Housing Agreement

Housing Exemptions

MICA is dedicated to providing a fantastic, supportive transition into our educational and co-curricular setting. In order to provide structure for this support, we require all first-time first-year students (freshmen) and second-year returning students (sophomores) to reside within MICA Residential Housing. Living within the community holds so many benefits that we hope all are able to take advantage of. If you seeking the option to be exempt from this requirement, please see below:

 


Exemption Process Timeline

  1. The exemption request is located within the Housing Portal. Please submit the required documentation with your request. After submitting, you will receive a confirmation email.
  2. Please note that process timelines vary depending on the exemption criteria provided. We aim to respond to requests within two weeks once all data and documents have been provided. 
  3.  This process is only open during the Housing Assignment Timeline - which typically ends in early August for Annual Housing Assignments. Once the Housing Agreement date passes, the Housing Exemption Process will close as the contract for an academic year-long assignment is in place. 

Exemption Criteria & Documentation 

Exemption Request Type
Documentation Required
Married or Single Parent

Copy of your marriage certificate, your child's birth certificate, or a copy of the most recent tax return showing that your child is a dependent. Please note the spouse or child must reside with the student within a 30 mile driving radius (described in the commuter exemption) in order to qualify for this exemption.

Commuting to Campus from your current permanent address (or family member's permanent address)

Copy of bill listed to your permanent address that you will be commuting from. Please note the address from which you will be commuting from must be within 30 miles of MICA’s address, 1300 W Mount Royal Ave. This must also be your permanent address on file with MICA. Please ensure you connect with Financial Aid and Student Accounts before declaring a permanent address. 

Signing a lease with a local landlord may not directly constitute a student as a commuting student. 

Financial Hardship Status  Financial Information Form and meeting with the Office of Financial Aid or the International Education Office. If there are significant savings by residing outside of MICA Residential Housing, they will be considered by our office for an exemption. 
 
Financial Hardship Status - Additional Information:
  • Contact the following office to set up a meeting on this topic.
    • Domestic Students: Office of Financial Aid
  • Once the meeting is complete, Financial Aid or International Education will connect with the Housing Operations team.  It is suggested that you also provide a copy of the Financial Information Form For Contract Release as an attachment to your Housing Exemption Request. Please note that this meeting is to ensure that a conversation regarding financial options is held. This information is presented to the Office of Residence Life and does not always constitute an endorsement. The Housing Operations Team will send the final decision to your MICA email.

 

For any questions, please contact Housing & Residence Life at residencelife@mica.edu (email) and/or (410) 225-2398 (phone).