Residence Life

Frequently Asked Questions

May I request to change my room or hall after school begins?

Room changes may be requested after the second full week of each semester. The room change process is designed to allow students the opportunty to mediate with their roommate(s) in a respectful, positive manner. Since room changes are time consuming and since any change impacts many people, a room change may not be made without consulting all affected persons.

Am I required to live on campus? Who is eligible to live off campus?

Linfield College requires all students to live in on-campus housing for a minimum of three years. Exceptions are granted for students who are married, over the age of 21, have Senior status, demonstrate financial need or who are living with immediate family within 30 miles of campus. Housing Exemption Forms are available in the Student Affairs Office. Any full-time student is eligible to live in on-campus housing.

May I see my room before I move in?

Since the residence halls at Linfield are in use year round, it is not possible to see your particular room. However, the Office of Admission has guided tours throughout the year and would be able to show a hall.

When may I move in? May I move in early?

First-year students may move into the residence halls the Friday prior to New Student Orientation, beginning at 10:00 am. Due to the continuous use of the rooms during the summer, it is not possible for students to move in prior to that day.

When and how will I find out where I am going to live and who my roommate is?

Once housing assignments are made, both your housing placement and your roommate(s) information will be mailed to you. You can expect to receive this letter mid-summer. Although the residence halls house both returning and new students, new students will be roomed with other new students.

What if I decide to enroll at Linfield College?

If Linfield is your college of choice, you will need to submit the $400 matriculation fee on or before May 1st to the Office of Admission. Housing assignments are made in the same order in which the matriculation fees are received.

May I be assigned to a single room?

Single rooms may be requested, but are limited and usually filled by returning students. Most new students are assigned to a double room with a roommate at the beginning of the school year. If you have a special housing need, please work with the Housing Office to help with accommodations.

May I request a specific roommate?

You may choose to live with someone you already know, however, consider living with someone new. Meeting new people in the residence halls and building community are important parts of the Linfield experience. If you choose to ask for a specific roommate, both you and that person must request each other on your Housing Preference Form by May 1st.

Once I return my housing application, may I change the requests made before my room assignment is made?

Changes in your requests will be accepted at any point before your assignment is made. Simply resubmit your Housing Preference Form and the college will use the last submitted Housing Form in the housing process. Please do not expect your assignment to change once we have communicated your housing assignment to you.

If the person I want to live with has not yet been admitted, may I still request that person as a roommate?

You may request any roommate you know will be attending Linfield. However, if that person has not been admitted prior to housing assignments being made, your request may not be possible to accommodate.

Who is required to pay a housing deposit? Is it applied to the residence hall bill?

There is no housing deposit. However, new students are to submit a non-refundable $400 matriculation fee on or before May 1st to the Office of Admission. This will be used in the housing placement process, as students will be processed in the order in which this fee is received.

What do you suggest I bring with me to college?

We hope that you will begin to think of Linfield as your home for the next four years. You will be living in your residence hall room or campus apartment and we hope that you will make this space comfortable for you. Keep in mind that each residence hall has common community areas for you to utilize as space within your room is limited! Once you receive the name of your roommate(s), we encourage you to get in touch with each other and discuss sharing a TV, refrigerator, microwave, etc.

What size are the beds?

The majority of the beds in the residence halls and apartment communities are standard-size twin beds. You may request an extra-long bed if the student is in need through the Housing Office. There are a limited number of extra-long beds so please get requests in early.

Do I need to buy extra long sheets?

No, the mattress provided is a standard-size twin. However, you can request an extra-long mattress if the student needs one. Each room also comes with closet space, dresser, desk and desk chair for each student.

May I build a loft in my room?

Due to safety risks, you are not allowed to build a loft or use concrete blocks to raise your bed. You are allowed to have bed risers (available at many large retail stores), as long as they have been approved by Facilities Services. Campus housing-provided beds are "bunkable," although we ask that you not unbunk or bunk your beds yourself, as this could be a safety hazard. Please contact your RA if you would like your bed bunked or unbunked and they will be happy to have Facilities Services do this for you. Existing furniture must remain in the room and may not be removed.

May I have appliances in my room?

Students may have appliances, such as mini-refrigerators and microwaves in their rooms. However, student may not cook in their rooms using equipment which produces an open flame (e.g., camp stoves, Bunsen burners) or contains an open coil (e.g., stove burners). Appliances such as toasters and coffee makers can be placed in the full-size, community kitchens located in all the residence halls. Please refer to the Guide to Living at Linfield (posted online) for specifications.

How can I hook up my TV to cable?

Every residence hall room and apartment has at least one cable TV hook up. Students are welcome to bring a TV to use in their room or apartment, though we encourage you to talk to your roommate about sharing one.

Cable service is provided to the campus by Comcast. Due to recent changes in their service, students must hook their TV up to a Comcast cable box or digital converter box, and then to the wall jack in their room, in order to receive any television signal. Comcast cable boxes are provided free of charge to students for use in their housing during the school year. At the beginning of each semester, Comcast will visit campus to check out these boxes to students. Students can also pick up a box free of charge from the local Comcast office. Any Comcast equipment that you check out will be registered under your name, and will be your responsibility. Instructions on how to hook up your cable box will be provided to you by Comcast when you check one out.

What kind of Internet access will I have in my campus housing room?

All of college housing has both Ethernet and wireless (Wi-Fi) Internet connectivity. In addition, there are a number of computer labs that are open to student use 24/7.

Are there laundry facilities in campus housing?

Laundry facilities are available in each residence hall and campus apartment complex. Hewlett Packard Apartments have a washer and dryer in each apartment and are the only campus housing with this option. A laundry fee is included in the semester room charge, eliminating the need for coin-operated machines. Students must provide their own laundry detergent and other supplies.

Are telephones provided? How do I pay for long distance calls?

Telephone service is provided to each student room. This service provides unlimited campus and local calling. Standard service includes an internal voice mail, which allows students to establish their own greeting, system password, and message options. Students must provide their own physical telephone. Long distance service is available with economical prepaid calling cards available at your loval grocery store and other businesses.

Are pets permitted in the residence halls?

Animals in college housing pose serious health, safety, and maintenance risks. In addition, many students have allergic reactions to various animals. Therefore, animals of any kind - except for harmless fish in an aquarium, not to exceed ten-gallon capacity - are prohibited within all residence halls and all campus apartments.

Where should my parents and friends send letters and packages? Where do I pick up my mail?

All students living on campus have a unit box (mailbox) in the Withnell Commons, lovated on the south side of campus. U.S. mail as well as all parcels and packages will be delivered to the mail room and ill not be delivered directly to a student room. Students may also utilize the mail room to send letters and packages, purchase stamps, etc. Give family and friends your unit box number for them to send you any mail or packages.

How does the meal plan work?

New students will automatically be assigned the Standard meal plan for the first semester. This includes 9 all-you-can-eat meals and $675 Declining Balance Dollars (DCB). The 9 all-you-can-eat meals are Monday-Sunday dinner and Saturday-Sunday brunch. Your meal plan will be connected to your Linfield ID card and will be used in the same way as a debit card.

If you have any concerns about your living situation for the fall, please feel free to contact Student Affairs at 503-883-2278 or housing@linfield.edu. We will do the best to answer your questions and address your concerns.