Living In Housing

There are four types of housing at California State University, Northridge.

• The Suites at University Park

  • A single bedroom without a kitchen includes two-person bedrooms with a semi-private bath (one bath per two suites). Approximately 16 suites surround a hub of recreational and study lounges. All students in the suites must purchase a meal plan.

• The Apartments at University Park

  • In a double with a kitchen, you share a bedroom with one other student in a two-bedroom apartment and share the common area in the apartment with two additional students occupying the second bedroom. A majority of students live in this type of housing.
  • In a double without a kitchen, you share a bedroom with one other student in a two-bedroom apartment and share the common area in the apartment with two additional students occupying the second bedroom. This apartment has no kitchen and the purchase of a meal plan is required. Please note this choice of the room takes precedence over any and all living learning communities and roommate preferences.

• The Apartments at University Village

  • One- and two-bedroom apartments are for students with dependent children and/or a spouse or partner. Apartments are unfurnished. Kitchens are equipped with a refrigerator, range and garbage disposal. One-bedroom apartments include a dining bar. Two-bedroom units have a separate dining area. Bedrooms contain easily accessible, large closets, and there is a separate linen closet in each unit. Carpeting and window coverings will be provided.

When applying online, students may choose to release their personal information to roommates. After you select your room, you can view your prospective roommate's information, as long as they have also allowed this information to be shared. You can contact your roommates before you move in allowing you to get to know them before your arrival and find out what each person is bringing. This makes the check-in process in August more comfortable.

Students with disabilities will find living on campus easy. Student Housing works closely with the Disability Resources and Educational Services (DRES) and the National Center on Deafness (NCOD) to support your academic success. 

Our buildings are equipped with at least one wheelchair-accessible apartment on the first floor of each building, and a few of our buildings have elevators. Service animals are welcome with verification of medical need. Academically motivated students will find the apartment-style housing, study space and academic-focused programming supportive of the individual's needs. 

The Lighthouse Living Learning Community is where deaf or hard-of-hearing students can choose to live. The Lighthouse is located in Pacific Willow Hall (building 6). There are light flashers in each room in this community and the resident advisors know American Sign Language (ASL). If you choose not to live in the Lighthouse, there are two equipped rooms in each Student Housing building. Interpreters are available upon request for Student Housing events and meetings.

Our commitment

Your ability to be fully invested in your co-curricular experiences; from achieving your academic aspirations through the exploration of course materials to your ability to stay involved in the many events, programs, and opportunities while living on campus is the goal of access services.

The Student Housing staff recognizes the barriers to an individual's experience that can negatively challenge their growth and development. Your comfort and ability to confidently navigate your experiences within the many social and academic circles is a commitment that we, in Student Housing, work towards every day.
The staff within Student Housing places the utmost importance on understanding and executing best practices and effective structures in place to recognize and remove potential barriers our students may encounter.  Access services are available to process your requests for accommodations. With your request for services, the potential for accommodation is limitless.

Below are some potential barriers we can accommodate:

• Communication: Sign language interpreters can be requested for events, activities, and roommate meetings. IF requested 72 hours prior, you are guaranteed to have ASL interpreters at your requested event.
• Environmental: Room changes are available due to sensitivities, lighting options, or consideration of allergies.
• Physical: Electric door opening devices can be placed on heavy doors, walkways cleared of debris for easy passage, or boards placed under mattresses to make a bed firm.
• Visual: Enlarged print handouts at programs, lighting options, or room selection based on need are available.
• Emotional Support Animal Request: We value the role animals/pets play in a student’s ability to thrive and overcome issues regarding mental health, stress, etc. Emotional Support Animals (animals prescribed by healthcare professionals for emotional support) may be permitted in places of residence, upon approval from Disability Resources and Education Services, With approval from DRES an ESA Registration Form will be submitted to Student Housing for review and approval for to amend the License Agreement.  ESA approvals are valid for one (1) Academic Year.
• Academic Achievement and Success: Education is the top priority for our students and the Student Housing staff is fully committed to providing the necessary resources to advance a student’s educational knowledge and material retention. Through its partnerships with offices including, but not limited to, the Undergraduate Studies Developmental Mathematics Program to the Learning Resource Center, we have created a dedicated space (The SPOT) to provide tutoring services for our residential students. In Student Housing, we see value in celebrating the small successes to build our students up in greater ways.
• LGBTQIA+ Student Access: CSUN Student Housing is committed to providing safe, inclusive, and supportive, spaces and experiences for all students. We recognize that each student brings diverse needs and support, therefore, we are here to provide alternative options that are more consistent with the needs of the students who would otherwise be uncomfortable in an assigned sex pairing space, including students who identify as trans, gender-queer, gender nonconforming, or non-binary. Additionally, we are here to support students in the exploration and expression of their identity with respect to housing placements and resources. Please contact me regarding any concerns or questions regarding room changes, name changes, or gender marker changes, within Student Housing or related systems.

All requests will be taken into consideration. Request more information about our accommodation protocols and procedures by contacting our Coordinator for Residential Student Success

Sincerely,
Residential Life
reslife@csun.edu

• All CSUN students have the option to purchase a meal plan.  Students living in an apartment without a kitchen are required to purchase a meal plan.
• There are a variety of flexible plans to choose from and meal plan dining dollars can be used at all CSUN Dining locations campuswide.
• Located in housing are Geronimo’s and Bamboo Terrace, two all-you-care-to-eat dining halls open to all students.  Also conveniently located in Student Housing, a Matador Mercado convenience store is available for picking up a quick snack. 
• For questions regarding meal plans, please call (818) 677-2655 or email mealplan@csun.edu.

Parking permits are available for residential students. To purchase your residential parking permit, go to CSUN Portal. Log in to the portal using your CSUN username and password. Once on the portal, select the Financial Matters tab. Look for the Financial Matters Quick Links and select the Buy Parking Permit icon. Proceed by following the on-screen instructions. 

If you purchase a parking permit before coming to campus, be sure it is a student residential permit and not a semester or academic year permit. A student residential permit will allow you to park in the Student Housing parking lots as well as the student lots on campus. Lost or stolen permits must be reported to Parking and Transportation Services.

Students are no longer charged for electricity or gas. Utilities costs are now included in your monthly installments.

Student Housing residents can get local phone service in their rooms through AT&T. To connect to phone service, you will need to sign up for AT&T phone service. There are four phone jacks in each apartment and students contract directly with AT&T for service. Many students choose to use their existing cell phones, as most cell phones receive service in the apartments.

If you would like to sign up, you can visit the AT&T website or call (800) 310-2355. 

AT&T will need to know which phone jack to activate in the apartment. Each phone jack has a letter assigned to it (a-f). Please refer to the tables below to find out which letter corresponds to your phone jack.

Location (Apartments at University Park only) left phone jack and right phone jack

When ordering new phone service, AT&T will ask you for your street address, which varies depending on which building you live in. Please refer to the table below to find out which address corresponds to your building.

Your building's street address

Important suites information: If you are ordering service in building 16 or 17, please tell the AT&T representative it is a new address with no prior phone service.

If you have any further questions, call the Student Housing office at (818) 677-2160.

Student Housing is excited to announce the launch of our new TV and entertainment service, SpectrumU. SpectrumU is a streaming service provided to all residents living on-campus, with On-Demand content available with some content available while off-campus.

Residents have access to 150+ channels including sports networks. SpectrumU is available on your personal devices. Please review the information here to get connected and start streaming today!

For more information, please go to Spectrum U page.

In order to support the educational goals of our residents, we provide a variety of equipment and services. Student Housing Technology Services ensures residents have reliable network access and knowledgeable, friendly, and responsive technical support. We provide in-room, wired, and wireless Internet connections for every student living on campus.  We also work to inform students about the importance of keeping their personal data and devices secure and using legal services to get their music, movies, and other media.

For more information, please go to Student Housing Technology Services

A one-time $15 optional Residence Hall Association fee is placed on all student resident accounts. The Residence Hall Association (RHA) is an organization of residents acting as agents of opportunity to promote a healthy academic and social environment while voicing the concerns of the community. RHA provides opportunities for development in leadership skills, interpersonal and intercultural growth. If you wish not to participate in this fee, you can opt-out via the Student Housing website. Students must opt-out no later than 30 days before check-in.

There is a $25 charge for lost or stolen keys. There may also be a charge if we are not able to determine to whom the key belongs due to damage. Charges are posted on your student account found in CSUN Portal therefore no payment is necessary at the time the key is replaced. Lost keys must be reported to the Student Housing office as soon as possible.

Apartment keys: Lost or stolen keys must be reported to the Student Housing office as soon as possible. Room keys reported before 1 p.m. (Monday through Friday) will be replaced after 3 p.m. on the same day. Keys reported after 1 p.m. will not be replaced until the next day.

Mailbox keys: Lost or stolen mailbox keys must be reported to the mailroom located in the lobby of building 9. When a mailbox key is replaced, our maintenance locksmith changes the lock on the mailbox.

Depending on the time there are several people you can contact to be let into your apartment or suite.

Monday through Friday, if you are locked out between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., you can go to the business services office. If you are locked out between the hours of 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., you can go to the Community Center. If you are locked out between the hours of 7 p.m. and 8 a.m., you can contact the resident advisor on duty. On-duty phone numbers are located on the doors of each building.

Saturday and Sunday, you can contact the resident advisor on duty. On-duty phone numbers are located on the doors of each building.

The guest policy upholds the safety and considerate treatment of our community members and property. Residents are permitted to host guests as long as the rights and privacy of the other persons living in apartments and residence halls are respected. The definition of a guest is any person who does not hold a Student Housing license agreement for a bed space in on-campus housing for that particular unit. An overnight guest is defined as any nonresident or resident of another apartment that remains in a residential apartment after 1 a.m.

The following are policy guidelines for hosting guests.

• All roommates must mutually agree about having a guest before a guest may be hosted in the unit. In cases where roommates cannot agree, the right of a person to occupy her or his room or apartment without the presence of a guest must take precedence over the right of a roommate to host guests.
• No resident is authorized to extend residency to their guests or other students and authorize visitation beyond five nights per 30-day period. There may be a fee assessed for each day of such use in excess of two days per calendar month.

• Residents must register guests who plan to stay beyond 1 a.m. in the apartment prior to inviting the guest into the apartment. To register a guest, go to the StarRez Student Housing Portal -> Student Login -> Forms -> Select the term you are contracted for -> Select Guest Registration. Paper registration forms can be obtained at the Residential Life office. Residents may be assessed a fee for any non-registered guests found to be inside the residence after 1 a.m.

• A resident who hosts a guest is responsible for the guest's conduct at all times and any damages incurred by that guest. All guests must comply with all university and residential life policies. Guests may be asked to leave the premises for violations or to provide identification. The guest must comply. Failure to do so will result in a request for police assistance.
• The host must be with the guest at all times. Guests are not permitted to be unescorted and may not be left unattended in the host's apartment or in the community.
• Occupancy in any apartment at any given time must not exceed 10 people, including residents. Soliciting for open parties or gatherings is not permitted under any circumstance.

The following methods are available to report problems to the maintenance department.

• Submit Maintenance Online
• At the Student Housing office
• At the Mail Room

The maintenance department will respond as quickly as possible, as they must prioritize tasks in the student-housing complex. Priority items include heating, air conditioning, running water that cannot be turned off, broken door locks, and broken windows. Items such as broken blinds, light bulbs, or window screens may be delayed if there is a higher demand on the staff. 

The maintenance department usually completes a work order within 36 hours. The staff works Monday through Friday and is available for emergencies during evening hours and on weekends. All after-hours and weekend emergencies must be reported to a resident advisor, who will then contact the maintenance staff.

Mail Services, and mailboxes for residents in the Park, are located in Pinon Hall (Building 9). 

Our windows will be open for package pick-up from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm, Monday through Friday.

Any residents who would need any accommodation before the time above will need to meet the following:

1. The parcel has to be medication 
2. The parcel has to be ONLY school-related ( textbook or any school literature tracking IDs will be needed to provide confirmation)

The office will remain open from 9:00-6:00 pm for ALL CARRIERS Monday through Friday. We are CLOSED on weekends. Hours may vary during holiday seasons. 

Students in the Apartments at University Park are assigned to a combo mailbox. Residents of the Apartments at University Village are assigned to a mailbox with a key.

Letters, magazines, and small packages will be delivered directly to the mailboxes. For all other packages, students will receive an email notification. Bring a picture ID (e.g., driver's license or CSUN ID) to the mailroom to pick up a package. The mailroom staff will not release a package without first verifying ID.

Friends, family, and vendors can address mail to:
Your Name
17950 Lassen Street, Box # ___________
Northridge, CA 91325

Payments may be submitted online, in person at University Cash Services or by mail to the following address.

University Cash Services
California State University, Northridge
18111 Nordhoff St.
Northridge, CA 91330-8214

To make a payment online, go to CSUN Portal and log in using your CSUN login and password. Online payments can be made via e-check, MasterCard, American Express or Discover.

Cancellations for fall

Students must cancel their license agreement if they decide not to live in Student Housing at CSUN. There is a cancellation process and a request for cancellation should be submitted at least 30 days before the requested cancellation date. The cancellation form can be found in the Forms and Service Requests section of our website.

If a student decides he or she does not wish to live in Student Housing at CSUN, he or she must submit a cancellation before July 19th. If the Student Housing office receives a cancellation after the date stated above, a pro-rated amount will be charged to the University Student Account for insufficient notice, which will be deducted from any refund received from the university.

After a student moves in, any cancellations approved will have a cancellation date up to 30 days after the date the cancellation was submitted. Students are financially responsible for all housing charges up until the cancellation date, including any Student Housing payments, utilities, lost keys, damages, etc.

Cancellation for spring only

Students must cancel their license agreement if they decide not to live in Student Housing at CSUN. There is a cancellation process and a request for cancellation should be submitted at least 30 days before the requested cancellation date. The cancellation form can be found in the Online Services and Forms section of our website. 

If a student decides he or she does not wish to live in Student Housing at CSUN, they must submit a cancellation before December 22. If the Student Housing office receives a cancellation after the date stated above, a pro-rated amount will be charged to the University Student Account for insufficient notice, which will be deducted from any refund received from the university.

After a student moves in, any cancellations approved will have a cancellation date up to 30 days after the date the cancellation was submitted. Students are financially responsible for all housing charges up until the cancellation date, including any Student Housing payments, utilities, lost keys, damages, etc.

Cancellation for summer

During the summer, cancellation requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. The requirement for students to live in Student Housing is relaxed and a student does not need to be enrolled in classes to contract with us. Students who apply for summer housing should consider this fact before submitting a license agreement.

Students who receive financial aid get a financial aid award letter over the summer. The letter confirms your accepted award amount for each semester. If your award is over $4,800 for the fall semester, you can mail a copy of your financial award letter to Student Housing in lieu of the installment payment on July 21. 

Financial aid automatically pays tuition and fees first, with any leftover money going for housing. If you are awarded enough financial aid to pay for the full fall semester and there is a credit balance remaining, you may receive a financial aid refund.

If you do not receive enough financial aid to cover all of your tuition and housing, you are responsible for the balance of the amount due. 

If you receive a financial aid refund check larger than anticipated, check your SOLAR account to be sure all of the proper charges have been placed on your account. Occasionally, financial aid is posted to your account before all of the semester's charges are posted. The following simple math calculation will help you determine if all of your semester charges were covered by your financial aid.

Financial aid award minus tuition minus fall housing charges equals your financial aid refund, if any. 

Whenever you receive a financial aid refund, check your SOLAR account to ensure all anticipated charges are reflected before spending the refund on other things.

• Housing Policies
• FERPA
• Safety and Security
• Judicial Process

What are community standards?

Community standards allow the residents who share a floor community to define standards or rules for how they will treat each other and live together and hold each other accountable if the standards are violated.

While community standards can be seen as a product, a list of agreements and expectations, community standards are an ongoing process by which students begin forming a healthy community through dialogue, compromise and commitment. Community standards evolve therefore the process is never finished. Since community standards evolve, they should not be thought of as a task to be completed, but as a means by which interactions occur.

An important aspect of community standards is discussing and deciding how students will hold themselves accountable for agreements and expectations. Discussing the issue of responsibility and accountability of each resident to every other resident can be difficult. Many students believe someone else (i.e., a Residence Life staff member, public safety, etc.) is responsible for making sure they get exactly what they want. Many students do not want to stand up for themselves. Equally difficult is the thought of holding a peer to a standard. 

Why have community standards?

In Residence Life at CSUN, we believe you, college students, are maturing adults. This means you are making choices and learning from the outcomes of your choices. The young adult years are perceived as years of freedom, experimentation, limit finding, and limited testing. If the experiences during these years are to lead to an increased ability to make mature judgments then you must have the opportunity to make decisions, so you can experience the result of those decisions. An important area of decision-making for college students concerns lifestyle and personal conduct.

Traditional college-age people typically reject rules imposed from the outside. They may reject authorities who appear to be trying to deny them their freedom or independence. They may become angry at authorities who don't meet their needs at the time when they want their needs met. Community standards provide a means by which your expectations of the authority to meet your needs are shifted to a recognition that the individual and the community must work together to create an environment that best meets everyone's needs. The authority (in this case, a resident advisor) becomes a person who helps this process happen instead of someone who fixes things for you or someone who always punishes behavior not in line with expectations.

If every student living in perfect isolation, he or she could choose any manner of conduct. In reality, we exist in a tightly networked society. This means our behavior impacts other people and other people's behavior. Because we are affected by one another's behavior, we tend to have expectations about what we consider OK for the other person to do. We may or may not realize our behavior affects others or we may believe everyone has the same expectations we have. This last concept can extend to a point where we believe everyone has the same expectations at the same time (e.g., if I want to listen to music now, everyone wants to listen to music now).

If we are to live together in reasonable harmony, we must have the opportunity to express our expectations of how we want to be affected by others. By discussing these expectations you hear the range of expectations and therefore have a harder time holding on to the belief everyone does X or everyone wants the same thing you want. Out of an awareness of expectations, you and your peers can discuss your different expectations and come to an agreement on ways you can live with the differences or compromise around the differences. This process may not be easy because it requires many people to quickly achieve new understandings and behaviors. One of these is the ability to consider another's point of view as being valid thus needing to be taken into consideration in one's own point of view.

The context of learning created by the community standards discussion can be a powerful tool to encourage student development and a healthy community. It can encourage students to build self-esteem through declaring themselves, assertive interactions, and the empowerment coming from group agreement. By establishing community standards and shared responsibility, students are empowered to deal with problems before they occur.

What about Residence Life, university policies, and procedures?

We still will have policies and procedures by which all residents must abide. They represent the basic safety and management issues necessary to assure the reasonable quality of life for all residents. Primarily they establish minimum behavioral expectations and are in agreement with local, state, and federal laws. Community standards do not replace these nor may they violate these. These policies and procedures are of such basic nature they should not impede a community's ability to create the standards they desire.

How are community standards developed?

Community standards are developed through group discussion and consensus. Through this format, each resident is afforded the opportunity to assert his or her point of view. An underlying tenet of this system is the belief that in order to have one's needs met, one must accept responsibility for participation in the system designed to negotiate one's conditions. Through implementing the community standards model, we are providing the opportunity for you to learn you are responsible for your experience, and that you are not simply passive recipients of your experience. Recognition of this concept leads to personal empowerment.