Colorado Mesa University is committed to the success of our students. Knowing that students who live on campus and engage in activities have a greater success rate for graduation and maintain higher GPA's, CMU requires students who have earned less than 60 credit hours and are under the legal drinking age to live on campus, subject to room availability and unless approved for an exemption.
Students who have more than 60 credit hours and of the legal drinking age may - but are not required to - submit a Housing Application to live on campus.
Exemptions will be granted for the following reasons.
- Resides with parent(s) at their permanent address within Mesa County
- Will be the legal drinking age or older before first day of semester in which the exemption is requested; see § 18-13-122(3)(a), C.R.S
- Earned 60 or more credit hours
- Lived in CMU housing for four semesters
- Married or have a dependent child
- Attending only Montrose campus
- Extreme Financial Hardship
- For an exemption to be granted based on Extreme Financial Hardship, a student is required to complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the year in which they are requesting an exemption. Residence Life in conjunction with Financial Aid will use unmet need and Expected Family Contribution to determine if you qualify for this exemption.
You may NOT request an exemption based solely on the fact that you have found a less expensive off campus option or because you have signed a lease.
To request an exemption, complete and submit the 2023-2024 Housing Policy Exemption Request. The Housing Policy Exemption Request is available under "Applications/Exemption Requests" in the MyHousing app of MAVzone. Requesting an exemption does not guarantee an exemption will be granted. It is highly recommended that you do not sign a lease for off-campus housing until you are notified of a decision regarding your exemption. Residence Life will notify you of the result of your request at your CMU email address within one week of your submission.
All current Colorado Mesa University policies can be found in the Maverick Guide.