The University of West Alabama requires all freshmen to live on campus for up to one academic year. Living on campus provides educational and social benefits not available to students who live off-campus. The residence halls provide students with a supportive living environment, proximity to academic resources and convenient access to organized student activities. Residence requirements include:

  • Students first enrolling in the summer are required to live on campus during the summer, fall and spring semesters.
  • Students first enrolling in the fall are required to live on campus during the fall and spring semesters.
  • Students first enrolling in the spring are required to live on campus during the spring semester.
  • Sophomores and transfer students that have earned college credit prior to graduating from high school (dual enrollment, advanced placement, CLEP, etc.) are required to live on campus during their first year of full-time enrollment if they have earned less than 48 credits and more than 50% of their college credits were earned during dual enrollment, and/or through AP and CLEP tests. These students are required to live at Gilbert Hall during their first year. Although they may already have reached sophomore standing, they are considered “first-year freshmen” by the Housing Office until one calendar year after graduating from high school.
  • After submitting their Enrollment Confirmation Fee (ECF), new freshmen must either submit a Housing Application or a Freshman Housing Exemption Form.

Gilbert Hall: UWA’s Freshman Residence

All incoming freshmen who have earned less than 24 credits are assigned to Gilbert Hall, which is named after Robert B. Gilbert, a professor of English who was a faculty member from 1948 to 1975 and as Dean of the School of Graduate Studies and Chairman of the Division of Languages and Literature from 1948 to 1972.

Constructed in 2012, smoke-free Gilbert Hall is coed, features four floors, houses 459 students and offers suite-style rooms with bathrooms. Amenities include community lounge and TV area, WIFI, central air and heat, retail dining, Tiger Bucks-operated washers and dryers, basic cable, group study rooms and lounge areas on each floor.

Gilbert Hall Guided Tour

Freshman Residency Exemption

  • New freshmen seeking an exemption to the housing requirement must complete a Freshman Housing Exemption Form online. Please note that exemption requests will not be considered until the student has paid his/her $200.00 Enrollment Confirmation Fee. 
  • Deadline to request an exemption 
    • Fall semester: August 1st
    • Spring semester: December 1st 
    • Summer semester: May 15th 

If a student has already checked into the residence halls, they must also submit a Housing Agreement Release Form.  This is only for those students who have already checked in for the semester!  

Exemptions to the Freshman Residency Requirement may be requested for the following reasons: 

  • The student will be 21 years of age or older by the first day of classes of his/her first semester at UWA. 
  • The student is married. 
  • The student is the custodial parent of a dependent child. 
  • The student is a transfer student and UWA has accepted at least 24-semester credits (does not include AP credit or dual enrollment credits).
  • The student is a military veteran.
  • The student will be enrolled less than full-time (12 hours) each semester on campus. 
  • The student will be living at a parent’s primary residence within a 30-mile radius of the University. campus in Livingston, AL. Only residences located in the circle below qualify as being located within the 30-mile radius. 

Students who have other compelling reasons that may warrant an exemption from the Freshman Residency Requirement should contact the Director of Housing and Residence Life at housing@uwa.edu to discuss their specific issues.  

Freshman Housing Exemption requests are reviewed weekly, except when University offices are closed. Once your request has been reviewed, you will be notified of the decision by email. Notification will be sent to your UWA email address. Verbal exemptions will not be given. 

If an exemption is denied by the Director of Housing and Residence Life, the student may appeal the decision to the Student Conduct Committee. The student, after being denied an exemption, should contact the Director of Housing and Residence Life for information regarding an appeal.  

Failure to meet the Freshman Residency Requirement, unless an exemption is approved, will result in a charge to the student’s University account each semester of the student’s first academic year equal to the cost of a shared room in Gilbert Hall and a Tiger Access Meal Plan. Disciplinary action may also be taken for failing to comply with the University policy. 

Housing Policies

UWA’s Residence Life Guide Policies apply to all University residence halls and apartments and cover such issues as Alcohol, Drugs & Tobacco, Weapons, University Facilities, Community Respect and more.

Check out the Residence Life Guide to learn more.

Have a Question?

Please call (205) 652-3686.