Frequently Asked Questions

Am I required to live on campus? In Honors housing?
No. While we strongly believe that living on campus with Honors students as your roommate and floormates will enrich your experience at the University of Maryland, no student is required to live on campus. Honors students who want to live on campus should request residence hall housing as soon as possible upon receipt of their Maryland Planner and not later than May 1.

Where do most Honors students live?
If you request residence hall housing by May 1, you will be assigned to the residence hall designated for your program (For example, Denton, Anne Arundel or Queen Anne's halls for University Honors students, Ellicott Hall for Gemstone students, and Wicomico Hall for Honors Humanities students) -- unless a different request has been made to reslife@umd.edu by June 30. Honors students who live in other residence halls or at home are welcome to participate in all Honors programs, services and activities.

As an Honors student, how will my room assignment and roommate be chosen?
If you do not make a roommate request to reslife@umd.edu by June 30, you will be "matched" with another Honors student who reported having your same smoking, sleep, neatness and/or study habits.

If you have a friend in another Honors program, we suggest that you each take different roommates and live in your program halls.

Most rooms are doubles, to be shared with one roommate. Triple and quad rooms for three or four students are the last rooms to be assigned. Triples and quads will be assigned to students, including Honors students, whose housing requests are received closest to or after May 1. Housing requests may be submitted separately from your enrollment confirmation.

When will I learn about my roommate and housing assignment?
Room assignments are posted on the following page in early in August, about three weeks before move-in day for the fall semester. The posted information will include your building and room assignment, telephone number, mailing address and your roommate's name, phone number and University of Maryland e-mail. You should contact your roommate as soon as you learn this information.

You should expect to have an Honors student as your roommate. Rooms remaining on your floor after all Honors students have been accommodated, if any, will be assigned by Resident Life to other incoming freshman students.

May I choose to have a roommate who is not in the Honors College?
If you have a friend who will be living on campus but is not in the Honors College, we suggest that you take an assignment in your Honors program hall and that your friend ask Resident Life via reslife@umd.edu for an assignment in the same residence hall community. If you and a friend want to be roommates, you should each make such a request to reslife@umd.edu by June 30. In this instance, space permitting, efforts will be made to assign you as roommates in your Honors program's hall, either Denton, Ellicott or Wicomico halls. No such assignments will be made in Anne Arundel or Queen Anne's halls.

What is provided inside the residence hall rooms?
Your room will have solid oak furnishings. You will have a regular twin bed, four-drawer dresser, desk with drawer and shelf, and desk chair, as well as your own data line and cable line. Your room will have at least one window with blinds, overhead light, closet space, telephone line (shared with roommates), smoke alarm and sprinkler. Student rooms are not carpeted; a 10' x 12' carpet or rug is among the items that roommates should discuss and bring to campus. The exception is that all student rooms in Anne Arundel Hall are carpeted.

What are the typical features of an Honors residence hall floor and building?
Each Honors residence hall (Anne Arundel, Denton, Ellicott, Queen Anne's, and Wicomico) is coeducational, with men and women living on opposite wings of a floor. A typical floor plan has rooms for up to 35 students and one or two common baths. Each floor's lounge is furnished for study, socializing, floor meetings and special activities sponsored by both residents and the live-in residence halls staff. While floor lounges are air-conditioned, all other spaces in the buildings, including student rooms, do not have air conditioning. The exceptions are that all interior spaces in Anne Arundel and Queen Anne's halls, including student rooms, have central air conditioning during the cooling season.

Wireless Internet service is available in all interior spaces, including student rooms, floor lounges, lobbies, and laundry rooms.

Faculty offices, seminars rooms where many Honors classes and programs are held, and offices for program staff are located in Anne Arundel, Denton, Ellicott and Wicomico halls.

Where is the Honors housing in relation to other major facilities on campus?
Denton Hall and Ellicott Hall are on North Campus, home to about two-thirds of new freshmen in housing and about 5,000 students total in 11 residence halls. These buildings are closest to the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center , The Diner, the Eppley Recreation Center and Byrd Stadium. They also are a short walk from the Comcast Center, the home of Terrapin athletics.

Anne Arundel Hall, Queen Anne's Hall, and Wicomico Hall are among nine residence halls in the North Hill Community, home to about 1,200 freshmen and sophomore students. The North Hill residence halls are near most classrooms and libraries, the Stamp Student Union, and the Health Center.

On our campus, religious programs, centers and chaplains are located a short walking distance from the North Hill and South Hill residence halls and a considerable walking and biking distance from the North Campus residence halls. This distance can be very inconvenient, particularly for students living in Denton or Ellicott halls and participating on a kosher meal plan at the Hillel Jewish Student Center. Most students in these circumstances ask through reslife@umd.edu to be assigned within the North Hill or South Hill residential communities.

Where are the closest dining facilities to the Honors residence halls?
As a resident of Denton or Ellicott halls, you'll have most of your meals in The Diner. Hours are 7:30am-12 midnight Mondays through Thursdays, 7:30am-7:15pm Fridays, 11am-7pm Saturdays, and 11am-12 midnight Sundays. On class days, you'll get most of your lunches in the South Campus Dining Room, the Stamp Student Union eateries or other Dining Services locations. A few minutes' walk from your residence hall, the North Campus Snack 'n' Shop offers salads, sandwiches, sushi, baked goods, soft drinks, snacks, grocery items, health and beauty aids, and school supplies. Hours are 9am-1am Mondays through Thursdays, 9am-3pm Fridays, and Sundays 5pm-1am (closed 3pm Fridays through 5pm Sundays).

As a resident of Anne Arundel, Queen Anne's or Wicomico halls, you'll have most of your meals in the South Campus Dining Room. Hours are 7:30am-7:15pm and 9pm-12 midnight Mondays through Thursdays, 7:30am-7:15pm Fridays, and 11am-7pm Saturdays and Sundays. The Stamp Student Union eateries and several other Dining Services locations are within a few minutes' walk of these three halls.