Housing FAQs

It is the policy of Butler University to offer full, equal and nondiscriminatory assistance to all students without regard to their race, color, religion, nationality, gender, gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation in placement in university residential facilities. All full-time undergraduate students are required to live in University housing for 6 academic year semesters except those who are: a) commuting from and residing full-time in the primary residence of their parents, legal guardians or legal relative in their permanent/primary residence which is within 45 miles of campus; or b) married or civilly unified and residing with spouse; or c) are a legal guardian of a child and residing with said child; or d) are a military veteran with 2- years of active service before enrollment; or e) if they enter with a minimum of 60 credit hours earned after completing high school at another accredited college or university that will be transferred and accepted by Butler University.

All campus housing includes both room and required dining plan with the exception of the Apartment Communities (South Campus Apartments, Butler Terrace, and Apartment Village). Apartment Community residents may purchase community-dining plan through the link on the Butler Dining page.

Butler University Greek Chapter houses are considered on campus housing for sophomore and junior students.  Some Chapters may require seniors to live in their chapter houses as well.  If a Greek Chapter house does not have space for all affiliated sophomore and juniors students, they must live in on-campus University housing.  Chapters do not release students to off-campus status.

The University reserves the right to enforce any restrictions or regulations necessary for the general safety, welfare of residents and/or the maintenance of its property. Under certain conditions, students may apply for a special exemptions to the Residency Policy.  If provided an exception, or living off- campus as a senior student, all are expected to adhere to all federal, state, and local laws as well as the Student Code of Conduct of Butler University.  Students living off- campus or commuting from home are Butler University students and must adhere to the Student Code of Conduct.

The charges for room and board are set by the Board of Trustees (usually in March or April for the following year). The tuition and fees for the current year are available from the Office of Student Accounts (room and board fees are at the bottom of the page).

Here is where you can find our Housing Policies and Procedures.

Here is the link to the Housing Portal.

If you believe you will need a housing accommodation, please complete the Yes box on the Special Accommodations page of the housing application. To complete the request, you will need to fill out Student Disability Services’ Housing Accommodation Request Form which will be found on the Special Accommodation page.

Any student who has a request for a housing accommodation based on an access need related to a documented disability or physical condition is required to submit the necessary supporting documentation as well as all standard housing forms.

Contact Student Disability Services at sds@517b2b.com, to begin the process of registering with the office for accommodations. Students are advised to start the process early and contact SDS about a housing request as soon as the need for an accommodation is known, rather than waiting for the deadlines.

More information on special accommodations.

Yes. All of our on-campus housing options allow gender inclusive housing assignments. This means that students with any gender identity or expression may live together in the room or suite/apartment. This includes transgender, nonbinary, and gender-fluid individuals. All students must have selected this option to live together. Students will have the options to opt into gender inclusive housing on the Personal Information Review page of the housing application by selecting Yes  to the gender inclusive question.

Residence Life strongly discourages any students in romantic relationships from living together.

If you originally opted into gender inclusive housing and no longer wish to participate, please email reslife@517b2b.com so they can reset your application.

For students interested in GIH but unfamiliar with the spectrum of gender identities, please use this resource from the Trevor Project to learn more.

Q: I can’t change my RLC (Residential-Learning Community) on my housing application, what do I do?
A: If you would like to change your RLC preference, please email reslife@517b2b.com. We will reflect your requested changes in the application. Remember—if you select an RLC, that preference will be honored first if you are accepted. This specifically impacts those students who may want to live with a roommate that is not eligible or does not get accepted to their same RLC.

Q: Where is the Honors RLC?
A: The Honors RLC is located in Residential College (ResCo) and is adjacent to a Faculty in Residence affiliated with the Honors program.

Q: If  I’m planning on being part of the Honors program, do I have to live in the Honors RLC? Is there programming available to the Honors RLC students that’s not available to Honors students living elsewhere?
A: You do not have to live in the Honors RLC if you are an Honors program student. To gain more information about the program and if it may be a good fit for you as an Honors student, please contact Residence Life.

Q: What if I have concerns about living with a roommate?
A: Residential spaces are shared and college is an important time to develop personal responsibility, conflict resolution, and self-advocacy skills. It is important to grow and understand what it means to be a part of a community that respects and values others.

Successful roommate/suitemate relationships do not always involve students who consider their roommate(s) their best friends, but describe a relationship and room/unit environment that is restful and respectful. Living with others takes time and work and Residential Life is committed to assisting residents in gaining the skills needed to have a good living experience. Students are expected to agree on a set of common rules for a shared space and Residence Life staff members are available to help students develop the tools to work through potential concerns or conflicts.

Q: How do I add a roommate on the housing application? How do I find my roommate in the system if we already know we want to live together?
A: To be able to search for a roommate or be searched for as a possible roommate, you must opt into Roommate Matching on the Roommate Profile page.

You need to opt into Roommate Matching even if you know exactly who you want to live with so that you are able to find each other. As stated on the page, opting out of Roommate Matching does not mean that you will not have a roommate and/or suitemates, it only means that you cannot look for possible roommates or be found by others.

On the Roommate Groups page, you can find exactly who you want to live with by clicking Search for Roommates by Details and entering their name. They must have signed the Contract Confirmation or Proxy Agreement page to be able to be found and find others and accept your roommate request.

Once you have added people to your group, that is all you have to do. Residence Life will aim to place all students in groups together, but is dependent on group size and available space.

Q: I don’t have a roommate, how do I randomly select one? What’s the preferred method of finding roommates?
A: On the Roommate Groups page, students are able to find possible roommate matches based on percentage match by clicking the Suggest Roommates button. Students are also able to search by questions that are most important to them by clicking Search for Roommates by Profiles.

We encourage students to look at percentage match as a factor when finding roommates randomly outside of the system to ensure that their lifestyles will be best suited for one another. Students also have the opportunity to go through the process individually and allow Residence Life to place them with a random roommate based on their lifestyle questions.

Q: Can I add suitemates or just a roommate? If I add suitemates, can I specify who’s in the other suite and who I live with? OR In a group, how do I differentiate between a roommate and suitemate?
A: Residence Life has added a new page to the housing application that is only visible to students who create a roommate group of more than two. When students create a group of more than two, they will be directed to a page titled Roommate Matches and on this page they will see instructions that state the following:

“You are on this page because, as a newly admitted first-year student, you have indicated a roommate group of more than two people.”

To indicate roommates vs. suitemates, you need to complete the question below. Those students who wish to share a room space must answer the question in the same manner by either both selecting Roommate Match A or Roommate Match B so you will need to communicate with your entire group to indicate who will be match A and match B.

Note: Pairs will be randomly placed within the suite. This is not an indication of which bedroom you will be assigned to.

If you have any questions on how to add roommates versus suitemates, please contact reslife@517b2b.com.

Q: Why does it ask for a group of up to eight? 
A: The housing application is set up to accommodate groups up to eight people since some residential spaces are able to accommodate groups of eight students. This specifically applies to rising sophomores who will live in Fairview House.

New first-year students are encouraged to make groups of four students at most since residential spaces for first-year students can only accommodate groups of up to four.

Q: If we self-match with a roommate, how will that impact our residence hall placement? 
A: It has no impact. Room placements are random.

Q: How do I request a single? 
A: New first-year students cannot request a single as they are not available to them. If a student needs a single based on a documented medical need, they should say yes to asking for a Housing Accommodation Request on the Special Accommodation page. This will allow the student to work with SDS and Residence Life to place them based on their documented need.

Q: What are the next steps if I plan to commute?
A: If you would like to commute from home with a parent, you will log into the housing portal, prior to June 1, to complete the Non- Residential Request Form. The steps for submission are outlined based on your request type.

There are also options for students to complete the Non-Residential Request based on being married, having dependents, being a veteran, meeting the live-on requirement, having specific needs that cannot be met on campus, or other extenuating circumstances.

Q: How do I know which dining plan is right for me?
A: In determining which plan is best, we recommend students think about whether they enjoy more All-You-Can-Eat (AYCE) style dining or individual order style. If you enjoy more AYCE dining, we would suggest getting a larger block plan with less flex and if you enjoy more coffee/individual order style, we would suggest getting the smaller block plan with more flex.

Q: When can I move in? 
A: You will receive an assignment letter with the exact date that you can move into your residential space. For students moving in to Irvington, ResCo, or Fairview, an exact time & date will be provided.

You can review the Residence Life calendar at the link in the sidebar.

Q: What’s provided in my room? 
A: ResCo & Fairview:

• All rooms come with extra-long twin beds, dressers, desks and desk chairs, wastebasket, drapes or blinds
• Single rooms in Fairview come with extra-long full size beds. Beds may be bunked in ResCo – you must sign a waiver at the residence hall front desk prior to bunking beds
• All furniture is moveable, but it must remain in your room

Apartment Village, Butler Terrace, and South Campus Apartments are provided with some additional furnishings. Please see the University Apartments page for details.

Q: Does Butler provide cable television? 
A: Butler provides XFINITY On Campus, a streaming (Internet Protocol) TV service delivered through the Butler network (wireless and wired connections on campus) to Internet-ready devices. Users can stream live TV and XFINITY On Demand shows and movies on their laptops, tablets, smartphones, and other streaming devices.  For more info, click here,

Q: How do I connect my computer to the campus network?
A: Detailed information on how to connect to the network is available at the Information Technology Get Connected web page.

Q: Where can I do laundry in my residence hall? 
A: There is laundry located in each residence hall. Students are able to pay for laundry with a credit or debit card.

Q: Where can I print in my residence hall?
A: Printing is residence halls and across campus is done through your PrintSmart account. All students have access to print in the residence halls and on-campus. For more information about printing, please refer to Butler IT’s Printing/Copying page.

Q: What will my mailing address be?
A: Below are the standard mailing addresses. Be sure to include the building name below the student’s name for proper delivery (it is in bold only for easy reference on this page). Students are given a unique mailbox number with their room assignment information that must be included for mail delivery; it is not their residence hall room number.

Residence Halls:

Student’s Name
Residential College
630 W. Hampton Dr.
Indianapolis, IN 46208

Student’s Name
Irvington House 
750 W. Hampton Dr. Box ___
Indianapolis, IN 46208

Student’s Name
Fairview House
4550 Sunset Ave. Box ___
Indianapolis, IN 46208

Apartments

Student’s Name
Apartment Village
5026 Boulevard Place, Apt LETTER and NUMBER (ex. A301)
Indianapolis, IN 46208
(It is important that the apartment letter and number be included for proper delivery.)

Butler Terrace
Each apartment has its own mailbox. However, Butler Terrace has four different street addresses, and unique mailbox numbers that are distinctive for each apartment.
For a specific Butler Terrace address, please contact Residence Life.

Student’s Name
South Campus Apartments
4251 Haughey Ave, Apt LETTER and NUMBER (ex. C1)
Indianapolis, IN 46208
(It is important that the apartment letter and number be included for proper delivery.)

Q: I’m transferring. Do I have to live on campus? 
A: Transfer students must live on campus if they have not met Butler University’s Residency Requirement (six academic semesters of live-on – this includes study abroad and living in Greek Housing). There may be other reasons to live-off as listed above in the Commuter Request section.

Q: Is housing based on major? 
A: No, housing is random.

Q: Can I live in Greek Housing?
A: This would be dependent on the chapter availability.

Q: Do I have to live in first-year housing?
A: Housing assignments are made individually for transfer students. Transfer students are given housing assignments based on availability and their years of “on-campus” living that they did at their previous institution.

Please note that we are unable to provide specific room dimensions. These are common measurements, but are not exact in each individual space.

ResCo

• Twin XL Bed
  • Space under bed: 17.5″
• Desk
  • Writing surface: 41.75″ x 20″
  • Top shelf: 41.75″ x 8.5″
  • Desk chair provided
• Closet
  • 49″ W x 23″ D
  • One per resident
  • Wire shelving

Irvington

• Twin XL Bed
  • Space under bed: 22″
• Desk with bottom shelf (no drawers)
  • 38″ x 24″ x 30″
  • Rolling desk chair provided
• Dresser (4 drawers)
  • 18″ x 48″ x 20.5″
  • Fits under bed
• Closet
  • 2′ x 6′ x 6′
  • One per resident
  • Wire shelving
  • Sliding mirror doors

Fairview

• Twin XL Bed
  • Space under bed: 22″
• Desk with bottom shelf (no drawers)
  • 38″ x 24″ x 30″
  • Rolling desk chair provided
• Dresser (4 drawers)
  • 18″ x 48″ x 20.5″
  • Fits under bed
• Closet
  • 2′ x 6′ x 6′
  • One per resident
  • Wire shelving

Q: How do I send mail to a student?

A: Below are the standard mailing addresses. Be sure to include the building name below the student’s name for proper delivery (it is in bold only for easy reference on this page). Students in Fairview & Irvington House are given a unique mailbox number with their room assignment information that must be included for mail delivery; it is not their residence hall room number. 

Residence Halls:

Student’s Name
Residential College
630 W. Hampton Dr.
Indianapolis, IN 46208

Student’s Name
Irvington House
750 W. Hampton Dr. Box ___
Indianapolis, IN 46208

Student’s Name
Fairview House
4550 Sunset Ave. Box ___
Indianapolis, IN 46208

Apartments

Student’s Name
Apartment Village
5026 Boulevard Place, Apt LETTER and NUMBER (ex. A301)
Indianapolis, IN 46208
(It is important that the apartment letter and number be included for proper delivery.)

Butler Terrace
Each apartment has its own mailbox. However, Butler Terrace has four different street addresses, and unique mailbox numbers that are distinctive for each apartment.
For a specific Butler Terrace address, please contact Residence Life.

Student’s Name
South Campus Apartments
4251 Haughey Ave, Apt LETTER and NUMBER (ex. C1)
Indianapolis, IN 46208
(It is important that the apartment letter and number be included for proper delivery.)