Housing FAQs

Residents of Balsam & Spruce Halls will receive two bills.  The UMass Dartmouth bill will include tuition, student fees, dining, etc, which are viewable on the COIN Account. 

The Housing bill for a student’s room in Balsam/Spruce can be viewed on the Entrata Resident Portal. Please note, charges actually post to this Entrata portal once you have checked in to the hall. You may see the anticipated charge on the Housing and Dining Rates page, for your reference.

Residents in all other housing on campus will see all of their charges, including housing, on their COIN account. Please do let us know if you seem to be missing charges, if they seem to be incorrect, etc. so that we can verify or correct them in a timely manner.

If you are locked out, seek assistance from your RA or another RA in your building.  Your hall’s Resident Director/Area Coordinator may also be in the office any Mon-Fri between 9:30am-4:00pm.  Residence Hall staff names and room numbers are posted in the lobby of each building.  Each night at 7pm, RAs begin duty and can be reached at the desk located at the entrance of each building.

If you are locked out during business hours, you can also call the main Housing and Residential Education office at 508-999-8140, and we will find a staff member to assist you!

If you are locked out and cannot find a Housing and Residential Education staff member, the UMass Dartmouth Police non-emergency dispatch number is 508-999-8107, and they can assist in connecting our staff to assist you.

At the end of the fall semester, just prior to winter break (Intersession), all residents must turn in their keys (if they were issued keys).  This serves to inventory keys and facilitate security on campus.  When residents return in late January they pick up their keys once again. Residence halls close for Thanksgiving and Spring Break, but students may keep their assigned keys for these shorter breaks.

Please note, in all cases, students will keep their UMass Pass and not turn that in to staff.

Housing agreements function just like a lease or rental agreement for the duration of the academic year. This agreement will remain in force for the duration of residency and includes financial responsibility for the entire agreement period. The agreement remains binding after the Fall semester unless the student is on an approved leave or official withdrawal from the University. Failure to pick up a key(s) and/or check-in does not release a student from the agreement. 

Students who request agreement termination must submit their request and required documentation online through the Student Housing Info Portal (StarRez). Termination is not guaranteed. 

The Housing Agreement Release process is available on the Housing Portal under the Housing Processes section. 

The STUDENT may request release and termination of the Agreement if one or more of the following criteria are met and verifying documentation is provided: 

• Official Withdrawal from the University including Transfer 
• Graduation 
• Active Military deployment 
• Participation in an approved academic program which requires off-campus residency 
• Birth or adoption of a child by the student after the time the agreement was signed 
• The existence of a documented medical problem indicating a specific change in medical circumstance after the time the Agreement was signed, which cannot be accommodated within the residence hall system 
• The existence of a documented unexpected financial hardship indicating a specific change in financial circumstance after the time the Agreement was signed, which cannot be reasonably alleviated by the Financial Aid Office 
• Legal marriage after the time the agreement was signed 
• The student does not enroll for a full-time course load each semester 

The UNIVERSITY may terminate this Agreement if one or more of the following conditions exist: 

• The student has an unpaid past due balance to the University prior to the beginning of the Fall or Spring semester 

• The student has not complied with University immunization requirements 
• The student has been academically dismissed or suspended from the University 
• The student has been found in violation of University rules and regulations related to conduct that constitutes a risk to the health, safety, or general well-being of the University community.  

NOTE: No refund of housing fees will be given to individuals removed from the residence halls by the University for disciplinary reasons. 

A student released from the Residence Hall Agreement must vacate their room within forty-eight hours of the date of Agreement Release notification. Students who fail to vacate, complete a proper check-out, and return keys will be subject to financial penalty and eviction. 

Personal property remaining in the residence hall after the term of this Agreement has expired shall become the property of the University and may be donated or disposed of. 

A student who registers for classes and commences studies, but then is granted a Agreement Release for any reason during an academic semester will be granted a housing refund according to the refund schedule below. A student who remits, in advance, a payment for housing, but then does not subsequently sign a Housing agreement, or does not register for classes and check into housing assignment will be given refund of housing fees (excluding the non-refundable Housing pre-payment). 

All refunds are based on actual vacate date after the official Agreement Release approval notifications as dated by the Housing and Residential Education, deferral notifications as dated by the Admissions Office, or official Withdrawal notices as dated and processed by the Student Affairs Office. Charges will continue to accrue until all personal belongings are removed from the space and a proper checkout is completed with Housing and Residential Education staff. This official checkout will act as the final agreement date of record for billing purposes. 
 
Refund Schedule (excluding the non-refundable Housing pre-payment): 

 Fall Semester: 

By October 4, 2024 - Pro-rated/Daily Rate

On or after October 5, 2024 - No Refund 

 Spring Semester: 

By February 21, 2025 - Pro-Rated/Daily Rate  

On or after February 22, 2025 - No Refund 

On the first day of classes each semester or any day thereafter, students interested in changing rooms should see their Resident Director/Area Coordinator to be placed on the central room change request list.  Any students in temporary housing will take priority - after that, room change requests are processed on a first-come, first-served basis using the room change request list and the list of vacant spaces.

A room change freeze is in effect for the first two weeks each semester.  We must ensure everyone who has paid for a space will be attending the university in that first two week period each semester. This freeze allows housing staff to better understand what open spaces may be available to grant move requests.

While you may know another student is not coming, until official paperwork comes through the Housing and Residential Education Office, the student is still assigned in that space. Sometimes students arrive late by choice or a given circumstance; therefore we must have the official paperwork before we reassign a space.

Communication is essential.  If you have a concern or conflict with your roommate or apartment mate, you should arrange a quiet time to have a constructive conversation.  Utilizing the roommate or apartment agreement tool may help facilitate the conversation.  Your RA has this document.  If after you have tried to meet and discuss, and concerns or conflict remain, then ask your RA to mediate a conversation with all involved.  If necessary, you or your RA should involve the building’s Resident Director/Area Coordinator in the discussion to reach a mutually beneficial roommate resolution.

Students can self-report a facilities problem in their room.  Log in to our Campus Facilities work order system and complete the questions/prompts. Go to Facilities and click on "Facilities Service Request" to put in a work order.

The cost to repair damage or vandalism caused accidentally or maliciously by an individual(s) will be billed to that individual(s).  If the individual responsible cannot be identified, the cost of the damage will be billed equally among members of the defined residential community (floor, suite, section, or hall).  This is called community billing.

Students can report washing machine/dryer problems to CSC electronically or by phone.  The contact info is posted in all laundry rooms.  Be sure to reference the machine type and #.  Your hall staff can also assist in communicating with CSC, who provides service to the machines as needed Monday - Friday.

Mail and packages should be addressed:

Joe Samplename - Ivy 5501
285 Old Westport Rd
Dartmouth, MA 02747

To avoid any unnecessary delays by the Post Office, please do not address the mailbox as a P.O. Box.

Please see the Mail and Package Services page for more information about mail.

Housing and Residential Education hopes to create an environment in which the resident is a self-advocate.  With this goal in mind, the resident may respectfully ask his/her neighbors to lower the volume coming from their room.  If a resident is not comfortable doing this on their own, we recommend that you approach your RA or the RA on duty regarding the noise concern.  It is best to report the problem when it is happening so it can be addressed immediately.

Quiet Hours are in effect Sunday through Thursday from 10:00pm-8:00am; Friday and Saturday quiet hours are from 1:00am-10:00am the following morning. Quiet/Study hours are characterized by a standard which says all noise, however generated, should not be audible outside a person’s own room or apartment.

Additional quiet hour areas are designated in some residence halls. Hours are posted in the hall office area of each building.

At all other times, Courtesy Hours are in effect. All residents are expected to maintain consideration for others and to act with courtesy toward others at all times, with respect to noise. Stereos, radios, televisions, computers, and musical instruments should be played at reasonable times and at a volume that will not disturb other residents. At no time should speakers be directed so as to project sound outside of windows. All members of the community share an active role in addressing individuals exhibiting noise. Residents are encouraged to address noise violations within their living areas. Residential Education staff will take an active role in administration of the quiet/study period and will support all residents in this endeavor. 

During final exam periods, 24-hour quiet hours are in effect.

Residence halls are designed to be locked 24/7/365.  There is a camera at each residence hall entrance, and throughout the parking lots and community center entrances at Cedar Dell. 

This is a safety precaution to make sure that unsafe or unwanted items are not entering the building; thus insuring a positive sense of community and safety for students and staff living in the building.

A desk attendant is assigned to the desk at the main entrance of each hall each night from 7pm until 6am the next morning.  From 7pm until 11:00pm, the person assigned is likely a student employee.  From 11:00pm until 6am, the individual assigned is likely contracted security personnel.  If you have a concern about the service or response you receive from a desk attendant, you can report your concern immediately to an RA or the next business day to your building’s Resident Director.  Providing the date and time of the specific concern will allow us to better address the specific issue.

The furniture provided by the University meets certain state and federal requirements for life safety (fire, health, etc).  Individual furniture brought in by a resident may not meet the requirements for life safety within a residence hall setting.