Penn State Altoona reserves 650 of its 900 residence hall spaces for incoming first-year students. On-campus housing for first-year students is assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. Penn State Altoona cannot guarantee for all first-year students. In addition, first-year students are not required to live on-campus at Penn State Altoona, even when on-campus housing is available at the time offered applicants pay their admission acceptance fees. If on-campus housing is a priority for you, please accept your offer of admission as soon as possible to maximize the likelihood that space is available.
Offers of admission continue to be extended after first-year student housing is closed since the admission decision is based upon an applicant's academic record. There are a number of choices if first-year student housing is closed when an offered applicant pays the admission acceptance fee:
- Waitlist
Pay the nonrefundable $230 acceptance fee and complete the online request to have their name added to Penn State Altoona's housing waitlist. There is no guarantee that a student will be called from the waitlist. The number of first-year students with housing contracts who cancel their Penn State Altoona admission determines whether spaces become available for waitlist students. Waitlist students who are contacted if a residence hall space becomes available are not obligated to live on campus. - Off-Campus Housing
Some students prefer to live off-campus, even when on-campus housing is available. Students on the housing waitlist may wish to consider off-campus housing as a supplemental housing plan through the Cooperative Agreement lease option offered by several landlords. Information about living off-campus, including a link to a private-provider Web site listing student housing, is available at the Off-campus Living Web site. - Change your Campus of Admission
Before paying the nonrefundable acceptance fee, contact the Office of Recruitment and Admissions at 800-331-7980. You can speak with an admission counselor who can identify which of the Penn State campuses with residence halls still have housing available, and change your campus of admission. There are no additional fees nor applications to change the campus of admission.
Throughout the Penn State system, students living on-campus are not guaranteed on-campus housing for the next academic year. Any enrolled student can participate in the lottery system that assigns on-campus housing to returning students.
All applicants admitted for the spring semester to Penn State Altoona must contact Penn State Altoona's Housing Office at 814-949-5713 for information about available housing.