Students are not permitted to bring air-conditioners. Residents who need an air-conditioned space for medical reasons should refer to the Housing Accommodations page. While most Housing buildings offer air-conditioning, the following buildings are not air-conditioned: Mudge House, E-Tower, and Donner.

Bicycles, scooters, and any other wheeled devices are to be "walked" inside any residential building. Bike racks are provided in residential areas where appropriate. No bikes or scooters shall be parked or stored in such a manner as to block entrance/exit from any building, to impede the normal movement of wheelchair users or others with special mobility needs, and/or to any interior or exterior stairway or railing. Storage of bicycles or scooters should not violate fire safety regulations. Such violations in residential buildings will result in removal and storage of the bicycle. Students may be charged a fine and storage costs. While every attempt will be made to not damage a bicycle or scooter while in the process of removal or storage, the university is not liable for damage to any items removed because of a violation. To claim a bicycle, scooter, or other wheeled device removed from a residential building, contact Campus Police.

This information is in addition to the university policy on Personal Wheeled Vehicle Transportation Policy. 

The Housing Contract covers fall and spring semesters only, typically mid-August through mid-December for fall, and early/mid-January through mid/late-May for spring. (See the Housing Contract for any given academic year for exact dates of occupancy.) The Housing Contract covers all break periods except for Winter Break and summer.

During Thanksgiving and fall and spring breaks, residents can stay in their rooms without extra charges, as all residence halls remain open.

During Winter Break, most residence halls close, but housing residents are allowed to stay in designated residential buildings (an additional fee applies.) Students in open buildings need to apply for Winter Break housing online and get pre-approval to stay. Residents will receive Winter Break information in late October or early November.

Summer housing is available for students who are attending summer school or students affiliated with the university and require housing for a period equivalent to a summer school session. An on-campus residence hall is selected each spring for summer housing. The minimum amount of time a student can apply for housing is one summer school session. There is a separate charge for summer housing.

The posting of notices, announcements or posters on bulletin boards is restricted to recognized student organizations, individual Carnegie Mellon students and university departments/ programs. Bulletin boards in the living areas of residence halls are regulated by the Residential Education staff, while bulletin boards in other public areas are regulated by Student Government. Bulletin boards in individual living units are under the direct control of the Resident Assistant (RA) and the members of that living unit. Those wishing to disseminate information through these bulletin boards must follow the process managed by the Office of Residential Education. Information about the poster distribution process is available on this website under Resident Communication.  All postings on bulletin boards within the residence halls must comply with the Housing Services Solicitation Policy.

Cable television service is provided to all residents via IPTV/streaming. Students must bring their own televisions or monitors, and will need to connect to campus internet. 

Streaming or Internet Protocol television (IPTV), is available for student accounts connected on the campus wireless or wired network. Room and board charges include streaming television fees. Learn more about IPTV on the Computing Services website.

In general, housing cancellations and refunds are not issued unless a student is leaving the university, due to a leave of absence, suspension, withdrawal from the university or studying abroad. Any student who is released from their housing contract will be assessed an administrative housing cancellation fee, which is a non-refundable fee. It is the student’s responsibility to contact Housing Services if they will not be returning to the university, or if they are a current resident taking a leave or withdrawing mid-semester. Pro-rated refunds will be provided for approved cancellations based on the date that the student fully vacates the room, or when the student has notified Housing Services that they have already vacated, whichever comes later. 

Any decorations or wall hangings that are hung in any way in a residential building should only be hung with 3M Command brand products (hanging strips, hooks, etc.) These items are available for purchase on campus at both the Campus Bookstore and at Entropy. 

Any electrical lights/devices hung on walls must also be Underwriter Laboratories (UL) approved. 

The painting of common areas (lounge/study/recreation room/hallway) of a residential building by students is not permitted. All painting projects are planned and executed by Housing Services only. 

Cooking in residence hall rooms is strictly prohibited for health and safety reasons, with the exception of "compact" microwave ovens 700 watts or less. Cooking is permitted only in areas specifically provided as kitchen areas, such as apartment kitchens and common area kitchens properly equipped by the university.  Prohibited appliances (see policy listed below) may not be used in any residential space including kitchens.  

No electrical appliances that incorporate unshielded heating elements and/or draw more than 700 watts may be used in campus residence buildings, including student rooms, kitchens and all building common areas.

Microwaves, refrigerators, and Keurigs-style coffee makers, as well as standalone rice cookers and electric kettles under the guidelines outlined below, are only permitted if they are 700 watts or less, and as long as they do not have an exposed heating element. Electric irons may be used only in areas where special utility outlets are provided, such as in designated utility or laundry rooms.

Please note that in all cases, any appliance should be plugged directly into a wall outlet and not a surge protector.

Prohibited electrical items include (but are not limited to):

• 3D Printers
• Air-conditioners (except those provided by the University)
• Air Fryers
• Slow cookers
• Pressure cookers (electric or traditional)
• Hot plates
• Toasters/toaster ovens
• Coffee pots (Keurigs and coffee makers with no exposed heating element are permitted)
• Induction cooktops
• Halogen lamps
• Space heaters
• Any electrical item not Underwriters Laboratory approved
• Any electrical item with an exposed heating element

Please note that Housing Services may provide induction cooktops in kitchen spaces or University-approved space heaters if needed. If you are uncertain about whether or not an item is prohibited, please contact Housing Services prior to purchasing. Prohibited items will be rejected by the University Post Office and returned to sender.

Electric kettles and standalone rice cookers are approved for use in residential kitchen spaces only (either in-room kitchens or community kitchens) and are not able to be used in student bedrooms or living areas that are not designated kitchen spaces. The guidelines for use of these approved appliances include:

• used in approved kitchen spaces only
• be properly plugged directly into an approved wall outlet (120V), never in a surge protector
• unplugged when not in use
• not left unattended when in use
• have an automatic shut off or boil dry protection
• must be UL listed and labeled.

Residents may be held accountable through the Community Standards process for violating fire-safety guidelines as established by Environmental Health and Safety. 

Furniture must remain within the room at all times.  Any furniture left in corridors that cannot be identified will be returned to storage by Housing Services facilities crew to avoid fire hazards; damage billing fees may be incurred by residents who are missing furniture. 

Open flames or combustible/flammable materials of any kind, including (but not limited to) candles, incense, flammable liquids and gaseous gases, pretreated charcoal, fireworks and other such combustibles, are absolutely prohibited in university housing.

Sprinkler heads and smoke detectors should not be tampered with, altered, or covered in any way. Residents should not hang any items from sprinkler heads.

Holiday decorations (or any other type of decoration) are permitted, but must be approved by Underwriters Laboratories. Only artificial trees, wreaths, and battery powered candles are permitted in university housing. 

The use of fire escapes for any reason other than emergency evacuation is strictly prohibited.

All resident rooms are furnished with at least a bed, mattress, dresser, desk, and chair, and either a closet or wardrobe for hanging clothing. All University-provided furniture must remain in the room/apartment at all times, and cannot be stored outside of the room in any way. Closet doors in rooms and apartments also may not be removed. Do not, under any circumstances, leave furniture in the hallway corridors or stairwells. Rooms with missing furniture at the end of the academic year will be charged the full replacement cost for each missing item. This also applies to summer housing residents.

Students may bring small furniture items from home, within reason, depending on the size and layout of their room or apartment. Please make sure that any items you are bringing can comfortably fit within the room without needing to remove any of the university-provided furniture. Bed lofts are not permitted. 

Visitors and guests are allowed in residence halls, but must be escorted by the resident of the community while visiting. At all times, residents are personally responsible for the actions of their guests. As a result, residents are responsible for any damage, physical or otherwise, to the community caused by their visitors. If the guests are Carnegie Mellon students, then they also accept responsibility for their actions.

Overnight guests are permitted no more than two consecutive nights. All visitors or overnight guests to a room/suite/apartments are subject to the approval of all occupants. 

3M/Command brand hanging strips and hooks are the ONLY adhesives permitted to be affixed to the walls, doors, or any other housing-owned surfaces for the purposes of hanging any items. 

Residents are responsible for properly removing all hanging strips/hooks properly prior to vacating their room. Hanging strips that are improperly removed and caused paint or surface damage will incur damage billing charges. Additionally, any hanging strips or hooks that are not removed by the resident at move-out and need to be removed by Housing Services will also incur damage billing charges.

3M/Command brand strips are available for purchase on-campus at both the Campus Bookstore and at Entropy. 

Carnegie Mellon University does not discriminate in the provision of housing to students with disabilities. Carnegie Mellon will provide reasonable accommodations to students with disabilities who need special housing accommodations to ensure that students with disabilities receive comparable, convenient and accessible housing at the same cost as to other students. Carnegie Mellon will make reasonable modifications to its housing policies, procedures and practices when such modifications are necessary to avoid discrimination, unless such modifications would fundamentally alter the nature of the housing services provided by the University. Please visit the special accommodations page for full details about the housing accommodations policy, including applicable deadlines and forms required when requesting special accommodations.

Hoverboards are not permitted in any university operated housing (including residence halls, apartments, and fraternity/sorority houses). 

Students are responsible for access gained through the use of their assigned access device. Access devices include keys, student ID card, or Mobile ID app. Swapping or sharing or copying these items is not permitted as your name data is associated with your assigned access device. Students found using or having in their possession any access device for any university doors or facilities that they are unauthorized to use or possess will be subject to Community Standards action.

Improper use of facilities will be construed as the occupation, alteration or use of university facilities that would create a potential fire hazard, safety hazard to any person or property, or potential danger to any person or property.  Any such action may result in administrative or Community Standards action.

Authorized representatives of the university may enter resident accommodations at any time to inspect facilities or to carry out repairs and maintenance. The inspection of private bedrooms will be conducted with at least 24 hours prior notice in writing whenever that notice can be reasonably given, unless responding to what is believed to be an emergency situation. The university may authorize entrance to an accommodation if convinced that a clear and present danger or a violation of the university's regulations requires such entrance. (This regulation applies to campus housing as well as other university space.)

Students are responsible for insuring their own personal property, including for losses due to fire, smoke, water and theft. The University is not responsible or liable for any loss or damage to the students' personal property and does not provide any property or liability insurance coverage for students' benefit. The University reserves the right to store at no liability for a limited period of time (for a period not to exceed 30 days), discard or donate personal property or any other belongings remaining in an accommodation after the accommodation has been assigned to another student or has not been vacated by a prescribed time. The University reserves the right to charge the student a fee for any storage of personal property or other belongings provided by it.

All mail and packages for campus housing residents must be addressed and sent to the individuals Student Mail Code (SMC) box.  Mail and packages includes anything sent through the United States Postal Service, UPS, FedEx, DHL, Amazon Prime, etc.  No mail or packages of any kind should be sent directly to the street address of the residence hall, apartment building, or student organization house.  Housing Services bears no responsibility for the damage, theft, or removal of any packages that are sent directly to the building addresses. In order to ensure that your package and mail is safe and secure, you must send it to your SMC code address.

All mail and packages should be addressed as follows:

First/Preferred Name and Last Name
SMC ####
5032 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15289

Deliveries of food or groceries through a delivery service should only be placed when you will be present and available to accept delivery of your order.  Food or groceries that are delivered and not received directly by the resident may be removed and discarded as they create health issues and can attract unwanted pests. Food or grocery delivery are at the sole risk and liability of the resident; the University assumes no liability for missing or stolen deliveries. 

Open flames or burnable materials of any kind, including (but not limited to) candles, incense, flammable liquids and gases, pretreated charcoal, fireworks and other such combustibles, are absolutely prohibited in university housing.

No signs, posters or banners of any size shall be hung outside or around any residential building, except upon special request. This applies to all residence halls, apartment buildings and houses as well as fraternities and sororities. Special consideration may be given, on request, for groups to use outdoor postings during university-wide special events. Requests for exceptions to this policy should be made to the Director of Residential Education. 

Except as set forth below, pets and other animals are not permitted in any university housing facilities, including fraternities and sororities.  

• Fish in an aquarium no larger than five (5) gallons are permitted in university housing facilities.
• Emotional support animals may be permitted within a student’s personal living space in a university housing facility, with prior written approval from the Office of Disability Resources. An emotional support animal is an animal that is necessary to afford a person with a disability an equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling when there is an identifiable relationship or nexus between the person’s disability and the assistance the animal provides. Requests for accommodations regarding emotional support animals should be submitted to the Office of Disability Resources.

• Service animals are permitted inside university housing facilities but may be prohibited from accessing certain environments where the presence of an animal presents a health or safety risk (e.g. kitchens, laboratories, sterile facilities, etc.). Service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Student residents who wish to maintain a service animal in their dormitory must first contact the Office of Disability Resources for more information.

For more information regarding service animals and emotional support animals please visit the special accommodations page.

In addition, the following standards apply to service animals and/or emotional support animals maintained in university residence facilities:

1. Any emotional support animal or service animal must be healthy and free of communicable disease. If appropriate for the animal, documentation of all veterinarian recommended vaccination must be provided to the Office of Disability Resources. New proof of vaccination must be provided before the previous proof of vaccination expires.
2. Dogs must be properly registered with the City of Pittsburgh. Registration documentation must be submitted annually to the Office of Disability Resources.
3. Emotional support animals are only permitted in the approved student’s private living space. Animals are not permitted in any public or common spaces within the residence facility, except as necessary to bring the animal into and out of the building as needed. Housing Services or Residential Education may establish reasonable restrictions on how an emotional support animal is transported into and out of the building.
4. Emotional support animals approved by the Office of Disability Resources for university residence facilities are not permitted inside other campus buildings. See Carnegie Mellon Student Handbook.
5. Emotional support animals are not permitted in the private living spaces of other residents of the facility.
6. The student is responsible for any damages caused by the service animal or emotional support animal in the student’s private living space or elsewhere.
7. The student is responsible for the behavior of the service animal or emotional support animals, even when the student is not present in the living space.
8. The student is responsible for providing appropriate care for the service animal or emotional support animal at all times, including the clean-up and disposal of any waste. Animal waste or bags containing animal waste cannot be placed in garbage chutes or common area trash cans.
9. The service animal or emotional support animal may not be disruptive to the community. Disruptive animals may be removed.
10. Emotional support animals must wear collars and identification tags at all times.
11. Carnegie Mellon reserves the right to remove any animal that is not appropriately cared for. To ensure that appropriate care is available at all times, students are encouraged to establish a plan to care for the animal in the event the student is unable to do so (e.g. due to illness or emergency).   
12. Carnegie Mellon reserves the right to establish other reasonable expectations or restrictions at any time to ensure the health or safety of the community.

Individuals with concerns or complaints regarding animals in residence facilities should contact a Resident Assistant, Housefellow, or University Police.

 The following list includes items currently prohibited within all campus housing buildings, including residence halls and apartments. 

Prohibited items include (but are not limited to):

• 3D Printers
• Air-conditioners (except those already provided by the University in designated buildings)
• Animals/pets (except fish and University-approved Service or Emotional Support Animals)
• Any electrical item not Underwriters Laboratory (UL) approved
• Any electrical item with an externally exposed heating element
• Any electrical item that exceeds 700 watts
• Bidets or any other item that requires alteration of or attachment to plumbing fixtures
• Candles
• Coffee pots (Keurigs and coffee makers with no exposed heating element are permitted)
• Controlled substances
• Firearms and ammunition of any kinds
• Fireworks and other explosives
• Halogen lamps
• Hot plates
• Induction cooktops
• Lofts
• Pools
• Pressure cookers (electric or traditional) or Instant Pots
• Slow cookers
• Space heaters
• Toasters/toaster ovens
• Waterbeds

This list if not all-inclusive. If you are uncertain about whether or not an item is prohibited, please contact Housing Services prior to purchasing any items. Prohibited items will be denied delivery by the Post Office.  

Please note that Housing Services may provide University-approved space heaters to rooms, if needed, during the winter months if the heat in a room is not working properly. 

At the beginning of each academic year, a layout of each lounge area and its contents will be inventoried and may be posted in the lounge. The furniture and contents of the lounge facilities should not be removed from the lounges under any circumstances without the expressed authorization of the building's Facility Coordinator. In addition to disciplinary action, student(s) found with common area furniture will be charged the standard hourly labor rate to return each piece to its proper location.

Quiet hours for all residential areas are 8 pm - 8 am on Sunday through Thursday nights, and Midnight - 9 am on Friday and Saturday nights. During finals week or reading days, 24-hour quiet hours will be in effect. For long vacation weekends, weekend hours will be in effect until the night before classes resume. Courtesy hours exist at all other times, during which the right of residents to live in an environment free from bothersome noise should be respected.

"Quiet" is defined as being unable to hear any noise at a distance of 10 feet from a room with a closed door. During "courtesy" hours, noise can be considered bothersome if it can be heard at a distance of 50 feet.

The notion of "courtesy" more broadly involves structuring your activities so that other people in your living unit are not adversely affected by noise. In particular, all residents are encouraged to carefully plan their use of sound equipment (such as stereos, TVs, gaming systems, and other eletronic devices) or their social gatherings so that the noise produced by them does not infringe upon the rights of others.

The established quiet hours stated above are the minimums for every residential area. If you or anyone in your living unit believes that quiet hours should be extended, contact your Resident Assistant (RA). RA's have the authority to conduct a vote of the people living in your area and, pending unanimous approval and Housefellow approval, extended quiet hours will be implemented.

If you have concerns in relation to quiet hours or courtesy hours in your living area, please feel free to consult your RA. The RA is your primary advocate in situations involving noise violations and can assist you by addressing any questions or concerns you may have.

Residents may bring their own mini-refrigerators to campus as long as they are smaller than 4.3 cubic feet and operate on 110/120 VAC. Residents who do not remove personal mini-refrigerators upon move-out may be billed a room damage fee for refrigerator disposal/recycling. Refrigerators are limited to one per student.

In signing a Housing Contract, each resident agrees to abide by whatever regulations may be established by the university, Housing Services, the Residential Education staff, the Student Dormitory Council or the individual living units. Any resident student whose conduct does not meet the standards established for the university community may be denied the privilege of campus residency.

All residents of a room or apartment are equally responsible for the accommodation and its furnishings. At the end of each academic year, any damages to a student's room will be charged to the occupants of that room.

Students are not permitted to make permanent alterations to the furniture or structure of rooms or other residential areas. Prohibited actions include (but are not limited to) painting, drilling or nailing into the walls, and construction or renovations. Housing Services maintains a rotation schedule that allows for all residential areas to be painted and maintained on a regular basis. Students who make alterations to their room without authorization will be charged the cost of having the room professionally repaired. All decorations should be hung using only 3M Command brand removable temporary adhesives or removable painters tape; any additions to the room must be free standing and not blocking exits.

Housing Services is committed to safety, security and our residential community's quality of life. All building entry doors are locked 24 hours a day and right of entry is granted through access on an individual’s CMU ID card. Additionally, security cameras are located at the main entrances and high pedestrian traffic locations on building perimeters. The security cameras are not monitored live unless deemed necessary by CMU Police and recordings obtained with the use of the cameras will be exclusively accessed by CMU Police for safety and law enforcement purposes.

Recorded images will be stored for 30 days and will be erased unless retained as part of a criminal investigation, court procedure, or other necessary safety practice.

A list of camera locations may be available by written request to the Director of Housing Services or his/her designee.

All university residence halls, including Fairfax Apartments, are smoke-free living environments. This policy prohibits the smoking of tobacco or any other substance in residential areas. In accordance with Housing Services policies, residents must also abide by policies prohibiting the use of any open flame for any reason, including but not limited to the burning of candles, incense, etc. This designation not only includes the actual residents of the area, but also extends to their guests. As such residents will be responsible for ensuring that any violation of this policy will be reported to the proper authorities and any violations of this policy will be appropriately enforced.

The Smoke-free Living Policy was developed through the efforts of students, faculty and staff to assist residents and their guests to maintain a residential environment, which minimizes their exposure to second hand smoke and its impact on the health of others.

Unauthorized sales and/or solicitation are expressly prohibited in any residence area. "Solicitation" is defined to mean any effort to ask for donations or contributions of money, goods or services. "Sales" are defined to mean any activity of offering a product or service in exchange for money, goods or other services. In exceptional cases, an individual or group seeking permission to be in the residential areas for the purpose of soliciting or selling must receive written authorization from the Director of Residential Education or Housing Services or their designee. In most cases, those recognized groups or individuals that receive permission to be in the residence halls will be restricted to tables reserved for such purposes in public areas or lobbies. 

Playing sports, rough-housing, or using athletic or recreational equipment inside residence halls is prohibited to prevent injuries, damage to property, and noise disruption.

Prohibited activities include but are not limited to use of skateboards, scooters or bikes, and/or other sports or recreational activities in hallways, common spaces or rooms. Individuals may be responsible for the cost of repair in situations where these actions cause damage.

Swimming pools, hot tubs, waterbeds, and any other item containing large amounts of water are prohibited because of the hazards associated with drowning, electrocution, water damage and the weight of large volumes of water. Because we cannot guarantee that all necessary safety precautions will be taken, students are not permitted to have or use items such as swimming pools, hot tubs, dunk tanks, or slip n slides in or around residential buildings. Reducing the size of the pool or tank does not remove the hazard. 

In accordance with the University Policy on Deadly Weapons, deadly weapons are not permitted on any property owned or controlled by the university. Additionally paintball guns, pellet guns, airsoft guns and realistic replica weapons are prohibited in and around residential buildings. Residents and guests who qualify for an exemption as outlined in the University Policy on Deadly Weapons must also receive written approval from the Director of Housing services or his/her designee.

Students are not permitted to remove screens from their windows. Missing screens or screens that have been removed from windows will be reinstalled at the student's expense. 

Please note that not all buildings have windows with screens. 

No wire may be strung outside any living unit or any alterations made to any university residential building without the express permission of Housing Services. This includes satellite dishes, radio and television aerials.

In addition, no student or student organization may alter or tap into university utility lines, television antenna wires or cable lines without the express permission of Housing Services (in the case of resident facilities) or Facilities Management Services (in the case of other campus buildings).