We are excited to have you take this important next step with Drake University. Please read through the following information and process carefully as you complete the housing contract and meal plan selection.
Meal Plans
You will be able to select a meal plan online once you have submitted a housing contract and deposit for the academic year for which you are applying.
All students assigned to live in a Drake Residence Hall are required to have a meal plan.
If you do not select a meal plan by 4:30 pm (cst.) on June 30, prior to the academic year for which you are applying, and are assigned to live in the residence halls, you will automatically be assigned and billed for the Unlimited meal plan with 100 dining dollars per semester.
You may edit your meal plan selection online starting in fall, August or spring, January for the specific term that you are wishing to change your meal plan, through the first Thursday of classes in the academic year for which you have applied.
Meal plans can not be changed after the first Thursday of classes of each academic term.
Room Assignments
First Year Students: Nearly all of the first year students on campus live in double rooms. In addition, there are more than 40 three-person rooms on campus. First Year Students may also request single room placement. Please note single rooms do cost more than double/triple rooms. (In the event that all double and triple rooms fill to maximum capacity, and there are still students requiring housing, students who did not initially request a single room may be assigned to single rooms and assessed the double room rate until space in a double or triple room becomes available. At this time the student would be provided the opportunity to relocate to the double or triple room or select to remain in the single room at the single room rate). The decision to place individuals into a single room at the double room rate rests with the Office of Residence Life. If you are a first-year student, you will be assigned an available residence hall space in the order that your housing contract and $250 housing deposit are received. You will most likely receive another first-year student as a roommate, but this is not guaranteed.
As a first-year student, you will also take part in a special program, First Year Seminar, intended to help make sure that your time at Drake gets off to a great start. The First-Year Seminar is a small class focusing on an interesting theme—a class that you will take with other students on your floor or in your residence hall. Right from the start, you will have a built-in sense of community with a group of fellow first-year Drake students that you will see every day. The Office of Residence Life will assign you to a room based on housing contract & housing deposit received date as well as First-Year Seminar selection.
Transfer Students: As a transfer student you may live in a single, double, triple or four-person room in one of several upper-class residence halls. If you graduated from high school more than two years ago, you may choose to live in off campus housing and in apartments in the neighborhood surrounding campus. These include Drake West Village, a fully furnished, student-only apartment complex located just across the street from campus, Drake Real Estate Rental properties or other off campus housing options. If you live in a residence hall you are required to select a meal plan.
Accessing Room Assignments: students may access their room assignments the last Friday in July, prior to the academic year for which you have applied. (information available also online at http://www.drake.edu/life/housing/newstudentinformation/ and in orientation folders):”
Students applying for Spring Term only housing, will receive an email with their housing placement information in January of the academic year for which they have applied.
Residence Halls: In each of Drake’s residence halls you will find all the makings of a great home away from home: nicely furnished rooms, air conditioning, wireless internet, common areas for hanging out with friends, and kitchens for cooking up a special treat.
Every residence hall floor has its own resident assistant (RA), who serves as a friend and resource, and you will find plenty of organized activities that provide the chance to meet people. More information may be found at: http://www.drake.edu/life/.
Off-Campus Housing (Commuter): The option of living off campus is open to students who choose to live with their parent(s) or legal guardian within a 45-mile radius of Drake University, to married students, or to those who have been out of high school for two years or more and have requested and recieved written approval from the Office of Residence Life to live off campus. Drake Real Estate can assist you in finding Drake-owned apartments, and the Student Life Center can provide a list of other local rentals. Off-Campus/Commuter students must apply for commuter status release by applying on this portal.
HELP: If you have any problems or questions when selecting your meal plan please contact: dining@drake.edu via email or by calling 515-271-3175; for housing questions please contact housing@drake.edu via email or by calling 515-271-3781.