Gender Inclusive Housing
University of New Hampshire Housing's goals are to meet the needs of students, demonstrate inclusiveness in residence communities, and enact policies and practices consistent with the university's commitment to diversity. Gender-inclusive housing affords all UNH students the option to live on campus with whomever they choose, regardless of gender identity
Gender-Inclusive Housing
Incoming first-year students, as well as current undergraduate students, may choose to share a room with someone of any gender identity that is most comfortable and appropriate to their own identity.
First-year students will complete their housing application online noting their housing preferences. Roommate matching occurs randomly through our assignments system based on individuals’ answers to our values-based questions. Roommates are paired by gender. However, there will be a section on the application asking for you to identify if you wish to be assigned with a roommate whose gender identity does not match your own, if that is most comfortable and appropriate for you based on your identity. First-year students can request to be assigned to any residence hall on campus that they feel best meets their needs, and we encourage requesting the gender-inclusive housing community that is available in Alexander Hall, one of our first-year only buildings. This community offers a gender-inclusive restroom.
Upper-class Students self-select housing for the following year through our online room selection process each spring. All residence halls are mixed gender. Rooms are single-gender except where gender-inclusive housing has been established on the 3rd floor of Devine Hall. This community offers a gender-inclusive restroom.
Note: Additional gender-inclusive restrooms exist in several other residence hall including Fairchild Hall, McLaughlin Hall, Engelhardt Hall, each building in the Mini Dorms, Haaland Hall, Handler Hall, Peterson Hall, Stoke Hall, and any building that offers suite-style room options.
How to Apply
First year students will indicate an interest in “gender inclusive” housing on page 4 of the online housing application. Doing so will invite the student to share more information about what housing accommodations, including building/bathroom availability/roommate matching they are hoping for. The Housing Department makes every effort to meet the requests of all students, but can make no guarantee of being able to do so.
Upper-class students will participate in the online room selection process in March, to select their housing for the following academic year. Prior to room selection, students will be provided via email with information about the location of gender-inclusive housing options (3rd floor of Devine Hall) and gender-inclusive bathrooms. Students of any gender identity will be able to self-assign themselves together in gender-inclusive spaces. IMPORTANT: Upper-class students will also be required to submit an online housing reapplication in order to participate in room selection. Housing reapplication is available online from February 1-22, 2018, here.
- Students will not be automatically placed in a mixed-gender room. First year students wishing to share a room with someone of a different gender must request to do so when applying for housing. Specific instructions on how to make such a request will be provided on the first-year housing application and within the upper-class student online room selection process.
- Once a room or suite is designated as mixed-gender, it will remain mixed-gender for the duration of the academic year. In the event of a vacancy, the remaining resident is given an opportunity to pull in a roommate of their choosing, within a specific timeframe (usually 48 hours). Then, normal housing process of roommate matching occurs.
- The University encourages students to discuss their housing assignments with their parents/guardians before selecting gender-inclusive housing. All students are able to sign their own housing contracts. As a general rule, students are not released from signed housing contracts due to changes in preferences.
- Students wishing to have a gender-inclusive assignment in a residence hall or apartment outside of the designated GIH communities may contact victoria.perkins@unh.edu to make that request and discuss options.
- The University will not require any student to disclose the nature of their interest in gender-inclusive housing. However, UNH strongly discourages the use of this option for romantic couples.