Junior-Senior Housing Information

Types of Housing

Junior-senior housing options include roughly 200 beds in the new Junior-Senior Village apartments (opening Fall 2025), as well as approximately 110 beds in Off-Campus Student Rentals. 

The Junior-Senior Village consists of mostly 3- and 4-person apartments, with individual bedrooms for each student. They have full kitchens and are semi-furnished with a bed, mattress, desk, dresser, dining table and chairs, kitchen appliances, and some larger soft seating for the living room. A central shared laundry room is provided in each building. 

The other Off-Campus Student Rentals are a mix of stand-alone houses and apartments. All are within walking distance of campus. They come unfurnished, meaning that students will need to move-in and move-out their own furniture, similar to other private landlords. 

Students can use the same process to sign up for both, in groups or individually, and then choose from all the available options including both the Junior-Senior Village and the Off-Campus Rentals when it’s their turn to do so. Some units have laundry hookups, but not all, and students must provide their own washers and dryers if a hookup is available.

Availability

A list of available Junior-Senior Village apartments and off-campus rental units will be posted online early in the spring semester. This allows time for eligible current tenants to decide if they will renew their rental for the following year (relevant to those in 12-month agreements; 9-month agreements cannot be renewed).

Eligibility Requirements

Junior-Senior Village and the off-campus rentals are for current Whitman College students only. In order to be eligible, a student must be currently enrolled and have completed the on-campus residency requirement by living on campus for 4 semesters or being at least 21 years old before the beginning of the semester.

Meal Plans Not Required

Students in junior/senior housing are NOT required to have a campus meal plan. Full kitchens are provided in all rental units. However, we do encourage students to still buy some flex dollars to use on campus as needed.

Rental Durations

Rental agreements begin in late August of any given year, prior to the beginning of the fall semester. Some units are available to rent for the academic year (nine months, ending in late May) while others are available  for the whole year (12 months, ending the following mid- August). Specific dates will be posted during the housing selection process early in the spring semester for the coming academic year.

Year-Long (12 Month) vs. Academic-Year (Nine Month) Housing Options

We know from year to year that there are many students who stay in Walla Walla for summer internships, jobs and to spend time with friends. Year-long rentals allow students to live in town for some or all of the summer, while giving them a place to store their belongings over the summer without worrying about storage. 

Academic-year rentals may be more suitable for students who are planning to be gone the whole summer, have a plan for storing their belongings, or who are graduating and departing Walla Walla at the end of the academic year.

By having both options, students can choose what’s best for them. The academic-year (nine month) rentals also allow time for maintenance and renovation of spaces over time. 

Rental Renewals

A 12-month (year-long) rental agreement may be renewed once into a nine-month (academic year) rental agreement. However, nine-month rental agreements are NOT renewable. (This allows for a student in their junior year to move into a 12-month unit, renew into a nine-month agreement, and then vacate upon graduation, living in the same unit for both junior and senior years if they choose to do so.) 

A 12-month rental agreement can be renewed into a nine-month agreement as long as one student chooses to stay in the unit, provided they find additional students to fill any open beds in the rental.

Applying as a Group

Students may sign up for the junior/senior housing lottery in groups. Students will only be able to select a unit with a bed count equal to the number of students in the group.

If a student knows that they will be gone for a portion of their housing agreement, for example studying abroad for a semester, we strongly recommend that they find another student to switch with ahead of time so they can avoid an early departure fee. 

Furnishings

Junior-Senior Village apartments are semi-furnished. Each bedroom includes a full XL bed with mattress, desk, dresser and desk chair. Living areas come with larger furniture pieces such as a dining table, dining chairs and some additional soft seating. Junior-Senior Village apartments have access to laundry facilities in each building. 

Off-campus student rental units are NOT furnished. Students are responsible for providing their own furniture and removing it upon departure. Washers and dryers are not provided in off-campus rental units. Some rentals have washer/dryer hook-ups, but not all. Please refer to the individual rental listing for more information. 

Vacating Rentals Upon Departure

When a student vacates a unit, they are responsible for removing all student-owned furniture and belongings from the unit. No furniture can be left for future tenants. This allows for the maintenance and renovation of spaces between student groups.

We have also found that students leaving belongings for future tenants leads to a build up of discarded items and furniture, and confusion over who is responsible for it.

If a student is moving out of a rental unit, they are responsible for moving, selling or storing their belongings. 

If furniture or belongings are left behind in a unit after all tenants have vacated the space, or if the space is left insufficiently cleaned or damaged, EACH student living there will be charged a minimum fee of $200 to their student account for improperly vacating the space.

The Residence Life and Housing Office will keep a list of storage rental companies in Walla Walla. We will also keep a list of students looking for other students to share storage rental units. Identifying and working with a private storage unit company is the responsibility of the student.