Residential Life

Summer Housing Applications will post to student housing portals (housing.gac.edu) after the general room selection process has completed - generally mid-late March.  For priority consideration, applications must be received by April 15. Students must be registered for upcoming Fall semester. If a graduating Senior, must registered for summer term courses for the full housing period and/or be working for an on-campus department to qualify for summer housing.

• Students stay in their Spring assignment through Commencement until their Summer assignment is ready.  Residential Life has to have all students moved out of Spring housing each summer around May 14.
• Students will be in their summer assignments mid-May through the start of August. Graduating Seniors/any students in summer housing who are not returning to a Fall housing assignment must depart their summer housing by/on August 1 at the latest.
• The first week of August - students will transition to their Fall assignments as soon as they are cleared as ready by Facilities/Custodial. Since all non-Summer housing buildings are used by Summer Programs for camps and conferences, the move date will very by Fall assignment buildings. Students will be notified by email of their estimated move date, and when their Fall unit is ready, with a tight timeline for move-over to ensure time to ready Summer housing assignments prior to early arrival Fall move-ins.

• Summer housing billing period is any on-campus housing between May 15 and August 31.
• The summer housing rate for 2026 is $400 per month ($100 per week). This gets reported to student accounts monthly - approximately June 1 for May charges, July 1 for June charges, August 1 for July charges, and September 1 for August charges.
  • "After-finals Housing" is the period after-finals through May 14, 2026. If you will not need housing May 15 or after - please see the After-Finals housing request form.
  • "Summer Housing" is any on-campus housing between May 15 and the start of the Fall Semester. This would include living in your Spring residence until Summer move-around, then Summer Housing in designated units Chapel View or College View in June and July, and then the move to your Fall assignment in August.
  • Any period a student has belongings in a room and/or the room key is included in a billing period - leaving campus does not remove the summer housing charge as the unit is still occupied with your belongings/unable to be used by another occupant. If you are leaving campus at the end of the Spring semester and returning later for Summer housing, you must fully move out of your Spring assignment and return your room key to check out of housing. Checkout envelopes are available outside the Residential Life office, Campus Center 105.
  • For housing for only part of summer, student accounts will be billed based on check-in and check-out dates, where any stay through Wednesday counts as a full housing week. Example: Housing from June 4-19 would be 2 weeks ($200) and processed will the June billing sent to accounts July 1.
  • Any arrivals on or after summer students move into their Fall assignments in August are considered 'early arrival' housing rather than Summer housing - please see that application process and note the nightly fee of $75 night charged to student account (or charged to the student's sponsoring department if required to return early).

NOTE: Even if you leave campus, Summer billing continues until you return your checkout envelope and room key to the Residential Life office as confirmation of your move out. Do not give your key to someone else to return - it will be your responsibility if it is not and summer housing rates/lost key charges are applied. We have a secure drop-box outside our office for key.

No, you should submit an After-Finals Housing Request. If you are moving out of your Spring assignment late because you are required to be here for Athletics/Fine Arts, that would be an 'after-finals' housing a request and *not* a summer housing request. If you are staying through into June and beyond, you do need to submit for summer housing. If you aren't sure if your request would be 'after-finals' or 'summer', please just email reslife [at] gustavus.edu (reslife[at]gustavus[dot]edu) with the a bit of info about your housing needs to receive clarification.

Residential Life hires one Collegiate Fellow for each Summer Housing building for the summer, and they split duty coverage. They will have posted duty hours for emergencies and to be resources for you if you have concerns, and provide periodic summer programming. Campus Safety is reachable 24/7/365 at 507-933-8888 for urgent assistance needed outside of business/duty hours.

To qualify for summer housing, you must be a current Gustavus student, and if we have more applicants than we have summer housing spaces, priority is given to those meeting one (or more) of the following criteria:

• Conducting research at Gustavus: You must list your supervisor(s) on the application form and your information will be verified with the Research and Sponsored programs office.
• Enrolled for course credit at Gustavus.
• Enrolled in an internship for credit through Gustavus: Internships can be on- or off-campus.
• Working at an on-campus job: We require that you are working at least 20 hours per week (multiple jobs that add up to 20 hours is acceptable).
• International students: those who require year-round housing due to international travel ability or visa status.

Summer housing applications will be approved on a space-available basis, with priority given to those taking a class, participating in research, or employed on campus during the summer. 

Housing will be assigned based on roommate requests, dates needed, spring/fall room assignments, and other logistical considerations. We are not able to guarantee students a certain housing option, as we only have 2 buildings available (and do not have access to all units in those buildings for summer housing). 

Those assigned a summer housing space will be billed for the full date range requested, or a $100 placement fee for no-shows/late cancellations due to the space having been held for you.

Those who are not remaining on campus through Commencement and the Summer move-around period must fully move out of their Spring assignment and return their room keys/checkout envelope to Residential Life according to the regular move-out schedule and process. If you have noted on your summer housing application that you will remain in your Spring assignment until move-in to Summer housing, you will need to proceed with this move the day your summer unit is available, and return your spring housing keys to the drop box by the next morning to confirm your check-out.

I'm leaving after finals and not coming back until the first weekend of June, can I just leave my stuff in my room and move to my summer hall that weekend?

No. Everything must be out of every room on campus by the summer housing move-in date so we can turn them over to Reunion Weekend/Summer Programs housing. Your belongings cannot stay in your room if you are not back for summer move-around days. We do not have storage for summer residents.

No. Ending of a billing period only occurs when the space is fully vacated and a checkout envelope and room key are returned to Residential Life. There are not discounts for weekends away, trips, etc; if the space is assigned to you, then the monthly billing will occur. If you have questions or a special circumstance, please contact our office with questions.