Welcome to Your Home Away from Home
If you are coming from outside Canada to attend the University, living in residence on campus will make your experience more convenient and more rewarding. You’ll live in a supportive learning community, close to everything you need.
Beginning in Fall 2024, all new incoming international undegraduate and Masters students attending the University of Guelph for the first time will be guaranteed residence for the full duration of their studies. Students entering a PhD program will be guaranteed residence only for their first year. The residence guarantee is conditional upon completing a residence application and paying the $750 deposit by June 3, 2024.
Once you receive your offer of admission, you must apply for residence and pay the deposit by June 3, 2024 to accept your offer.
Your Residence Application form is submitted through the HOUSING PORTAL.
For more details about the International Student Residence Guarantee, see our Frequently Asked Questions.
There are several methods of paying the deposit that are available to all students. As an international student without a Canadian bank account, you will automatically be prompted to pay the $750 deposit in your Residence Application online through PayMyTuition or by using a credit card. To arrange an alternate payment method, please contact housing@uoguelph.ca.
Arriving Early or Late
Please make your travel arrangements as close to your check-in date as possible. We understand that international travel schedules may not align with your check-in date and you may require accommodation earlier than the official residence opening date. Once we send you your location assignment, you will be able to submit an Early Arrival Request form through the Housing Portal. If you are arriving early to attend START International and plan to arrive the day before the event starts, you do not require an Early Arrival Request form.
If You Need to Arrive Late
If you will be arriving in Guelph after the first day of class, please notify Residence Admissions of your late arrival date. Otherwise, if you have not checked in, we may assume that you are not coming and assign your room to someone else.
Residence Closing Between Semesters
The residence buildings are normally locked and closed during the weeks between the final first semester exams in December and the beginning of classes in January. You are expected to vacate your residence room within 24 hours of completion of your final exam. If you are writing an exam in the final time slot, you are required to leave no later than noon on the residence closing date.
You may leave your personal belongings in your residence room if you are returning to that room in January.
If You Need to Stay Between Semesters
If you are not able to return home and need a place to stay during this time between the fall and winter semesters, please let Student Housing know as soon as possible. Students living in East Village can remain in their assigned townhouses. Others may be required to relocate temporarily during the holiday break. This can’t be guaranteed, however, and there will be an additional cost for accommodation between semesters.
The International Student Residence Guarantee
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the residence guarantee for the full duration of studies just for new international fee-paying students at U of G or does it extend to current international students?
This guarantee is being provided to new international students admitted to Fall 2024 only. Students currently enrolled at U of G are not being provided with this guarantee.
If an international fee-paying student starts their degree program (undergraduate or graduate studies) in Summer 2024, will they still be guaranteed housing for the duration of their studies?
Yes. Students who are coming to University of Guelph for the first time to start their degree program in Summer 2024 will have guaranteed residence for the continuous duration of their studies.
Do I need to submit a new residence application and submit a new deposit for each subsequent year once I am living in residence?
Yes, a new residence application and deposit (if applicable) is required by an established deadline for each new residence contract period (i.e summer, fall-winter and holiday stayover contract term). See Important Dates
Am I guaranteed residence if I apply and pay the deposit AFTER the June 3, 2024 deadline?
No, International fee-paying students who apply after this deadline will be added to the residence waitlist.
As an international fee-paying graduate student, I am planning to come to the University of Guelph with my family. Will this residence guarantee be extended to them?
No. We are only able to offer this residence guarantee to individual international fee-paying students who are enrolled in full-time studies. Students with families are encouraged to explore off-campus accommodation or to apply for University of Guelph Family Housing.
I am an incoming international fee-paying PhD student. Is on-campus housing guaranteed for the duration of my degree?
No. International PhD students are only guaranteed University housing for their first year of their studies. To learn more about off-campus living accommodations and services in place to support students, please visit University of Guelph's Off Campus Living webpage.
I am an international fee-paying student living in residence. If I am not planning to take courses in the summer semester, can I remain in residence?
No. Individuals must be registered for academic courses to remain eligible for student residence during the summer semester. Non-student accommodation is available on campus during the summer months, however, space is limited and priced at a different rate.
Is a student guaranteed residence beyond first year if there are any changes to their immigration status from an international fee-paying student to a domestic fee-paying student ie. Permanent Resident (PR) during their first year or beyond?
They are guaranteed residence for their first year as an entering International fee-paying student. Once their immigration status changes and the student is paying the domestic tuition rate, they are no longer eligible for the guarantee for the following academic year.
If an international fee-paying student lives in residence, and then chooses to live off-campus in 2nd or subsequent year, are they still guaranteed residence?
No. Continuous accommodation is required. With the exception of the summer term, students must live in residence each semester for the duration of their studies in order to be guaranteed residence.
If an international fee-paying student completes their undergraduate studies and then applies for a master's degree, will the guarantee continue?
Yes, as long as the student has continuously lived in residence during their undergraduate studies, they can continue to live in residence for the duration of their Masters degree.
