Residence Life

Welcome (or welcome back!) to Franciscan University of Steubenville—we are excited to have you as a part of our campus community! Living on campus at Franciscan allows you to immerse yourself in a unique, vibrant Catholic community like no other. You will be supported and challenge to strive for Christian maturity. Every aspect of our life together is guided by the Law of Love.

The Residence Life program is designed to help you achieve your academic, spiritual, and personal goals. We are committed to supporting your vocation as a student and to fostering a safe, comfortable, and dynamic community life. Because a strong community depends on concern for the common good of all, residents are expected to maintain high standards of personal conduct. Behavior should reflect maturity and respect for the dignity of your fellow students.

Our pledge to you

The Residence Life Staff is available to serve you, challenge you, and support you during your time at Franciscan University. Please get to know them and your fellow residents. We firmly believe that students by themselves can survive, but that students in a community environment thrive. Be sure to make your needs known to someone on your hall staff. Be sure to respect the needs of your fellow residents.

Be a builder! Build up one another every chance you get, encourage one another, challenge one another—work together to build a community that you can be proud of—work to build a truly Christ Centered Community.

We are looking forward to this new academic year with great anticipation. May God Bless you.

Standard room size in the residence halls are approximately 10’x14’, while triple rooms (St. Junipero Serra Hall & Bl. Solanus Casey Hall) are larger. Each room is furnished with the following for each resident: twin XL bed, desk with bookshelf, desk chair, wardrobe with storage space above, and a towel rack. Each room also has a mirror and drapes.

What to bring:

• Bed & Bath Needs:
  • Pillows
  • Sheets (Twin XL will fit all of our beds)
  • Comforter (Twin XL)
  • Blanket
  • Toiletries
  • Shower caddy
  • Robe
  • Shower shoes
  • Towels
• Room Needs:
  • Waste basket
  • Fan
  • Desk lamp
  • Extension cord
  • Surge protected power strip
  • Clothes hangers
  • Storage containers
  • Room decorations and posters
    • Command strips, sticky tack (gray/beige; not blue), painter’s tape
  • Water bottle, travel mug
• Academic Needs:
  • Laptop
  • Textbooks
  • Notebooks and/or Binders
  • Pens, pencils, & highlighters
  • Backpack
  • Stapler
  • Scissors
  • Paper clips
  • Weekly planner of sorts (paper or digital app)
• Personal Needs:
  • Summer and winter clothes (both casual and dress wear)
  • Raincoat and umbrella
  • Laundry bag/hamper
  • Laundry detergent/pods
  • Dryer sheets
  • Stain remover
  • Lint roller
  • Disinfectant wipes & all purpose cleaner with rags
    • All of our residence halls have cleaning supplies available for students to borrow.
  • Personal First Aid kit
  • Cellphones and charging devices
  • Headphones
• Nice, But Not Necessary:
  • Floor rug (10×12 feet or smaller)
  • Bed risers
  • Small dorm-sized refrigerator (UL approved**)
  • Small microwave (UL approved**)
  • Hammock (there are “hammock parks” around campus)
  • Iron (ironing boards are available in each residence hall)
  • Gaming consoles
  • TV

What not to bring:

• Candles or incense
• Wax warmers
• Space heaters
• Pets (other than fish, which is limited to one 10-gallon aquarium per room)
• Toasters or toaster ovens
• Air fryers
• Electric pressure cookers
• Popcorn machines
• Other personal grills and skillets (e.g. George Foreman-type grills)
• Hot plate cookers, or any open-coil cooking or heating appliances
• Crock pots
• Halogen lamps
• Sun lamps
• LED strip lights (it will rip off paint)
• Air conditioners
• Electric blankets
• Hoverboards including self balancing scooters, battery-operated scooters, and hands-free segways.
• Firearms including airsoft, pellet, paintballs, or BB gun or other weapons or explosives
• All edged weapons including any knives with a blade longer than 3 inches that are not used for culinary purposes.
• Drug paraphernalia as specified in our Student Handbook

Consult with your roommate ahead of time to coordinate larger items like TVs, rugs, refrigerators, microwaves, etc. 

Summer Storage

No personal belongings can be stored in the residence halls over the summer. If you wish to store items rather than take them all home there are many self-storage facilities available in and around Steubenville.

** What is “UL Approved”? Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. (c) is a trusted source for consumers to ensure that the electronics they are purchasing meet public safety standards. The “UL” mark on a product means that UL has tested and evaluated representative samples of that product and determined that they meet UL’s requirements. You can find these marks prominently displayed on the packaging of the items indicated above. For more information on the UL mark on suggested products, please visit their website at www.ul.com.

Franciscan University of Steubenville requires that all full-time students who are candidates for an undergraduate degree must live in on-campus University housing while enrolled at Franciscan University of Steubenville unless they meet one or more of the following conditions:

1. They reside with a parent or guardian in the immediate area
2. They are at least age 21 prior to September 15 of a given academic year and have more than 88 credits
3. They have reached age 22 prior to September 15 of a given academic year

Prior approval from the Student Life Office is required to be released of the residency requirement.  Meeting the eligibility requirements does not automatically grant approval. Students who meet the criteria must complete and submit the “Residency Release Application” for review. This application is shared with students in a Student Life Bulletin Email and is also located on the Residence Life page on the Port. Applications become available each semester and are reviewed by a committee. A student’s conduct record is a significant factor in the review process and may impact eligibility and final decisions. Students are communicated via email of decisions. All decisions are final and are not subject to appeal. Housing exceptions are rare and are granted only under exceptional circumstances.