Summer Housing on Campus
APPLICATION ELIGIBILITY RATES & DATES Room types & ROOMMATES ACCOMMODATIONS BILLING DINING
Summer housing overview
The college offers a limited number of on-campus summer housing spaces in air conditioned halls. Double occupancy and limited single rooms are available. Cornell students will share the summer campus with camps and conferences assigned to other residence halls.
Summer housing application
The residence hall for summer 2026 will be selected from: Russell or Smith halls. The choice is dependent on the number of students who need to be housed and what room types are requested. Preferred applications are due by Monday, March 23, 2026, and must be turned in to the Residence Life Office, or email a legible PDF to res_life@cornellcollege.edu. The office will then determine the hall based on the preferred applications. After the preferred date, approval of additional applications is dependent on whether there are spaces left in the chosen hall.
Apply for housing: summer housing application
Apply for financial assistance: summer housing financial agreement
Summer housing eligibility
Priority is given in the following order:
- Current Cornell students who are enrolled in a summer block course.
- Current Cornell students who are working for or doing on-campus internships with the college and current Cornell students who are doing research with a Cornell faculty member.
- Current Cornell students taking classes but not at Cornell.
- Current Cornell students who are doing internships not through the college.
- Other current Cornell students.
- Spring Cornell graduates who are doing research with a Cornell faculty member before leaving Cornell.
- Students from other institutions looking for summer housing in the area.
Rates and options for length of summer housing
Students choose between two options for agreement lengths. Students may leave and return to campus during the dates of their agreement, but still pay for the use of their housing assignment to store their items.
- Full summer agreement (15 weeks)
- $2,357.00 per person in a double room
- $3,535.00 per person in a single room
- Monday, May 11, 2026: start of the full summer agreement.
- Friday, May 15, 2026: earliest students can start moving to their summer housing assignment.
- Sunday, May 17, 2026: deadline for students to move into their summer housing assignment.
- Friday, July 24, 2026: earliest students can start moving to their fall academic year housing assignment.
- Sunday, July 26, 2026: deadline for students to move into their fall academic year housing assignment.
- Residents who do not have a fall on-campus assignment will need to vacate summer housing by the same deadline.
- Friday, August 21, 2026: the final day of the summer agreement.
- The college reserves the right to amend these dates should the need arise.
- Variable agreement (minimum 4 weeks)
- $23.00 a day, per person per week in a double room
- $34.50 per person per week in a single room
- Any minimum four-consecutive weeks between May 10, 2026-August 21, 2026.
- Friday, July 24, 2026: earliest students can start moving to their fall academic year housing assignment.
- Sunday, July 26, 2026: deadline for students to move into their fall academic year housing assignment.
- Residents who do not have a fall on-campus assignment will need to vacate summer housing by the same deadline.
- Cornell Summer Research Institute
- CSRI students on this plan may consider adding one extra week prior to the start of CSRI to stay or store their belongings in campus housing during the week between the end of Block 8 and the start of CSRI. Otherwise, students are expected to vacate campus housing by the end of the spring semester (learn more about residence hall closing) and return based on the dates of the start of CSRI.
- Students may also add extra weeks at the conclusion of CSRI to enjoy campus post-research.
- These extra amounts are not typically included with CSRI funding, are at the student's expense, and must be paid prior to the summer housing payment deadline.
Summer residents should expect to check in or check out on the dates communicated by Residence Life upon accepting their summer housing agreement. If extenuating circumstances exist that the student believes would warrant an exception for earlier check-in or a later check-out, or if the student is participating in research that does not align with the dates above, then the student should discuss that with Residence Life prior to applying for summer housing. If adjusted dates are approved, the cost of housing would be adjusted accordingly.
Students who do not move out within the appropriate timeframe will be assessed a fine for failing to follow checkout procedures and additional fines for each hour they remain past the deadline.
Room types & floor gender
Summer rooms come in two types:
- Double: two students live in one room
- Single: one student lives alone
Roommates
For double-occupancy rooms, students can preference a roommate during the application process. Roommates must have the same length of stay (for example, a student here the entire summer can only room with another student here all summer; a student here for a variable amount can only room with another student for a similar variable amount, give or take a week or two). If a student does not have a roommate preference, Residence Life will pair students based on these expectations.
Every attempt will be made to place students on the gendered (or non-gendered) floor/suite they prefer on their summer housing application, space permitting. If no preference is given, we will place students in gendered spaces that align with their Registrar gender designation.
Accessibility & singles accommodations
Students requiring medical singles will be placed in qualifying halls and/or rooms (learn more about disability accommodations).
For students needing mobility accommodations when the primary hall is not accessible, a neighboring accessible hall may be used for them and any requested roommates.
Deadline for changes to summer housing agreements
Students may add additional dates to their summer housing application at any time during the summer. Students may not remove dates from their summer housing application after Monday, March 23, 2026.
Billing process & partial refunds
The Financial Agreement for Summer Housing is a form which helps you calculate how you will pay for summer housing. Even student employees and CSRI participants who will have costs covered should fill this out to ensure nothing is missed.
Pay for your summer by 4:30 p.m. on Monday, May 11, 2026 in one of two ways:
- Through your online payment portal, complete a full payment for summer housing.
- Complete the Financial Agreement for student housing to establish a payment plan with up to three due dates (May 11, June 1, July 1, 2026).
- Variable date options of eight weeks or more are eligible for a payment plan. Variable date options less than eight weeks are not eligible for a payment plan and must provide payment in full by 4:30 p.m. on Monday, May 11, 2026.
Summer residents will receive a partial room refund at the conclusion of the summer if a sponsoring department or organization has approved an early fall arrival and has agreed to pay those costs. For example, a full summer agreement student who is a member of the new student orientation team may have their new student orientation supervisor pay for a portion of their summer housing cost containing the start of the new student orientation training program until the start of the fall semester housing agreement. Students with questions about that refund should contact Residence Life. Additional questions about summer billing can be directed to the Student Accounts office.
Dining services
On-campus summer dining service may operate with special hours. See our dining hours for the latest updates. Some sponsoring programs will pay for student meals ahead of time. Otherwise, students electing to visit the Hilltop Cafe or Zamora's Market during open hours will pay only for the meals they choose to partake. Learn more about the payment methods accepted at the Hilltop Cafe.
Spring closing and fall opening: The final meals served at the Hilltop Café and Zamora’s Market can be found on the Dining Services Hours website. The Hilltop Café will remain open for limited hours through graduation weekend to accommodate graduating seniors and then close for the summer. It will reopen in mid-August to accommodate early arrivals. Summer residents' meal plans do not include graduation weekend or early arrival meals; however, summer residents may purchase a meal with a credit or debit card at the door whenever the dining hall is open during this time.
Other Summer Considerations
Summer residents should contact the Mail & Service Center to ensure that their mail continues to be delivered to their campus box while they stay on campus. By default, summer mail will be forwarded to the student's permanent address on file with the Registrar's office.
R.A.M. (Rapid Alert Messaging) emergency system
Cornell College has established the R.A.M. (Rapid Alert Messaging) Emergency System to assist in campus-wide notification in events of safety concerns. Refer to the R.A.M. Emergency System website for more information and to register. All students are encouraged to register for this service. Any student who is already registered for this service will continue to receive alerts over the summer.
Policies
All residence life and college policies remain in effect for students in summer housing. Refer to the Policies for Residential Students for a complete listing of those expectations.
Resident assistants
Student resident assistants will provide limited safety and security assistance for the assigned residence hall(s). Academic year functions, such as office hours, game and supply check-outs, and social programming, will be limited or not available.
Lock-outs
Students who find themselves locked out of their room should first try to contact their roommate. If their roommate is not available, then they can call Campus Safety to let them in (but will be charged for this service). All money collected for lock-outs is used to enhance residence hall programming initiatives.
Parking
All students with a vehicle staying on campus over the summer must have their vehicle registered with Campus Safety. Visit Campus Safety's website to learn more about summer parking.
Sports Center
The Small Athletic and Wellness Center (SAW) will be available to students over the summer. Hours will be updated on the SAW website as the summer starts.