Parents and Families

Wake Forest is one of the few universities in the country that guarantees housing for eight semesters (for students in good standing). Students are required to live on campus for three years in campus housing unless they live with their parent or guardian in the Winston-Salem area.

First-year students cannot select their own roommates or residence halls. Roomates are matched based on the information each student provides on the housing agreement.  This gives our students a unique opportunity to get to know others that they may not otherwise engage with, but share an array of commonalities with from a lifestyle/value perspective.  We have found this method to be extremely effective.

If there is a roommate conflict, the first step is to talk to his/her roommate and try to work it out. Each first year student is encouraged to complete a roommate agreement worksheet, where both roommates sit down to talk about setting rules for the room. By jointly setting those expectations – and renegotiating when needed – students can solve a lot of their issues on their own; the Resident Adviser (RA) can also help mediate issues. There is a potential to switch rooms at certain times of the semester if others also want to switch and there is availability.

Students can submit repair requests for their room, bathroom, apartment, or house, by calling facilities and campus services directly at 336.758.4255.  Maintenance crews work in and around the residence halls performing repairs and preventative maintenance tasks between 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday. After-hours maintenance and custodial crews are available to handle emergency issues. Facilities and campus staff members do not clean student rooms, assist in room set-up or take down, or remove or store University furniture or personal property.

In the room selection process for the upcoming fall, some rising upperclassmen students are not able to select a room—either because we do not currently have space or they do not have a roommate to fill the room to capacity.  In these cases, students go through Round 2 of housing selection in July. In Round 2, students will have the ability to view potential roommates before selecting a room.  e conduct this process during the summer to allow rooms to open up due to changes in students’ housing plans. The housing guarantee and the three-year residency requirement remain in effect.

We will post information about services available on breaks.  Dining services may be limited on campus,  so students should review the posted hours and plan accordingly to dine off campus or have food in their rooms/shared kitchens.  Schedules are typically posted about a week before the break.

Please see information on breaks and closing procedures.

Refer to Room Selection for information about room selection for continuing students. Students should talk to their RAs if they have questions about the process or need more information.

We typically will list options for shipping items home or storing them over the summer.  Mail Services is also available to ship boxes home for the summer.

Remember that students are bound to a three-year residency requirement to live in university housing (unless they live with their parent or guardian in the Winston-Salem area).  Students who have completed their three years of residency can consult the University’s off campus housing page for information and requirements.

All of the residence hall mattresses at Wake Forest are made to fit “extra long” twin sheet sets, which can be purchased at many retailers.

Students are no longer allowed to loft their beds.

Laundry machines are located in each residence hall; please see the Laundry Facilities page for additional details.  In addition, Wake Wash, a student-run entrepreneurial venture, has provided door-to-door laundry and dry cleaning service to on-campus students.

There is no formal linen service.  However, Wake Wash, a student-run entrepreneurial venture, has provided door-to-door laundry and dry cleaning service to on-campus students.

Information about cable tv and multimedia is available on the Information Systems web site.

All residence hall rooms are equipped with the capability for VoIP technology. Students needing local phone service and voicemail in their residence hall room may request a VoIP phone by contacting Residence Life and Housing after their arrival on campus at 336.758.5185 or housing@wfu.edu. Note: There are additional charges associated with telephone service.

Wake Forest strives year-round to make the student residential experience a good one and our commitment in that regard will remain strong. Our staff takes every report seriously.  We respond to every incoming message and investigate each situation. As part of our protocol, if mold is found, prompt steps are taken to remove it and provide information to the student that can help reduce the chances of its return.  The following article on the Parents’ Page web site provides information and a Q&A section.

Key card access buildings – such as residence halls – are locked 24 hours a day. Students have access to enter all residence halls between 7 a.m. and midnight through the use of their ID cards. However, only residents of that particular building/suite have access between midnight and 7 a.m.  There is a call box outside each residence hall for guests to use to call residents and gain access.