Housing Policies
Please consult the Wheaton College Student Handbook for all student policies. If you have additional questions that aren't addressed here, please contact the Residence Life Office at residence.life@wheaton.edu or 630.752.5427.
Disclaimer: The Student Handbook serves as a general reference guide regarding Wheaton College’s policies, procedures, and services. While every effort is made to verify the accuracy of information, Student Development and Graduate Student Life reserve the right to revise, amend or change items set out in this Handbook without notice. The Vice President for Student Development and Associate Dean of Student Care & Services have discretion to modify procedures used for a special investigation or adjudication, as circumstances warrant. Where there is disagreement as to the interpretation of the provisions of this handbook, the interpretation by the Vice President for Student Development is final. Nothing in this handbook is intended to, nor does establish any contractual obligation on the part of the College.
Frequently Asked Questions
Wheaton College does not discriminate on the basis of disability and offers accessible housing and other services to students who properly establish a need for them. Please visit our Learning and Accessibility Services website for more comprehensive information.
New students receive their housing information the third week of July via Wheaton College email. Continuing students receive their housing assignment confirmation in mid-July via Wheaton College email.
Yes, campus housing closes for Christmas Break, Spring Break and the summer months. Campus housing remains open for Fall Break and Thanksgiving Break. For specific closing dates and times, see the Residence Life Calendar.
Yes, each residence hall is equipped with a kitchen, which includes at least one oven/stove, at least one microwave, a refrigerator and minimal cooking utensils.
Students who will be in their 3rd, 4th or 5th years at Wheaton College are eligible to apply for campus-owned apartments and houses.
All mail is received at the College Post Office (CPO). The mailing address for both packages and letters is:
<Student's Name>
CPO <number>
Wheaton College
421 N. Chase St.
Wheaton, IL 60187
Questions regarding CPO address or shipping may be directed to the College Post Office at 630.752.5083.
Go to the Academic and Institutional Technology homepage for more information.
We suggest that every family look into their current insurance plan and determine what coverage it provides your student at College. Though we are a Christian community and work to foster a trusting community, there are times things go missing. Every year we have reports of clothing, computers/laptops/tablets, smart phones, bikes, wallets, game consoles, and text books going missing. It is not a common occurrence, but we would want your student to be covered if something like that happened. Wheaton College has connected with Gradguard to offer students affordable renters insurance.
- All the residence halls provide limited storage at no cost for students who want to store boxes over the summer. Space limitations vary by residence hall; contact the Residence Director for more information.
- Residence Halls provide limited bike storage on a first come, first serve basis throughout the academic year and over the summer.
- Each campus apartment is assigned a basement storage cage, which is approximately 6'x3'x6'.
- Summer storage is only available to students who are continuing their enrollment the following fall semester.
- Students may not store couches, chairs, or other cloth furniture in campus spaces over the summer.
See the Policies page for more information.
- Meal plan changes may be made until 4:30PM on Friday of the first week of classes, each semester.
- Changes must be made online or in writing and sent to the Housing Services Office (Student Services Building 218) at housing.services@wheaton.edu.
- Changes sent only to the Student Accounts Office or the Wheaton Installment Program will not be honored.
- Speak directly to the person with whom you are having conflict.
- Identify the area causing conflict for you and identify the options that will help the conflict be resolved.
- Seek input from the person with whom you are in conflict to understand the conflict from his/her perspective and to hear his/her ideas about how to resolve the conflict.
- Discuss solutions until all persons agree on understandable and attainable solutions that, to the best degree possible, will help all persons in conflict be resolved.
- If the suggestions above have not worked, or you feel intimidated by the person(s) with whom you are in conflict, seek out the help of a friend or staff member at the College (such as a Resident Assistant, Graduate Resident Adviser, or Residence Director), who are trained to help you work toward resolving the conflict.
- For more information, please read the Working Through Roommate Conflict Policy located in the student handbook.
Living in community works best when you are willing to initiate relationships with those around you. This can be challenging, especially at first, when it may seem strange or awkward to introduce yourself or knock on the door of someone you don’t yet know. In the process of getting to know the people you live with and around, however, you will begin to see areas where others may need your encouragement or where you may need theirs. Seek ways to reach out and be available, both to encourage others and to receive encouragement.
You may also volunteer your time to help serve your peers in the residence halls through the Community Life Council or through your Resident Assistant. Federal Work Study employment opportunities also exist in Fischer, Smith-Traber, and McManis-Evans as Hall Attendants and Night watch Desk Monitors. Contact your Residence Life staff for more information about these options.
We are looking forward to having you move in and make your new room your home away from home. We are excited to have an excellent year of living and learning in our community. Remember, that you do not have to bring everything with you at one time
- Blankets and pillow*
- Extra long sheets (36" x 80")*
- Towels and washcloths*
- Cold weather clothing* (coat, hat, gloves, boots, etc.)
- Hangers*
- Laundry basket & detergent*
- Cleaning supplies and disinfectant - especially Fischer residents as they are responsible to clean their own bathroom*
- Folding chair or camping char (to easily take outdoors)
- Desk supplies (sticky notes, pens, pencils, scissors, ruler, stapler, markers, etc.)
- Multiple outlet power strip with surge protector
- Three-prong extension cord
- White plastic adhesive or 3M brand hooks (may be purchased in the campus bookstore; no nails or tape may be used in Residence Hall rooms)
- Plate, bowl, silverware, coffee mug
- Helpful storage or organizers
- Refrigerator that does not exceed 4 cubic feet in size
- Bicycle and secure lock ("U" locks recommended)
- Face masks
- Hand sanitizer/disinfecting wipes
* Necessary items
- Pets other than fish
- Nails or screws to hang items on walls (students in Residence Halls may use white plastic adhesive and 3M hooks)
- Candles
- Wireless Router
- Fireworks
- Real, play, or decorative weapons (including paintball guns and water balloon launchers)
- Halogen lamps
- Microwave
- Hot plate
- Two-prong extension cords
- Road/construction signs
If a student defers enrollment or withdraws from Wheaton College for the fall semester after having been granted off-campus permission, they forfeit their off campus status and will be required to live on campus for the spring semester.
To protect our students, access to housing will only be available to current residents. No outside campus guests may visit or spend the night. Students living in campus housing can have one current Wheaton College student visit, as long as they maintain social distance and wear face coverings, and are in good standing with the COVID-Safe, Thunder-Strong commitment.
Visit our Student Care Services' resources page