Clark University upholds a residency requirement of four semesters for all students. The residency requirement means that students must live in on-campus housing for their first four semesters at Clark. The only exception is for students participating in a study abroad program, students who live within the Worcester city limits, or students who submit an appeal for medical reasons which are approved in conjunction with our Student Accessibility Services office and only if no accommodation can be made. Students wishing to appeal these requirements must submit a Housing Appeal Petition to Residential Life & Housing to be reviewed by the Housing Appeals Committee. To begin a petition, please email reslife@clarku.edu and a member of our office will reach out with more information.
All petitions will be reviewed by the Housing Appeals Committee and decided on a case by case basis. The committee meets once a month to review appeals, and a decision will be communicated to you via email.
All petitions must be accompanied by a summary of the reasons for needing or requesting the appeal. This should be typed and submitted with the Housing Appeal Form.
Documentation supporting an appeal petition must also be submitted with the Housing Appeal Form. Examples of supporting documentation include but are not limited to:
- Documentation supporting a financial need or hardship and how living off campus will alleviate that hardship (this information should include financial statements, detailed budgets, etc)..
- Documentation showing previous on-campus housing at another institution (to verify that you have completed a total of 4 semesters of on-campus housing).
*Please note that there is a $1500 contract cancellation fee for appeals granted after a contract has been signed. See the housing contract for details.
