Special Interest Housing Communities

Living Learning Communities (LLC's) are programs that give students a unique, inclusive residential learning experience that connects academic learning with residence life. Students enjoy all the usual advantages of living on-campus in a residence hall, with the added benefit of living among a group of students that shares academic goals, interests, and majors. Typically all students living in the community share the same major and all live on the same floor or general area of one particular Residence Hall. Students in these communities also typically share a common academic course that is assigned to their LLC.

Special Interest Housing Communities are programs that offer the same benefits and ideals that Living Learning Communities offer to our students. Students enjoy all the usual advantages of living on-campus in a residence hall, with the added benefit of living among a group of students that shares similar interests or characteristics. Students in these communities typically live in the same residential area as others who share the common interest/theme, but are not required to have that interest or topic as their academic major. The students in these communities are not required to share the same major, and do not typically have an academic course assigned to their program. 

• Students participating in these programs will be able to connect with other fellow Golden Bears that share the same interests or academic goals which enhances their support and social network on campus.
• Typically, students in these programs receive more interactions with faculty and staff which can help improve academic connections and grades.
• Nationally, students that participate in Living Learning Communities and Special Interest Housing Communities typically have a higher retention rate (staying at the same school from year to year) and GPA.
• Resources are shared among students, faculty and staff in these communities that can enrich the overall University experience.  
• Programming opportunities are increased for students participating in Living Learning Communities which increases their learning outside of the classroom, as well as provide opportunities for social and personal growth.

Click here for the Living Learning Community/Special Interest Housing Community application information.

2023-2024 Deadlines:

Returning Students:

• Housing Application will remain open until March 3rd (indicate SIH interest directly on your application)
• Roommate Matches on My College Roomie are due March 15th
• Special Interest Housing Room Selection: March 21st-23rd 

Incoming Students:

• Applications will be open from April 9th-May 9th
• Roommate Matches on My College Roomie are due May 30th
• Special Interest Housing Room Assignments are manually made by staff during the first week of June

Completed and approved special interest housing applications will be manually assigned by staff during the first week of June. When complete, you will receive an email. 

Interest in joining a community after May 12th will be taken on a case by case basis. Please direct requests to slichter@kutztown.edu.

Students are able to select a roommate that is not a member of the SIH Community for most communities. However, it is encouraged to live with another member of the community. They do not need to fill out a SIH Community application, unless they want to be a member of the community as well.

This depends on the approval of the faculty or staff member advising the community. These requests should be emailed in advance to slichter@kutztown.edu

Yes and No. You cannot live in multiple places, so you will ultimately have to decide which community you want to live in. We suggest you visit each community's page to gather all the information about the community and the residence hall that it is located in to better make your decision. However, many faculty/staff community advisors still welcome students to participate in the meetings and programs of their community, even if you do not live in the designated hall. The faculty/staff member in charge of each community will make that determination. Students cannot be given access to buildings, or designated community spaces if they do not live in the hall. Those students would need to be signed in as guests at the Residence Hall's front desk to attend meetings.

Students who do not identify a roommate in the My College Roomie software will be auto-assigned to a space available in the community after June 8th. If the student has a preference, they should email housing@kutztown.edu.

Honors Transfer students who wish to reside in the Honors Apartments should email housing@kutztown.edu and do not need to fill out a SIH Community application.

Currently, the only Special Interest Communities available for upper-class students to apply to are:

• Freedom Place
• Neurodiverse Community
• Honors Community (if in the Honors Program)

All other communities are for incoming first year or transfer students.