The University of Windsor is one of Canada’s most diverse Universities and over 60 countries are represented within our residence communities.
We know that choosing where to live is an important decision.
We encourage you to live on campus where you're only a few minutes away from your classes, academic support services, fitness center, library, and dining areas. It will be easy for you to take part in activities designed to support your academic success and transition to Canadian life. You will be exposed to Canadian customs while respecting your culture and beliefs.
Living in residence is very different than living at home and can be very different from a residence experience in another country. There are residence staff on campus to help you throughout the day, night, and on weekends. Most residence halls have a student staff person known as a Resident Assistant (RA) who lives on the floor with students. They help you build connections with other students and keep you informed on what is going on throughout the university. There are also Residence Life Coordinators (RLCs) who are full-time staff who live in the residence halls and supervise the Resident Assistants (RAs).
We strive to create a sense of community among students who live with us; we want to avoid our buildings feeling like hotels with people coming and going all of the time. We also have Community Standards, which are expectations and rules for students, that will help keep you safe.
Our international students may find the following to be different from residences in other countries:
- Alcohol use: the legal age for alcohol use in Ontario is 19 years and you have to be of age to consume alcohol in residence. You are restricted to using alcohol in specified locations and cannot walk around the residence buildings with open alcohol.
- Fire Safety: if you hear the fire alarm, you are required to leave your building immediately (if safe to do so) except during scheduled fire alarm tests where you are notified ahead of time.
All first-year international undergraduates are guaranteed residence if they apply by the residence application deadline. If residence is not available, and a student has applied by the residence application deadline, assistance will be provided to find off-campus housing. Deadlines vary each semester and will be posted on the residence application.
Your safety is very important to us and we have done the following to ensure that all residents and guests can enjoy our residence halls safely:
- Entrance doors of residence buildings are locked; only those living in the building are given access.
- In the evenings, all guests must show identification at the front desk and get signed in for the time they are in the building.
- Students can have up to two (2) guests at any one time.
- Every residence has security cameras in the lobbies and in some areas throughout the buildings.
Getting involved in activities outside of the classroom will improve your university experience and provide a healthy balance to your studies. There are many clubs in residence and on campus that students can get involved in, such as student associations, environmental groups, arts clubs, fraternities/sororities, and religious groups. There are also several ways to get involved in your residence hall. Talk with your resident assistant (RA) about your interest and they can help connect you to residents who share the same interests and activities on your floor, building, and neighbourhood. Follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube for the latest updates about opportunities and events.
Living in a Canadian university residence is not the same as living in a hotel. It is not considered "short term accommodation" where you can stay for a few nights or for a few weeks. When you apply to live in a University of Windsor residence, you are agreeing to live there for 8 months (September to April) or for 4 months if you arrive in January for the winter semester. You can live on campus in the summer months as well, from 4 weeks to 16 weeks, depending on the Inter/Summer course offerings.
In comparison, some students choose to live off-campus and if so, they may have to sign a "lease agreement". A lease is a contract between you and the owner of the property that you are renting. Many off-campus rental properties require you to commit to a lease for 12 months. You are required to pay rent for the full 12 months unless you rent the room to another occupant who then pays the remainder of the monthly fees until your lease expires.
If you live in residence on campus, you pay your residence fees in two (2) payments, mid-August for the fall semester and mid-December for the winter semester and in May for the summer semester. Furniture, internet, cable TV, telephone service, and fridge rental are included in your residence fees.
If you live off campus, you will be paying your rent each month and there are additional costs for furniture, utilities, cable TV and/or internet, and some utilities.
Food Services is happy to provide you with a meal plan while you're living on campus. That means you can focus on your studies and not have to buy groceries or cook. You must choose 1 of 4 meal plans, with halal and vegan options available in each plan. When you're living in residence, the funds are added to your UwinCARD in August for the fall semester and in December for the winter semester. Your UwinCARD will be used to pay for meals, so there is no need to have cash.
There is also a Grocery Bus that comes to campus once per week to take students to and from a local grocery store for supplies.
Wherever you choose to live on campus, you will be minutes away from the International Student Centre (ISC). Located on the second (2nd) floor of Laurier Hall, the ISC offers professional advising services, information about health coverage and immigration, and extracurricular programming. The International Student Centre is a great resource to use during your transition to living in Canada and at the University of Windsor.
You may choose to explore other parts of Canada during Canadian holidays or during study breaks when there are no classes on campus. You are not required to move out of your residence room during these breaks and there are no additional fees to stay. During the Christmas holiday break, we do require you to let us know if you're staying on campus (in your residence room). This is done for safety so we know who is living on campus while the University is closed. There are limited services during holiday breaks, but there are some food outlets that remain open for residence students (except for the Christmas holiday break) and you are able to use your meal plan for off-campus partners.
You can continue to live in residence as long as you are a registered student. On other Canadian university campuses, students can only live in residence for their first year.
Studying while you're living in residence will be different than studying at home and you will need to find the place that works best for you. That is true for anywhere you will choose to live. In many of the residence buildings, there are study rooms on each floor. Quiet Hours are enforced during certain times of the day with 23-hour Quiet Hours enforced during exams. There is also a Resident Assistant-Academic in residence spaces for first years. Their responsibility is to provide academic support for students in that community.
You may be able to live in residence between academic terms but to do so, you need to submit a Request for Extension form online. If approved, additional fees will be charged to your student account. Weekly fees will be advertised when you apply.
A Multi-Faith Space intended for prayer, meditation, or contemplation is located in the CAW Student Centre just steps away from your residence building.
Canadian laws DO NOT ALLOW smoking inside buildings and this includes residence halls. Students who do not respect this policy will be subject to a fine and/or educational sanction.