Policies & Procedures

In order to be eligible for on-campus housing, a student must be enrolled full time (12 credit hours or more).  Students who wish to live on campus and are enrolled for less than the minimum number of hours must obtain advance approval from the Director of Residence Life or Assistant Director of Residence Life.

Housing on the UNG campus is reserved for students whose home campus is Dahlonega.  However, students who attend other UNG campuses may be eligible to live in UNG housing if space permits.

The contract defines the terms and conditions of occupancy of the specific housing style. Each year, residents are required to complete a new housing contract on the UNG Housing Portal. 

All Students

All students who have completed a housing contract with Residence Life at the University of North Georgia are bound to the terms of the housing contract and are responsible for payment of all room fees for the full length of the housing contract. Should a student decide to cancel a current housing contract prior to the end of the contract term, the student must complete a Housing Cancellation Request Form (found on the Residence Life website). 

Students may find additional information on the Residence Life website at http://www.ung.edu/residence-life. 

Students choose their housing assignment through available rooms on the housing portal. Students may select roommates through the roommate matching process in the housing portal, and roommates must reserve the same room/suite/apartment in the housing portal in order to live together.

Students who apply for housing after the roommate matching period closes may choose their own room and should review roommate matches prior to selecting a space. Housing assignments for students who are placed on a waiting list for housing are assigned on a space available basis. Housing assignments made by the Residence Life staff are made without regard to age, race, creed, color, religion, national origin, or sexual orientation.

There are two room change periods during fall semester, two room change periods during spring semester, and an opportunity for room change between fall and spring semesters. See the Residence Life website for specific dates. Unless there are extenuating circumstances, this is the only time for students to initiate and complete room changes. When there are extenuating circumstances, the resident must complete a mediation with their RA and consult with their Resident Director.

Before moving into a new room (or swapping rooms), a student must complete the Room Change Request Form on UNG Connect and wait for approval from Residence Life. The Residence Life Office will then give written authorization necessary for the room change. The student takes this authorization to the RA on duty. The RA checks the resident out of his/her room and into the new room, following the guidelines for normal check out and check in. Failure to obtain the form before moving may result in disciplinary action. 

The Office of Residence Life may consolidate residents without roommates/suitemates in each residence hall. If a resident finds themself without a roommate, they will be assigned another roommate or will be assigned to another room at the discretion of the Office of Residence Life. 

All residents will be assigned a specific timeframe to check-in on the assigned date. Upon arrival, each resident must check in with a Resident Assistant in his/her assigned building.  Students who are unable to check in during this time should contact the Residence Life Office at 706-864-1902.

For traditional residence halls

Residents are expected to check out of the traditional residence halls at the end of each semester within twenty-four hours of their last scheduled exam. Check out procedures will be published and distributed within the last two weeks of each semester.  Any resident remaining in the building after the residence halls are scheduled to close will be assessed an improper checkout fine. Residents are NOT required to remove their belongings between fall & spring semesters unless they are changing rooms.

In addition to closing between semesters, the traditional residence halls will close for Fall Break and Spring Break.  Students must plan in advance and make other housing arrangements during these times.

North Georgia Suites, The Commons & Owen Hall

North Georgia Suites and The Commons will close for the summer at the end of spring semester. Non-cadet residents living in Patriot Hall must also vacate the building at the end of spring semester. Dining services will end at the end of spring semester. Residents may have the opportunity to complete a summer housing contract for NG Suites if they would like summer housing. Owen Hall closes to all residents on the last day of the summer term or the last Friday in July for students who are not enrolled in summer classes if summer classes complete beyond July 31.

Residents who leave items after their checkout will be charged a minimum of $25 for few items and a maximum of $250 for many items.  All food items will be thrown away along with any items that are deemed unsanitary.  Other items will be stored no more than 30 days.  The student will receive notice via email.

Each resident is responsible for the condition of their room and for all the furnishings within their room during the time that they are assigned to the room. At the initial check-in, each resident will complete an online Room Condition Report that lists any damages that exist in the room, apartment, or suite. Upon checking out of the room, the resident will check out of the room with their RA. Any damages or changes in the room status will be noted on the Room Condition Form.

The university at its sole discretion will determine charges for damages and/or cleaning. Residents may not complete repairs and replacements of items, including painting. Failure to pay damage charges will result in a hold being placed on a student’s records, which prevents the student from registering, obtaining transcripts, or receiving a diploma. Charges will only be withheld from the student’s housing deposit following the student’s final semester in residence.

When two students share a room, each student is responsible for the contents, noise level/activities, and damages that occur in a room. Likewise, apartment and suite residents are equally responsible for the damages that occur in shared common spaces within the apartment/suite. If a student is concerned about possible violations or damages, it is their responsibility to discuss this with their RA, Resident Director, or the Director of Residence Life.

Each student room is provided with certain items of furniture.  Students may not move additional items into their rooms from public areas of the halls or from other student rooms.  Students may not remove items that are furnished by the university.  Students may not put any room/apartment/suite items into the hallways.

To ensure the residents’ security, each residence hall is locked at all times.  Residents of the building have access 24 hours per day through the use of their Nighthawks card. Propping building doors breaches campus security and any students found propping doors will face disciplinary action.  Residence Life strongly recommends that residents lock their rooms when leaving for any amount of time.

To protect residents, UNG maintains an access control system in each residence hall.  Each external door remains locked from the outside under normal, non-emergency circumstances. Students may exit the residence halls through any door, but card readers only reside on the external doors with the most visibility. In addition to the residents of the specific building, limited authorized personnel may enter the residence halls.

Focusing on a defense-in-depth philosophy, UNG also uses devices to record activity at each door in the residence halls. The external door will trigger an audible prop alarm whenever they are held or propped open.  RAs on duty monitor these incidents and control the prop alarms.  Prop alarms and external door activity is also monitored by Public Safety at the Communications Center.

Each student in on-campus apartments or suite-style housing is offered the option of checking out a key to their assigned bedroom at move-in. UNG prohibits use of this key by any person other than the resident to whom the key is assigned. If a key is lost, it must be reported to the Residence Life Office so that the lock can be changed for security purposes. The student is responsible for the lock and key replacement cost of $50. Students gain access to suites, apartments, and traditional residence hall rooms with their Nighthawks Card. 

Use of a Nighthawks Card by any person other than the student to whom the Nighthawks Card belongs is a violation of the University Student Code of Conduct.  

The loss of a Nighthawks Card should be reported to UNG Card Services.

All incoming freshmen residents are required to honor community hours for the first two weeks of fall semester. Community Hours are designed to enhance the relationships that residents create with their neighbors while living in the residence halls. Community Hours begin at 10:15 p.m. Sunday through Thursdays. There are no Community Hours on Friday and Saturday nights.

If residents need to return after Community Hours or need to spend the night elsewhere, they must receive permission from their Resident Director prior to missing Community Hours.

If a resident works off campus, they must reschedule work time so that they can maintain Community Hours. If this is not possible, the resident must be prepared to show proof to the Resident Director that they have to work those hours, including proof of employment and proof of the need to work during Community Hours. If a resident breaks Community Hours, he/she will be referred to the Resident Director or the Director of Residence Life.

Quiet hours are designed to provide an optimum learning and living environment.  Each residence hall will designate quiet hours based on consensus of hall members. Quiet hours will be from 8:00 pm—8:00 am, 9:00 p.m. – 9:00 a.m. or 10:00 p.m. – 10:00 a.m.

Courtesy hours will be in effect during all other times.  Noise should be kept at a minimum and a request from any resident for a quieter environment should be honored. 24-hour quiet hours will be enforced during final exam week.  This is called “Dead Hall.”

1. All flyers posted in student residence halls must be sponsored by a UNG recognized student organization or University office. 
2. Flyers must not include content that violates the UNG Student Code of Conduct, nor state, local, or federal laws, or encourages illegal activity.
3. In order to encourage the efficient operations of the residence halls, flyers cannot be left on the desk or other furniture for residents to pick up.
4. Residence Life staff will post all flyers and remove flyers or posters that are out-of-date or have not been posted in compliance with the procedures.
5. Please bring 16 copies of the flyer by Residence Life no later than 5 p.m. on Tuesday for posting on Wednesdays.

Guests from outside the residence hall must be escorted at all times by their host. Guests from outside the residence hall, regardless of gender, must check in at the front desk. 

Visitation hours for guests in Donovan Hall, Lewis Hall, Lewis Annex, North Georgia Suites, the non-cadet floor in Patriot Hall, and The Commons are 10 a.m. – midnight, Monday – Thursday, and 10 a.m. – 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. Visitation hours for guests in Owen Hall are 10 a.m. - midnight, Monday - Thursday and weekend visitation hours are Friday at 10 a.m. - Sunday at midnight.

• It is the resident's responsibility to register their overnight guest at the RA desk. Overnight guests must be at least 17 years of age. Overnight guests must not stay more than three consecutive nights or more than five nights in any semester.
• Residents in Owen Hall may have overnight guests of the opposite sex on Friday and Saturday nights only, but overnight guests in any other residence hall must be same-sex.
• Roommates must have prior knowledge and approve all overnight guests. 

Babysitting is not permitted within the residence halls.  Guests under the age of 12 may visit periodically but may not stay overnight at any time.

Residence Life allows individuals and groups of students to reserve common spaces within or around the residence halls at no fee. However, reservations must be made via the Residence Life Office and must include a resident host and contact information as well as a specific date and times of reservation.  Residence Life reserves the right to adjust or cancel reservations when necessary.   Any group reserving space in the residence halls must abide by UNG and Residence Life policies. 

RAs will inspect all rooms on their hall at a time designated by the resident director to check the health and safety of the room. This will occur every two months in all residence halls. This check ensures the safety of the residence hall and occupants and is not to be construed as a room search. Specific points that should be checked include the sanitary condition of the room, prohibited items (appliances, candles, alcohol bottles, etc.), indications of pets in the room, food left open to attract bugs, mold and mildew, broken outlets or light fixtures, fire or safety hazards, etc. Any problems not caused by the resident will be reported to UNG Facilities by ResLife or through QR codes on the backs of doors as appropriate.

If any residence life staff or facilities staff member enters a room, suite, or apartment and encounters conditions that may challenge health & safety standards, the residents will receive written notice (via email) that another health & safety inspection will occur within 24 hours.

Residence life encourages all residents of suite or apartment style housing to create and post a cleaning schedule for bathroom areas (and kitchen areas for Owen Hall). This will allow the residence life staff to understand who should be accountable for unsanitary conditions.

Non-motorized bicycles are permitted in student rooms. Bicycles are not to be ridden or stored in hallways, lobby areas, or stairwells. Bicycles should not be attached to railings or anywhere obstructing access to sidewalks or entrances. Racks are available outside each residence hall. Bicycles left unattended in residence halls other than in student rooms will be turned over to the Department of Public Safety.

UNG is a tobacco free campus. Use of any tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, on the university property is strictly prohibited.

Any student who is sick should be directed to Student Health Services. Students who are diagnosed with a fever of 100.5 or above and respiratory symptoms may be assumed to have the flu and will be instructed to go home until they have had no fever for 24 hours (absent fever reducing medications such as ibuprofen). When a student is diagnosed with flu-like symptoms, Student Health Services will ask for permission to discuss the flu with his/her roommate(s).  Roommates will be given an information sheet about the flu and notified that a housekeeper will disinfect their room.

Students will be instructed to go home when possible. The Dean of Students office will send an email to faculty members notifying them of the student's inability to attend class. Students who are unable to go home will be relocated into a vacant room until the student is cleared to return to class. The Dining Hall will be notified regarding the student’s situation in order to allow meals to go. Students who are ready to return to class will need to be cleared by Student Health Services and will receive a written notice to take to their professors certifying that they may return to class.

UNG prohibits burning candles, incense, or any other product in the residence halls. Any appliance with an exposed heating element is also prohibited. Do not bring these items to campus. All ironing is to be done in the laundry room in traditional residence halls and suites. To prevent serious accidents in the event of a fire, students must keep hallways clear at all times. In addition, no more than 20% of wall space may be covered and nothing on the walls or doors should be touching the floor or ceiling. For more information on fire safety, see the Student Code of Conduct in the Student Handbook. Other items prohibited from the residence halls:

• Refrigerators larger than 1.7 amps
• Coffee makers without automatic shut-off feature
• Extension cords that are not UL approved (must have three prongs)
• Outside antennas or altered wiring system
• Electrical cords in poor condition
• Candles/incense 
• Shoes or other items left in hallways
• Fireworks/sparklers 

Each residential student, age 18 or above, has the option to identify, via the UNG Housing Portal, a person to be contacted by Public Safety the same as the emergency contact listed for the student. Students under the age of 18 who are not emancipated will be informed each academic year that the institution is required to notify the custodial parent not later than 24 hours after the time the student is deemed to be missing.

Residence Life employees receiving a report of a missing student must immediately notify Public Safety (University Police) at 706-864-1500.

Public Safety will investigate the missing person report and determine if the student is missing and has been missing for more than 24 hours. Circumstances may include:

• A Student is out of contact after reasonable efforts have been made to reach the student, via phone, email, text, and visits to on-campus room;
• Conditions that may indicate an act of criminality is involved;
• Existence of physical/mental disability indicating the student’s physical safety could be in danger.
• Conditions that may indicate physical safety is in danger;
• Conditions become known that indicate medicine dependence may  threaten health; AND/OR

If the student is deemed missing for more than 24 hours, Public Safety will notify the student’s confidential contact no later than 24 hours after the student is determined to be missing. For students under the age of 18 who are not emancipated, Public Safety will notify the custodial parent not later than 24 hours after the time the student is deemed to be missing.

In the event of severe weather, students who have registered should receive notification via UNG Emergency Notification System. Residence life staff may also issue severe weather warnings which may require student response and/or compliance. Students should heed these warnings. Failure to comply with the instructions of a member of the residence life staff will result in disciplinary referral.

Report all maintenance problems immediately and to the appropriate university personnel so repair can be arranged quickly.  General maintenance problems on the hall, rooms, or apartments should be reported via the QR codes on the backs of resident doors or the QR codes located in the laundry room.  Second requests should be directed to the RA, who will contact the appropriate personnel.

When reporting a maintenance problem, provide the following:

• The exact information about the problem.
• The location of the problem.
• Your name in the initial request so that the facilities staff may contact you if they need further information.

UNG does not have adequate space for storing residents’ extra belongings.  There is no summer storage available for students returning the following year.

UNG Facilities staff paints the rooms in the residence halls on a rotating basis, as funds are available.  Students are not allowed to paint nor wallpaper their rooms.

Non-motorized bicycles are permitted in student rooms.  Bicycles are not to be ridden or stored in hallways, lobby areas, or stairwells.  Bicycles should not be attached to railings or anywhere obstructing access to sidewalks or entrances. Racks are available outside each residence hall.  Bicycles left unattended in residence halls other than in student rooms will be turned over to the Department of Public Safety.

Residents in suite or apartment style housing are required to place their room trash in dumpster locations provided close to each building. Residents of traditional residence halls should place trash in designated receptacles in central hallways so that the custodial staff can remove trash from the building.  Trash should not be placed in hallways.  North Georgia Suites dumpsters are located in the parking lot near the Health & Natural Sciences building. The Owen Hall dumpster is located at the end of the south wing of the building. Patriot Hall dumpsters are located behind Patriot Hall.

Recycling bins are located in each apartment, suite, and traditional hall floor. UNG participates in single stream recycling, and residents should remove recyclables from their individual bin and place items in the larger recycling bins in each dumpster location.

No animals, with the exception of fish in properly maintained aquariums of 20 gallons or less, will be allowed in the residence halls.

Possession and or use of fireworks and/or sparklers are prohibited in the residence halls of the University of North Georgia.

Students are prohibited from the possession of firearms, ammunition, or other dangerous instruments in the residence halls. This includes knives longer than 2”.  By federal law, no firearms will be permitted in the residence halls at any time.

UNG is a tobacco free campus. Use of any tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, on the university property is strictly prohibited.

Use and/or possession of illegal drugs and narcotics is against State and University regulations and is not permitted on the university campus.  All drug paraphernalia is prohibited in the residence halls.  Failure to follow this policy will result in immediate referral for disciplinary action.

UNG prohibits the consumption, possession, or transportation of alcoholic beverages by any student under legal age. Consumption or possession of alcoholic beverages on university premises or at university sponsored activities, except when authorized at social functions in designated areas is also prohibited regardless of a person’s age.  Being in an intoxicated condition as made manifest by disorderly, obscene, or indecent conduct or appearance is prohibited, regardless of age.  Alcohol paraphernalia is also prohibited in the residence halls.