement include students who meet one or more of the following requirements:
- Commute no more than fifty miles from the home of their parents or guardian
- Are married
- Have dependent children living with them
- Are veterans of military service
- Students who are twenty-one years of age or older
Students requesting an exemption to IUP’s residency requirement must complete a Residency Requirement Exemption Request Form, available from the Housing Office or for download at Freshman Residency Requirement Exemption Request Form.
