Housing FAQs

In this section ...

Housing FAQs Housing Application and Room Selection Housing Semester Breaks and Important Dates

Housing General FAQs

Should I have renters’ insurance?

Students are encouraged to obtain a policy of Renter's Insurance protecting household goods and personal property. Please refer to the Liability section in the Student Housing Contract for more details.

For all three campus locations: Please use the University's official address for these policies, which differs from the students' on-campus mailing address: Pennsylvania Western University, 250 University Avenue, California, PA 15419.

Housing Application and Room Selection FAQs

Application and Portal

why am i receiving an error when i try to log into the housing and dining portal?

Have you fully set up your PennWest account with two-factor authentication?

If you have not done this, please, do so. You will use your PennWest credentials to log into the housing and dining portal.

Did you recently change phones and have trouble setting up the two-factor authentication on your new device?

If you have changed to a different phone and had trouble setting up your two-factor authentication, please, contact your campus help desk for assistance. They will need to look at your account to help set you up on the new device.
California: 724-938-5911
Clarion: 814-393-2640
Edinboro: 814-732-2111

Have you paid your admissions deposit?

If you have not, you will need to do this first. Your information will be exported to the housing software within 24-48 hours.
If you just paid your deposit and it has not been 24-48 hours, please, try again the following day. The information from the Admissions software only exports to the housing software once a day.
If you have paid the deposit and it has been more than 48 hours, please, contact the housing office. Please, provide your PennWest ID number and full name when contacting the office

Roommate Matching

why can't i find my preferred roommate in the roommate search engine?

Did your roommate complete the housing contract and pay the $100 application fee?

If they did not do the contract or pay the application fee, they will need to do this first. They should do this as soon as possible, so you have a better chance of obtaining your preferred room style. You will not see their name in your search results until you have done the application.

If under 18, did their parent/guardian sign off on their application?

If their parent or guardian did not sign off on the application, they will need to do this first. They should do this as soon as possible, so you have a better chance of obtaining your preferred room style. The parent would have received an email that contained the required forms. The student or parent can contact the campus housing office if assistance is needed.

Did your roommate already pick a room?

If they did and there is an opening you can select the same room. You will need to ask your roommate which room they have selected in order for you to select the same room. If you have trouble finding the room, email your campus housing office.
The space will still be available for another student to select if they do not have a roommate request.
If they did and there is no opening in the room, then contact your campus housing office for the next steps. Please note, that your roommate picking a room DOES NOT hold a space for you. Additionally, we cannot guarantee we can get you and your friends to get the same room style originally selected. If there isn’t a room of that style available with enough spaces available to accommodate you and your friends, we will have to find you a different room style.

Is your requested roommate an upperclassman student?

If they are, contact your housing office for the next steps.

Are you part of a mixed-gender group looking to live in gender-inclusive housing?

If you are, contact your housing office for assistance.

If none of these apply to you and your roommate’s situation, please, contact your campus housing office using the information below. The office hours at each campus are 8am – 4pm Monday through Friday.

California Campus
724-938-4444
‍[email protected]

‍Clarion Campus
814-393-2352
‍[email protected]

Edinboro Campus
814-732-2818
‍[email protected]

how do i add more to my roommate matching profile?

Your roommate matching profile will include information from answers you provided to the questions on your housing application. If you would like to add more personalized information to your profile, like your contact info or interests, you can do so right from your housing portal. Simply log in, click “My Info” from the menu on the left, click “My Info,” then click “Roommate Profile.” Under your roommate profile, you are able to choose how much of your roommate profile is visible to other students looking for housing. You can also list your preferred contact method, which may make it easier for prospective suitemates to contact you. Finally, under the “My Profile” section, you are given space to type out whatever information you would like others to know about you. This could include your major, favorite activities, favorite animal or sports team, etc.

how do i find a roommate if i do not have someone specific in mind?

You can use the roommate search questionnaire to find students with similar interests. Choose some of the traits that are most important to you to run the search. You can also run the search without filling in any fields to see everyone who has completed applications and is ready to roommate match.

why am i not seeing many results when completing the roommate matching questionnaire?

When you do a roommate search, you see everyone who has fully completed applications and have not selected a room. If there are not a lot of results then you may need to wait for some more students to apply.

what do i do when i have reached out to people and they have not responded?

You may want to look for other roommate options if they have not responded to you. It is possible the student is no longer interested in finding a new roommate.

Room Selection

what should i do if i am ready to pick a room, but my preferred roommates have not yet submitted their housing application?

It would be best for you to wait until your roommate has completed their application to pick a space. Picking a room without your roommate(s) DOES NOT hold a space for them. The additional space(s) in your room/suite will still be available for other students to select. You will want to be sure everyone in your roommate group has completed an application AND has been matched as roommates before you select a space.

why are my matched roommates not being pulled into the room we are trying to select?

Does your group say fully matched when you look at the roommate section of your housing portal?

If it does not the group is fully matched, you will want to look at your group to see who is not matched. The information about who has not matched should be in the roommate section of your housing portal.

Did you pick different living-learning community (LLC) answers?

You will need to have the same answer regarding the living-learning community request in your housing application. LLCs and general selection (those who chose to not live in an LLC) go through different selection processes. If you choose different answers, you will not be able to pick a room together. You can contact your campus housing office to change one or both of your answers in order to get you into the same room selection process.

Did one of your roommates already pick a room?

If they did and there is an opening you can select the same room.
If they did and there is not opening in the room then contact your campus housing office for next steps. Please note, your roommate picking a room DOES NOT guarantee the space will be held for you. The space will still be available for another student to select if they do not have a roommate request. Additionally, we cannot guarantee we can get you the same room style your roommate already selected. We will do our best to help, but if there isn’t a room of that style available, we will have to find you a different room type.

Is your requested roommate an upperclassman student?

If they are, contact your housing office for the next steps.

Are you part of a mixed-gender group looking to live in gender-inclusive housing?

If you are, contact your housing office for assistance.

what if i do not have a roommate request, but am okay living with someone i do not yet know?

It is okay if you do not have a requested roommate, but want to have someone with you that you haven’t met yet. You will participate in the second part of your designated phase. Students who can fill a room will be given an opportunity to pick rooms first, so they can get their full group assigned to the same space. Our students who do not have preferred roommates will be given the opportunity to pick a room later in their phase.

i am a transfer student: can i live in upperclassman housing?

Depending on the number of credits transferring in, you may be eligible for upperclassman housing. Please, contact your campus’s Residence Life and Housing office for assistance.

how do i obtain the room type i want?

If you have a specific room type you wish to live in, it is advised you sign up for housing as soon as possible. Room selection is done on a first come first served basis. The earlier you submit your housing application, the earlier you will be permitted to select a room. If you do not select a room by the deadline, you will be assigned to an open space.

how can i pick a single room?

You can search for a single room when it is your turn for room selection if you are attending the Edinboro or Clarion campuses. Students attending the California campus will complete a waitlist request and be assigned if a single room is available when it is their turn on the waitlist. Please know, we have very few single rooms available on each campus. The earlier you submit your housing application, the better your chance of getting the room style you want.

what if i cannot find the room type i want?

This indicates that there are no available rooms in your preferred room type. We recommend you select a room you can be comfortable living in. In the meantime, you can submit a waitlist request to be moved to your preferred room type if something would open at a later date. Please note that there are no guarantees. The waitlist can be found under Roommate & Room Selection in your housing portal. You should list the room type you prefer and your roommate’s name in the comments. You will need to watch your PennWest email for an offer to be moved. The Associate Director of Assignments will email you if there is a room available. There will be a deadline to respond and accept the offer.

what do i need to do to receive a housing accommodation for a medical need?

You must reach out to your campus’s Office for Students with Disabilities. You can find a link to your campus’s Office for Students with Disabilities in your MyPennWest Portal.

what is a living learning community (LLC)?

An LLC is a community within a residence hall that is centered around a major, common interest, or theme. The hall staff will create programs centered around the major or theme of the LLC. These programs will help engage the students with helpful tools and information related to the focus of the LLC.

when can i change rooms?

You can change rooms up to July 15.After July 15 students will have to wait until after the semester has started to change to an open room.

how do i change rooms?

If you need to change your room prior to July 15, reach out to your campus housing office.If you do not have a specific room in mind, we can set you up to pick your different available room in the housing portal.

If you wish to change rooms after you have moved into campus housing, you will need to contact the Assistant or Associate Director who oversees your building. If you are unsure of who the correct contact will be, you can reach out to your campus housing office for guidance.

when is the deadline to apply for housing?

We do not have a deadline to apply for housing. Room selection is first come, first served. If you have a specific room style in mind, you will want to submit your housing application as soon as possible.

when is the deadline to select my room?

The deadline to select your own room is July 14Starting July 15 the Residence Life and Housing Office will place students who have not selected a room on their own.