For more detail and current information regarding eligibility, please review Housing Eligibility information.
Housing assignments for all new incoming freshmen and transfer students are made on a random basis. We cannot honor requests for a specific room, type of room, building, suitemates or location of a room within a building. Incoming freshmen are able to request a roommate during the roommate selection process. More information regarding the housing process, dates, and timelines, can be found in the Incoming Freshmen Application page.
No, once you pick up your room key, you are obligated to live on-campus for the entire academic year. Refer to your Housing Contract for the reasons that you can be released from your contract.
No, you are not eligible to live on campus. However, if you are reinstated, you can contact our office to have your name placed on the waiting list. Students placed on the waiting list will be offered a space if an opening occurs. There is no guarantee for university housing.
Summer housing is available for students taking summer classes or working 30+ hours per week in an on-campus position. A limited amount of space is available during the summer term. Students who are attending classes during the summer term and would like housing must follow the steps outline on the Apply for Housing page. The summer housing application opens by mid-March every year.
During all breaks (except Summer), you may leave your belongings in the room but you must physically vacate the building, unless you live in one of our apartment communities or are assigned to Residence Tower.
Yes. Housing options include Living Learning Communities (including Honors), Alcohol-Free, and Gender Inclusive Housing. For more housing options, please refer to our Housing Options page.
First, try to avoid making snap judgments. You should attempt to work out the problem by talking with your roommate. If residents are unable to agree or come up with a workable solution, contact your RA for assistance. No room changes will be considered once assignments have been made, until two weeks after the semesters begins. After that, room changes will be made on a space-available basis and are not guaranteed to occur. The dissatisfied roommate is the one who is responsible for moving.
Room assignments are random as long as your application is received by your respective roommate matching deadline, you paid your housing advance payment (for incoming students), and signed your contract by midnight of your housing deadline. Roommate requests will receive first priority and must be mutual.
Visit the Incoming Freshmen Housing Process page or the Returning Student Housing Selection page for more information about each respective process and their timelines.
Student rooms are furnished with bed(s), desk(s), desk chair(s), closet(s) or wardrobe(s), blinds or drapes and a micro-fridge (a combination microwave and refrigerator). The rooms also come equipped with free basic cable television (34 channels), unlimited Internet, and wireless Internet (bring your own coaxial cable, television, and computer). All buildings are air-conditioned.
Traditional residence halls with community or quad style bathrooms are cleaned daily by housekeeping staff. In suite-style rooms or rooms with private bathrooms, the residents are responsible for cleaning the bathrooms.
For more information about parking, please visit Parking Services.
Your Net ID is typically the first part of your email address at Towson University (example@students.towson.edu).
You will need to contact the OTS Technology Support Desk at 410-704-5151.
No matter where you go on campus, you can find something good to eat! We have 12 dining locations, and offer a variety of meal plans. Menus include standard American, vegetarian and kosher cuisine as well as a-la-carte dining. To learn more about dining on campus, please visit Dining Services.
Meningococcal disease is a serious illness caused by the meningococcal bacteria. It is a leading cause of bacterial meningitis in children age 2-18 in the United States. Meningitis is an infection of fluid surrounding the brain and the spinal cord. The meningococcal bacteria also cause an infection in the blood stream that can lead to septic shock and death.
It is primarily spread through close, prolonged exposure to shared airspace, such as sleeping in the same room. A secondary method is through mouth-to-mouth contact such as kissing or sharing a toothbrush or drinking glass. The incubation period is generally 3 to 4 days, to a maximum of 10 days.
About 2,600 people get meningococcal disease each year in the U.S. 10-15% of these people die, in spite of treatment with antibiotics. Of those who live, another 11-19% lose their arms or legs, become deaf, have problems with their nervous systems, become mentally retarded, or suffer seizures or strokes. Anyone can get meningococcal disease. But it is most common in infants less than one year of age and people with certain medical conditions, such as lack of a spleen. College freshman living in dormitories have an increased risk of getting meningococcal disease.
Meningococcal infections can be treated with drugs such as penicillin. Still, about one out of every ten people who get the disease dies from it, and many others are affected for life. This is why preventing the disease through use of meningococcal vaccine is important for people at highest risk.
While the reasons are not yet fully understood, studies from previous college outbreaks suggest that college students are more susceptible because they live and work in close proximity to each other in dormitories and classrooms. Behavioral and social aspects of college life appear to be risk factors as well, with smoking, exposure to second-hand smoke, alcohol consumption, and bar patronage all increasing the chance that one will contract meningitis from an infected individual.
Yes. Safe, effective vaccines can provide protection against meningococcal disease. Meningococcal polysaccharide vaccine (MPSV4) has been available since the 1970s. Meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV4) was licensed in 2005. Both vaccines protect against meningitis caused by 4 of the 5 common strains of the bacteria (serogroups A, C, Y and W-135), including 2 of the 3 types most common in the United States (C, Y and W-135) and a type that causes epidemics in Africa (serogroup A). There is currently no available vaccine against the 5th strain, serogroup B, and the vaccine does not prevent other causes of meningitis (e.g. other bacteria or viral meningitis).
Both vaccines protect about 90% of those who get immunized. MCV 4 (brand name Menactra) is expected to give better, longer-lasting protection than the older vaccine, MPSV4 (known as Menomune). MCV4 should also be better at protecting the spread of the disease from person to person by eradicating the meningococcal bacteria that reside in the nose and throat. Since people can be asymptomatic carriers, this is a big advantage of the newer vaccine.
In the past, vaccination has been delayed until an outbreak of meningitis occurs. The problem with this strategy is that because outbreaks, while rare, are clustered in time, and because onset of symptoms is extremely rapid, for many students post-exposure vaccination may be too late to provide real protection. In addition, immunity after vaccination can take 12 weeks to develop. Pre-exposure vaccination also eliminates the fear of not being vaccinated in time.
In light of these facts and the growing number of outbreaks on college campuses in recent years, the American College Health Association and CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommend that all college freshmen be immunized. Maryland law requires all college students living in on-campus student housing be immunized or sign a waiver indicating they understand the risks of the disease and choose not to take the vaccine.
The meningococcal vaccine has an excellent safety profile. The risk of death or serious harm is low. Side effects are usually mild, consisting primarily of redness and swelling at the site of injection lasting up to two days. A vaccine, like any medicine, could possibly cause serious problems, such as severe allergic reactions. However, the risk of serious harm, or death, is extremely small.
Meningococcal immunization should be deferred during any acute illness. The vaccine should not be administered to pregnant women or individuals sensitive to thimerosal or any other components of the vaccine.
Maximize your body's own immune response. Eat a balanced diet, and get adequate sleep and exercise. Avoid cigarettes and excessive use of alcohol. In particular, do not make a habit of sharing drinks or cigarettes.
Yes, call the Health Center at (410) 704-2466 for more information and appointment times.
MPSV4 (Menomune) -$75; MCV4 (Menactra) -$95