Change or Cancel
Changes to your contract or housing assignment must be requested in advance, and many factors impact approvals. Carefully review details about the process for each below.
Changing Your Assignment
All spaces are assigned for the academic year by the end of August. After move-in, there will be a small number of contract releases that make space available. While we accept fall assignment change requests beginning in October, very few students will be able to move based on limited vacancies.
There are several factors that impact the success of your request, including your willingness to move independently of a preferred roommate and the spaces available at the time your request is considered. It may be necessary for you to move to a new building to change rooms, and it is not guaranteed that this new building will be near your old one or match your preferences for location or room type.
As such, we strongly encourage residents to have conversations with their roommate(s) and hall staff before requesting a room change. It is often possible for roommates to make compromises that resolve conflicts or concerns, and our staff is available to help.
If you have questions about the process, contact the business operations supervisor in your building.
Contract Release (Cancellation)
Caution: Once the cancellation period expires, contract cancellations are NOT automatically granted. Remember that you are financially responsible for your on-campus contract unless you have been officially released. We recommend you do not sign a lease for other housing prior to knowing the outcome of your contract release request.
The process for application cancellations and contract release requests differs according to the time period. The housing application fee is non-refundable and not applied toward room and meal plan charges.
The deadline for new Fall semester residents to cancel and receive a refund of their $200 guarantee payment is August 1, 2025.
In order for new Spring semester residents to receive a refund of their $200 guarantee payment, they must cancel their contract before moving in.
Students who decide not to live in university housing must cancel their housing application-contract to avoid being billed additional room and dining charges. After the deadlines named above, new residents who have not checked in and received room keys may cancel their contract any time before the start of classes, however the $200 Housing Guarantee payment is non-refundable. If that payment was deferred for financial aid, the student will be billed $200 to their student account.
If you have questions about the process, contact us.
Returning residents assigned on-campus housing or on the returner wait list must complete a contract release request within seven (7) days of receiving a Housing Guarantee offer during the Room Sign up period to be released from their housing application-contract and, if applicable, to receive a refund of the $200 housing guarantee payment.
Returning residents will not be permitted to cancel more than seven (7) days after they have paid or extended the Housing guarantee payment, as that is the date by which the application-contract becomes a legally binding contract with Housing & Residential Life and the University of Minnesota.
Any resident should not move off campus until Housing & Residential Life states their request has been officially approved. If you have questions regarding the likelihood of your contract release being approved, need guidance, or have questions about the process, contact the Business Operations Supervisor in your building.
Residents may be granted a release from their contract during the contract period for any of the following reasons, subject to proper documentation. There is a financial penalty for any contract release granted after move-in (see below).
- Withdrawal/transfer from the University/Leave of Absence
- Graduation
- Marriage
- Study abroad or University-related internship (non-metro area)
- Call to active military duty
Requests for release due to other extenuating circumstances will be considered (but are not guaranteed). Contract releases for reasons not listed above most likely will not be approved. Documentation is required for these requests such as 1) proof of demonstrable, non-replaceable loss of financial support base after agreeing to the terms of the application-contract or 2) proof that a medical/psychological condition exists that was nonexistent prior to the resident’s move into University housing or severely exacerbated after agreeing to the terms of the application-contract from a physician, a licensed social worker, or psychological or medical practitioner. All reasons for a contract release request are reviewed on a case-by-case basis but are not guaranteed.
Approved Release Fees
There is a $200 housing cancellation fee and a $250 meal plan cancellation fee if on a mandatory meal plan. The housing cancellation fee represents the $200 guaranteed housing payment which was applied to the fall semester student account. Prorated credits are calculated based on the date you returned the room keys AND have an approved contract release on file. If you did not check in to your space, your credit is calculated based on the date you have an approved contract release on file. Contract releases approved after the end of Fall Semester and prior to the start of the Spring semester contract may be subject to reduced cancellation fees.
Note: Refunds/credits are not granted for early move-outs during the last two weeks of any semester or summer term. Residents are required to follow proper checkout procedures when moving out of University housing. Failure to properly check out may result in additional service fees.